San Diego, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

The Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) Ordinance covers any occupancy of a dwelling unit, or part thereof, for less than one month inside the City of San Diego, in every base zone. A Host is a natural person with the legal right to occupy the unit, and each Host holds one license at a time for one dwelling unit. Licenses cannot move between owners or addresses.

The four tiers split by rental days and by whether the Host lives on site. Tier 1 covers rentals of 20 days or less per year in aggregate, and the Host does not need to be present. Tier 2, Home Sharing, covers renting a room or rooms for more than 20 days a year while the Host resides onsite, and the Host can be away for up to 90 days per calendar year of whole-home stays. Tier 3 covers whole-home rentals of more than 20 days a year outside Mission Beach, and Tier 4 covers the same inside the Mission Beach Community Planning Area. Tier 3 and Tier 4 licenses carry a two-night minimum guest stay and a duty to use the license at least 90 days each year under § 510.0107(c), proven through quarterly reports.

As of October 9, 2026, the city had issued 135 Tier 1, 2,336 Tier 2, 4,859 Tier 3 and 1,099 Tier 4 licenses, 8,429 in all. Tier 3 has 802 licenses remaining under a cap of 1% of the city's housing units outside Mission Beach. Tier 4 has none remaining under its cap of 30% of the Mission Beach Community Planning Area, so that application period is closed.

Before applying, the Host needs an active Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) certificate, which costs nothing, and an active and paid Rental Unit Business Tax account for the parcel. A Host who does not own the unit also needs a Business Tax Certificate and a right-to-occupy document, such as a lease clause allowing stays under one month or a signed statement from the owner. The city does not process applications for dwelling units with pending enforcement actions.