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

Whittier's adopted STR ordinance (Chapter 5.68, July 8, 2025) requires hosts to prove residency and proximity to their STR property. Acceptable verification cited by the City includes voter registration, utility bills, or other documentation showing the owner resides at or near the STR address. This residency-and-proximity standard was a central resident request: the City's August 8, 2023 staff report records that residents' main request was to require that only the primary residence be used as an STR, so the owner resides in the neighborhood most of the year. Reinforcing the owner-occupancy emphasis, Whittier's ADU ordinance prohibits renting an ADU or Junior ADU for less than 31 days, so those units cannot be STRs, and every applicant must confirm the rental unit is neither an ADU nor a JADU. Note an important distinction: the staff report described a strict primary-residence-only model and noted that unincorporated Los Angeles County was moving to limit STRs to primary residences only, but Whittier's adopted requirement is framed as proving residency and proximity (residing at or near the property) rather than an absolute single-primary-residence cap. The staff report also flagged that requiring the STR be rented only part of the year (60/90/120 days) would be 'onerous and difficult to track and enforce,' suggesting Whittier favored a verifiable residency-proximity test over a hard part-year cap. Operators should confirm the precise residency standard in the final Chapter 5.68 text with the Whittier Planning Division. This is a city rule distinct from LA County's primary-residence rule, which applies only in unincorporated areas.