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

Many California cities require hosts to register a short-term rental, obtain a certificate number, and post it in listings. Westminster has no such system because Chapter 9.74 of the Municipal Code prohibits residential transient use entirely. Section 9.74.020 makes it unlawful to offer, occupy, or advertise a residential dwelling for transient use (rentals of 30 days or less) in residential and mixed-use zones. With the use prohibited, the City maintains no STR registry, issues no registration certificates, and assigns no listing identification numbers for residential rentals. Hosts therefore cannot 'register' a property to comply; the only lawful transient-lodging operations are hotels, motels, and lodging houses that the Municipal Code expressly permits and that operate under separate business-license and land-use rules. The City's Planning Division FAQ reiterates that short-term rentals are not allowed. This stands in contrast to a transient occupancy tax registration certificate, which the City does require of lawful hotel/motel operators under its Transient Occupancy Tax chapter - but that registration is for permitted lodging businesses, not for residential STRs. Property owners who wish to host paying guests should consult the Planning Division (Community Development) before listing, because both operating and advertising a residential STR are independently prohibited. Booking-platform 'guides' that describe a Westminster STR license or two-year registration are not consistent with the City's adopted code or its official FAQ.