Gardena, CA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)

Chapter 5.76, Home Sharing Rentals, adopted by Ordinance 1854 in 2023, defines 'home sharing' as renting one or more bedrooms, for stays of thirty consecutive days or less, in a dwelling unit that is the primary residence of the host while the host lives on site throughout the guest's stay. Section 5.76.020 pins down 'primary residence' as the residential unit where the host resides at least one hundred eighty-three nights per year, and a host may claim only one primary residence in the city. Section 5.76.040.B.1 builds the permit eligibility test on that definition: an owner-host must live on the premises and have owned the residence for at least one year before applying.

Owners who do not live on site may still qualify under 5.76.040.B.2 only if they have a 'qualifying tenant' whose lease specifically authorizes home sharing and who has lived there at least a year, and that qualifying tenant, not an absent owner, must be the one on site during a stay. Section 5.76.050.B.5 requires the applicant to document primary residency with two matching-address records, such as a driver's license, voter registration, vehicle registration, utility bill or pay stub showing a year of residency at the address.

A dwelling with an accessory dwelling unit on the same lot cannot host under Section 5.76.060.B, and home sharing is limited to R-1 and R-2 zones.