San Francisco Permit Requirements Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

San Francisco's short-term rental permit framework, codified in Administrative Code Chapter 41A and shaped significantly by Proposition F (passed in November 2015), is among the most restrictive STR regulatory systems of any major American city. The law requires that every host obtain a Short-Term Residential Rental Certificate from the Office of Short-Term Rentals before advertising, listing, or renting a residential unit for periods of fewer than 30 consecutive nights. The application process requires documentation proving that the unit is the applicant's primary residence — defined as the dwelling where the applicant lives for at least 275 nights per calendar year.

Hosts must be permanent residents of San Francisco. Absentee owners, investors, and landlords who do not personally live in the unit may not obtain STR certificates. This residency requirement is the backbone of the city's approach: San Francisco treats short-term rentals as a privilege of owner-occupants, not a commercial investment strategy. In addition to the OSTR certificate, hosts must obtain a San Francisco Business Registration Certificate from the Treasurer and Tax Collector's Office and maintain liability insurance coverage of at least $500,000 per occurrence. Most major platforms provide host protection insurance that satisfies this requirement, but hosts are responsible for verifying coverage.

Hosts must collect and remit the 14% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on all short-term rental income. Major platforms such as Airbnb have entered into voluntary collection agreements with the city and remit TOT directly on behalf of hosts, but hosts remain ultimately liable for ensuring tax compliance. The OSTR maintains a public registry of certified hosts and their registration numbers, and hosting platforms are required to verify that listings display a valid registration number before publishing them. Unregistered listings are subject to removal, and platforms face penalties for facilitating unregistered activity.