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

Unlike cities with a self-service STR registration program, Dublin layers several existing approvals. First, the use must be authorized through a Conditional Use Permit for a Bed and Breakfast Inn, decided by the Planning Commission under DMC Chapter 8.12. Second, every business operating in Dublin needs a business license; the City's home-based business process uses a Business License Application and a Home Occupation Supplemental Questionnaire reviewed against the Home Occupation Regulations in DMC Chapter 8.64. Third, anyone renting occupancy to transients must register under the Transient Occupancy Tax ordinance. DMC Section 3.16.060 requires that, within 30 days after commencing business, "each operator of any hotel renting occupancy to transients shall register said hotel with the Tax Administrator and obtain from the Tax Administrator a transient occupancy registration certificate to be at all times posted in a conspicuous place on the premises." The certificate states the operator's name, the property address, and the issue date, and the code expressly notes the certificate "does not constitute a permit" - it does not by itself authorize the underlying STR use. The Tax Administrator is defined as the City Clerk or another official appointed by the City Council.