Upland, CA Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Eligible hosts
- Owner, spouse, parent, adult child, tenant
- Residency rule
- Must be host's primary residence
- Proof required
- 2+ documents (DMV, license, voter, tax)
- Prohibited
- Investment-property vacation rentals
- Governing section
- § 17.23.1.090(A)-(B)
Summary
Only a homeowner (or their spouse, parent, or adult child) or a qualifying tenant may host a short-term rental in Upland, and the rented dwelling must be that host's actual primary residence. Section 17.23.1.090(A)-(B) rules out the classic investment-property short-term rental model.
A. The host shall be: 1. The property owner or the spouse, parent or adult child of the property owner. 2. A tenant of the property who has occupied the property as his or her primary residence prior to making application for an Administrative Use Permit for a short-term rental and who has submitted written authorization from the property owner to operate short-term rental at the residence. B. The dwelling unit shall be the primary residence of the host.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4480959; v4 updated 2025-09-22).
Full Breakdown
Upland Municipal Code § 17.23.1.090(A) limits who can hold a short-term rental permit to the property owner, or the owner's spouse, parent, or adult child, or a tenant who already occupied the property as a primary residence before applying and who has the owner's written authorization to run a short-term rental there. Subsection (B) then locks the location to that same primary residence. The definitions in Section 17.23.1.010 reinforce the rule by limiting a person to only one primary residence at a time and by defining a vacation rental as a dwelling unit that is not a primary residence, a category the chapter prohibits outright under Section 17.23.1.020.
To document primary-residence status, Section 17.23.1.030(L) requires the applicant to submit at least two of the following in the host's name: motor vehicle registration, driver's license, voter registration, or tax documents showing the unit as the host's residence. The rule effectively confines legal short-term rentals to owner-occupied or long-term-tenant-occupied homes in Residential Single-Family or Residential Multi-Family zones, or qualifying Specific Plan units, under Section 17.23.1.090(C), and forecloses standalone investment-property vacation rentals citywide.
Violations & Fines
Operating a short-term rental at a property that is not the host's primary residence, or without qualifying ownership or tenancy status, violates Section 17.23.1.090(A)-(B) and is treated as an unauthorized vacation rental under Section 17.23.1.020, subject to administrative citation fines under Chapter 1.22 starting at $100 and rising to $500 for repeat offenses within 12 months, along with permit denial or revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I short-term rent a house in Upland that I own but don't live in?
Can a tenant host a short-term rental in Upland?
What proof does Upland require that a short-term rental is the host's primary residence?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Upland
California rules heatmap·Compare Upland to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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