Huntington Beach, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

030(A) bars anyone from advertising, renting, or operating an STR without a City-issued permit, applied for through the Director of Community Development on a form covering eligibility. 030(D) makes the permit personal, non-transferable, valid for two years, and void if a renewal is not filed at least 30 days before expiration; renewal also requires paying the fee and submitting compliance records. 030(E) attaches standard conditions to every permit: a written occupancy limit given to tenants, host responsibility for preventing repeated noise or disorderly conduct, a posted copy of the permit and its conditions inside the unit, and a City-approved guest parking plan before the permit issues.

Occupancy is capped at two guests per bedroom plus two more, never exceeding 10 people, and large commercial events are banned outright. 030(F) sets eligibility: the unit cannot be deed-restricted affordable housing, a single room occupancy unit, or on the City's Prohibited Buildings List; an operator or host may hold only one STR permit citywide, except that condo or townhome buildings with four or more units may receive up to three permits; a 24-hour local contact must be designated to answer complaints within an hour; the property cannot have active code enforcement action pending; and the host must sign an indemnification agreement in a form approved by the City Attorney. 030(F)(6).