Chino Hills, CA Short-Term Rentals: Registration Rules (2026)

Many California cities require hosts to register a short-term rental, obtain a business license, and post a permit number on listings. Chino Hills has no such STR registry, because the underlying activity — renting a dwelling for fewer than 30 days — is not permitted. The City's official guidance confirms: "The Chino Hills Municipal Code does not allow short term rentals, but does allow homes/rooms to be rented out for 30 days or more." There is therefore no STR application, no registration certificate, and no listing-number requirement, because no short-term rentals are authorized to register. The City does operate a separate Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) registration and filing system for legitimate transient lodging operators (such as hotels), administered through HdL on the City's behalf. That system is for taxable lodging that the code allows — not a backdoor to legalize a residential short-term rental. A residential host cannot register for TOT to operate a 'legal' Airbnb, because the use is prohibited regardless of whether tax would be collected. If a property owner wants to rent legally, the only path is a lease of 30 days or longer, which is a standard long-term residential tenancy and is not classified as a short-term rental. Because rules can change, owners should confirm the current registration and code status with Chino Hills Code Enforcement and the Finance Department before advertising any property.