Huntington Beach Registration Rules Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

HBMC Chapter 5.110 imposes comprehensive registration and transparency requirements on short-term rental operators in Huntington Beach. Upon receiving an STR permit, the operator is assigned a unique permit number that must be prominently displayed on every listing, advertisement, and booking platform where the property is offered for short-term rental. Listings that do not display a valid permit number are presumed to be operating illegally, and platform hosts are required to cooperate with the City to remove non-compliant listings.

Separately, the operator must register with the Huntington Beach Finance Department for the collection and remittance of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on all short-term rental income. TOT must be collected from guests at the time of booking and remitted to the City on a quarterly basis. Failure to collect or remit TOT is a separate violation from operating without an STR permit and carries its own penalties including back taxes, interest, and administrative fines.

The City maintains a public registry of all permitted STR properties, which allows neighbors and the public to verify whether a specific address holds a valid permit. Huntington Beach also conducts proactive compliance monitoring using third-party services that scan online listing platforms to identify properties being advertised for short-term rental without a valid permit. Operators identified through this monitoring are sent notice of violation letters and given a brief compliance window before fines are imposed.

Additionally, operators must maintain a guest log for each rental period that includes guest names, check-in and check-out dates, number of guests, and vehicle license plate numbers. This log must be kept for a minimum of three years and made available to the City upon 24-hour written notice. The guest log requirement aids enforcement by allowing the City to verify occupancy levels, identify noise complaint sources, and track parking violations associated with the STR.