Redwood City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Code § 31.3.C
- Allowed use
- Only in host's primary residence
- Excluded uses
- SRO facilities and Group Homes barred
- ADU carve-out
- Pre-2020 registered ADU rentals may continue
- Registration required
- Before advertising, Section 31.3.E.1
- Enforcing office
- Zoning Administrator / City Manager designee
Summary
Redwood City allows short-term rentals only inside a host's primary residence, defined by physical presence and one per person. Single Room Occupancy Facilities and Group Homes are barred outright, and non-primary-residence rentals are prohibited except for accessory dwelling units registered before January 1, 2020.
C.Permitted Use. Short-term rental uses shall be permitted in any primary residence except Single Room Occupancy Facilities and Group Homes subject to the requirements of this Section, including compliance with the operating standards, registration, Transient Occupancy Tax payments, and recordkeeping obligations. Except as provided for in this Section, all other short-term rental uses shall be prohibited, except for existing short-term rentals in accessory dwelling units that were registered with the City prior to January 1, 2020.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
C. 4 as the dwelling unit where a person has been physically present and regards as home; a person may hold only one primary residence at any time, and evidence includes income tax records or a driver's license. 3 purposes. C makes short-term rental use permitted in any primary residence except Single Room Occupancy Facilities and Group Homes, so long as the host complies with the section's operating standards, registration, Transient Occupancy Tax payment, and recordkeeping duties. Every other short-term rental use, meaning a rental of a dwelling that is not the host's primary residence, is flatly prohibited, with one narrow carve-out: short-term rentals inside accessory dwelling units already registered with the City before January 1, 2020 may continue.
4). Because eligibility runs with the primary residence itself, a registration automatically expires upon sale or transfer of the dwelling unit and cannot be assigned, transferred, or loaned.
Violations & Fines
Operating or advertising a short-term rental at a property that is not the host's primary residence violates Section 31.3.C and is subject to enforcement under Article 50, including administrative citations. It can also bar a subsequent registration for 24 months under Section 31.3.G.4, and the Zoning Administrator may revoke an existing registration for any violation of Section 31.3 following notice and a hearing under Section 31.3.G.1-G.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent out a second home in Redwood City as a short-term rental?
What counts as a primary residence for Redwood City's STR rule?
Can I rent a room in a group home or SRO short-term?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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