Short-term rental permit rules in Ontario, CA — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Ontario requires a Short-Term Rental Permit and a business license before any dwelling under 30 days is rented. Only the host's primary residence qualifies, and non-owner-occupied vacation rentals are prohibited.
Ontario Development Code Section 5.03.363 prohibits causing, allowing, conducting, permitting, maintaining, or facilitating a short-term rental at any dwelling unit without first obtaining a short-term rental permit. The permit authorizes only hosted stays and un-hosted stays; vacation rentals (dwellings that are not the host's primary residence) are prohibited outright. The dwelling must be the host's primary residence, and the host must be the property owner (or the spouse, parent, or adult child of the owner) or a tenant who occupied the property as a primary residence and has the owner's written authorization. Applications go to the Planning Department (303 East B Street) via the Citizen Portal and must include a site/floor plan, documentation of the number of bedrooms (such as a County Assessor record), a parking plan, two forms of primary-residence proof in the host's name, emergency 24-hour/30-minute contact information, and evidence the applicant is obtaining a business license under Chapter 1 of Title 3 of the Ontario Municipal Code. STRs are allowed only in specified zones (AR-2, RE-2, RE-4, LDR-5, MDR-11/18/25, HDR-45, and MU zones). Permits are valid 12 months, require an annual inspection to renew, and are non-transferable.
Operating without a valid permit and business license is prohibited; advertising is prima facie evidence of operation. A violation is a public nuisance and a misdemeanor, with administrative civil penalties of $1,000 (first), $2,000 (second), and $3,000 (third and subsequent) per Section 5.03.363.K.
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