Union City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Union City, CA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Deadline
- 30 days after starting business
- Required document
- Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate
- Posting
- Displayed conspicuously on premises
- Covers
- Any structure rented for lodging
- Issued by
- City Finance Director
Summary
Union City requires every operator renting lodging to transients, including short-term rental hosts, to register with the City within 30 days and obtain a posted Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate.
Within thirty days after the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, or within thirty days after commencing business, whichever is later, each operator of any hotel renting occupancy to transients shall register said hotel with the City and obtain a "Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate" to be at all times posted in a conspicuous place on the premises. Said certificate shall, among other things, state the following:
A. The name of the operator,
B. The address of the hotel;
C. The date upon which the certificate was issued;
D. "This Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate signifies that the person named on the face hereof has fulfilled the requirements of the Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax Ordinance by registering with the Finance Director for the purpose of collecting from transients the Transient Occupancy Tax and remitting said tax to the Finance Director. This certificate does not authorize any person to conduct any unlawful business or to conduct any lawful business in an unlawful manner, nor to operate a hotel without strictly complying with all local applicable laws, including, but not limited to, those requiring a permit from any Board, Commission, department or office of this City. This certificate does not constitute a permit." (Ord. 225-83 § 2, 1983)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4940544; v16 updated 2026-06-23).
Full Breakdown
Union City Municipal Code § 3.18.050 requires each operator of any "hotel", defined at § 3.18.010 to include any structure rented for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes, language broad enough to cover short-term rentals, to register with the City and obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate within 30 days of starting business, posted conspicuously on the premises. The certificate states the operator's name, the property address, and issue date, and confirms Transient Occupancy Tax compliance; the code specifies it "does not constitute a permit." Separately, the City's business tax code lists short-term rentals as a taxed rental category (§ 5.04.300), confirming they are regulated as rental businesses.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unregistered hotel or short-term rental, or renting without a posted Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate, exposes an operator to the enforcement, assessment and penalty procedures of the TOT chapter (§§ 3.18.070–3.18.130).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do short-term rental hosts need to register in Union City?
Does the registration certificate work as a business license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Union City
How Union City compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·California rules heatmap·Compare Union City to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Short-Term Rental Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle short-term rental permits.