Buena Park, CA Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

Buena Park adopted its own short-term rental rules as Section 19.348.080 of Title 19 of the Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance No. 1675 and effective February 14, 2020 after a series of urgency moratoria (Ord. 1662, 1664, 1670). This is the incorporated city's code, not Orange County's; the County's STR scheme does not apply inside city limits. A 'short-term rental' is the renting of any portion of a structure or dwelling for not less than 12 hours and a maximum of 29 consecutive days. Subsection C states no STR may operate without a permit; the Director decides within six weeks of a complete application. Only an owner (a person, not a corporation or LLC) holding fee title and residing on the property as their primary residence may apply, and the host must live on-site. The city mails notice to property owners within 300 feet, and the subject property line cannot be within 300 feet of any other approved STR. Final approval follows a passed property inspection, and the host must also obtain a Buena Park business license (Title 5.00) and register for transient occupancy tax (Chapter 3.16). Permits are valid three years, are personal to the host, cannot be transferred, and become void if the home is sold or an accessory dwelling unit is approved on the lot. Only one STR permit per individual may be in effect anywhere in the city.