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

California cities that allow STRs commonly cap or restrict non-owner-occupied operations: examples include San Diego's Tier 4 cap, Santa Monica's hosted-only rule, and Los Angeles's primary-residence Home Sharing Ordinance. Rialto has adopted no comparable framework. Title 18 (Zoning) governs residential land uses through Chapter 18.06 and does not enumerate 'short-term rental,' 'vacation rental,' or 'transient lodging' as a permitted, conditional, or accessory use in residential zones. Because Title 18 follows a permissive scheme, the absence of an STR use category means STRs are not authorized regardless of whether the host lives on site. Whole-home rentals operated by absentee investors face the same baseline zoning prohibition as hosted rentals where the owner remains in residence. Operators in either configuration must still hold a Ch. 5.04 business license and remit TOT under Cal. Rev. & Tax. Code §7280. Property owners considering converting a primary residence to occasional STR use should contact the Rialto Planning Division before listing.