RMC Chapter 5.55 does not restrict short-term residential rentals to a host's primary residence. Any 'legally permitted dwelling unit' may be rented short-term, provided the owner or authorized agent holds a Business Tax Certificate and the unit is not subject to affordable-housing or other restrictive covenants.
Unlike Los Angeles (LAMC 12.22 A.32) or Santa Monica, the City of Riverside's Chapter 5.55 does not contain a primary-residence or owner-occupancy mandate. The chapter defines a short-term residential rental as 'any legally permitted dwelling unit, or one or more portions of any legally permitted dwelling unit' rented for 30 consecutive calendar days or less, and it explicitly contemplates an 'owner's authorized agent' designated to comply on behalf of the owner - meaning non-owner-occupied (whole-home) rentals operated through a property manager are permitted. The only ownership-style restrictions are: (1) units with affordable-housing deed restrictions or government-imposed conditions of approval prohibiting short-term rental use are excluded, and (2) all standard zoning rules in RMC Title 19 (e.g., single-family residential land-use designations in Chapter 19.150) continue to apply. Investors operating multiple non-owner-occupied STRs in Riverside are subject to the City's business-tax gross-receipts schedule for owners of more than one residential rental unit.
No 'primary residence' violation exists in Riverside city code because no such requirement applies. Operating any STR without the required Business Tax Certificate is, however, a Chapter 5.55 violation subject to the Title 1 general-penalty schedule (up to $1,000 / 6 months) and administrative citations. Use of an STR in a deed-restricted affordable unit is independently prohibited by Chapter 5.55.
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