San Clemente, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Application requirement
- Diagram of on-site legal parking spaces (§3.24.190(5))
- Overnight vehicle cap
- Set by the owner's own application, not a fixed city number
- Occupancy tie-in
- Max 2 persons per bedroom plus 2, capped at 10
- 5+ bedroom waiver
- Available from Community Development Director
- Enforcement duty
- Owner must act on reported parking/occupancy violations
Summary
San Clemente does not set a fixed parking-space count for short-term lodging units; instead every STLU application must diagram the property's existing legal on-site parking spaces and state the maximum number of overnight guest vehicles allowed, tying the cap to what the site can actually park under Municipal Code §§ 3.24.190(5) and 17.28.292.
5.A diagram or photograph of the property showing the number and location of designated legal on-site parking spaces and the maximum number of vehicles allowed for overnight guests in the STLU. ... Upon notification that an STLU renter or a renter's guest has violated Subsection 17.28.292(C)(5), Noise and Disorderly Conduct, or 17.28.292(C)(11), Occupancy Limit and Parking, above, the STLU owner shall promptly notify the renter of the violation and take such action as is necessary to prevent a recurrence.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Traffic: Supplement 30 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 66 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
190(5) requires the operating-license application to include a diagram or photograph showing every designated legal on-site parking space and the maximum number of vehicles the owner will allow overnight guests to park there. 292(C)(11), titled 'Occupancy Limit and Parking,' which caps overnight occupancy at two persons per legal bedroom plus two additional people, never more than 10 total or the maximum allowed under Title 15, whichever is lower, with owners of homes having five or more legal bedrooms able to apply to the Community Development Director for a waiver under objective criteria the Director must adopt by resolution.
292(C)(12) puts the owner on the hook to promptly notify the renter and take action to stop it from happening again; the owner is not expected to act as a law-enforcement officer or put themselves in danger doing so. 292, so a documented parking or occupancy overflow can end a rental on the spot.
Violations & Fines
Repeated parking or occupancy violations count toward the three-strikes revocation standard in § 3.24.067: three conclusively found violations tied to one STLU within 12 months, or a single serious one, can trigger a hearing that revokes the STLU operating license or adds stricter conditions on parking and occupancy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many parking spaces must an STLU have in San Clemente?
What happens if guests park more vehicles than allowed?
Can a large house allow more overnight guests and cars?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Clemente
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