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

4903 lists the mandatory standards every proposed short-term rental site must satisfy before the City's Short-Term Rental Administrator can approve a permit application. Subsection (c) is the primary-residence requirement: the operator, not merely the property owner, must have their primary residence at the short-term rental site. To prove that, the operator must submit at least three separate forms of documentation showing the site is their primary residence for more than six months of the year. A state- or federally-issued identification card, such as a driver's license, is mandatory as one of the three documents; the Code lists proof of a homeowner's property tax exemption, a voter registration card or certificate, and vehicle registration as examples of the other acceptable documents.

The same article limits each operator to a single short-term rental at any time under subsection (d), so a person who lives in one Pacifica home cannot simultaneously hold a rental permit for a second property. For a single-family home or condominium, subsection (e) allows one short-term rental as an accessory use to the site; in a multi-family development, subsection (f) confines short-term rentals to hosted stays only, meaning the resident-operator must be present during the rental. Subsections (a) and (b) reinforce the residency requirement by barring short-term rentals in any accessory dwelling unit, junior accessory dwelling unit, or any space that lacks a certificate of occupancy, such as a vehicle, trailer, tent, storage shed or garage.