Every operator furnishing lodging in Stockton for stays under 30 days must register with the city Finance Department and collect an 8% Transient Occupancy Tax from guests (Stockton Municipal Code Chapter 3.28 — Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax of the City of Stockton).
Stockton Municipal Code Chapter 3.28 (the Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax) imposes an 8% tax on the rent charged by an operator to any transient — defined as a person occupying lodging for fewer than thirty (30) consecutive days. The chapter defines 'hotel' broadly to include any structure or portion of a structure occupied or intended for occupancy by transients for dwelling, lodging, or sleeping purposes — this language is the standard California municipal TOT formulation and is interpreted to cover whole-home short-term rentals, room rentals, and platform-listed lodging (Airbnb, VRBO). Operators must apply for a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate, file periodic returns, and remit collected tax to the city. There is no separate STR registration portal as of mid-2026; registration occurs under Chapter 3.28 alongside hotels and motels.
Failure to register, file returns, or remit collected TOT carries delinquency penalties (typically 10% after the due date, an additional 10% after 30 days, plus interest at 0.5%/month under Stockton's TOT framework). Willful failure to remit collected tax is a misdemeanor under SMC Title 3. The city may also assess deficiency determinations going back four years.
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