National City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Residency test
- Primary Residence in the city or within a quarter-mile
- Days in residence
- Minimum two hundred seventy-five days per calendar year
- Proof required
- At least two documents such as license or voter registration
- Nonprimary rentals
- One at any given time
- Barred units
- Deed-restricted affordable, special group residence, single-room occupancy
- After revocation
- Ineligible for the previous twenty-four-month period
Summary
A National City short-term rental applicant must live in the city, or within a quarter-mile of the rental if it sits outside the city. Section 6.30.040 also bars deed-restricted affordable units and caps an applicant at one Nonprimary Residence rental at a time.
The following requirements must be met at the time of submitting an application for a permit to operate a Short-Term Rental: A.The applicant's Primary Residence must be located in the city, or within a quarter-mile of the Short-Term Rental if located outside the city. ... C.The dwelling unit shall not be a deed-restricted affordable housing unit, in a special group residence, or a single-room occupancy. ... E.The applicant shall not have been subject to a Short-Term Rental permit revocation during the previous twenty-four-month period.F.An applicant may not hold a Short-Term Rental permit for more than one Nonprimary Residence Short-Term Rental at any given time.
Full Breakdown
Eligibility is tested when the application goes in. Section 6.30.040 of the National City Municipal Code opens with the rule that its requirements must be met at the time of submitting an application, and subsection A sets the residency test: the applicant's Primary Residence must be located in the city, or within a quarter-mile of the Short-Term Rental if located outside the city.
The definition in 6.30.020 gives "Primary Residence" real content. It is a person's permanent residence or usual place of return for housing, documented by at least two of the following: motor vehicle registration, driver's license, voter registration, tax documents showing the residential unit as the person's residence, or a utility bill. A person can have only one Primary Residence and must reside there a minimum of two hundred seventy-five days during the calendar year. For a duplex or other property with two or more legally permitted Dwelling Units, the term applies individually to each unit that meets those criteria.
The chapter does not restrict rentals to the host's own home only. Subsection F allows an applicant to hold a permit for one Nonprimary Residence Short-Term Rental at any given time, and no more than one.
Other eligibility bars in the same section apply on top of residency. Subsection C says the dwelling unit shall not be a deed-restricted affordable housing unit, in a special group residence, or a single-room occupancy. Subsection B excludes an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit for which a construction permit was applied for on January 1, 2020, or later. Subsection E blocks anyone subject to a Short-Term Rental permit revocation during the previous twenty-four-month period. Subsection D requires a long-term tenant, meaning stays greater than thirty days, to get the owner's prior written approval before operating a Short-Term Rental.
The citywide cap in 6.30.030 sits on top: one hundred eighty units, no more than forty-five per City Council District.
Violations & Fines
Renting without qualifying, or on a permit obtained through false application statements, exposes the operator to denial or revocation under 6.30.070.H and 6.30.100. Administrative citations under 6.30.090.C run up to $500, $1,000 and $1,500 for a first, second and third citation within one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to live in the property to get a National City short-term rental permit?
How is Primary Residence proven?
Can I rent out an ADU or a deed-restricted unit?
What happens if my permit was revoked before?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in National City
California rules heatmap·Compare National City to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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