Long Beach, CA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Residency threshold
- 275 days per calendar year
- Proof required
- At least 2 of 5 listed documents
- Per-operator cap
- 1 primary STR + 1 non-primary STR citywide
- Multi-unit parcels
- Whole parcel counts as primary residence
- Enforcing office
- Director of Community Development
Summary
Long Beach Municipal Code § 5.77.020(K) defines a primary residence as the home where a person lives at least 275 days a year, proven with two forms of documentation, and § 5.77.030(B)(2) caps every operator at one primary-residence STR plus one non-primary STR citywide.
K."Primary residence" means a person's permanent residence or usual place of return for housing as documented by at least two (2) of the following: current motor vehicle registration; current driver's license; current voter registration; most recent tax documents showing the residential unit as the person's residence; or the most recent utility bill within the last three (3) months. A person may have only one (1) primary residence and must reside there for a minimum of two hundred seventy-five (275) days during the calendar year. ... B.2.The STR operator shall not operate more than one (1) primary residence STR and more than one (1) non-primary residence STR in the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
020(K). A primary residence is a person's permanent home or usual place of return, documented by at least two of five proofs, current vehicle registration, driver's license, voter registration, the most recent tax return showing the unit as the person's residence, or a utility bill from within the last three months. Crucially, the operator must actually reside there at least two hundred seventy-five days of the calendar year; a person can claim only one primary residence citywide. For a duplex or other parcel with two or more legally permitted units, the whole parcel counts as the primary residence for this test.
030(B)(2), which limits any single STR operator to one primary residence STR and one non-primary residence STR in the entire City, an operator cannot register a third property under either category. 030(B)(4). Community Development's Director administers eligibility review at registration and renewal.
Violations & Fines
Registering a property as a primary residence STR without meeting the 275-day residency and documentation test is a false-statement violation under Section 5.77.090(A)(4), which treats providing false or misleading information on a registration application as a chargeable offense. Chapter 5.77 violations carry a flat $1,000 fine per Section 5.77.090(G), and three citations within an eighteen-month window can trigger non-renewal of the registration under 5.77.090(H).
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Long Beach define a 'primary residence' for STR purposes?
Can one person register more than one primary residence STR in Long Beach?
Does owning a duplex change how 'primary residence' is counted?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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