Lake Elsinore, CA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)

Section 5.86.140 of the Lake Elsinore Municipal Code lets the City Attorney or City Prosecutor prosecute any violation of the short-term rental chapter as a misdemeanor or infraction under Chapter 1.16, or pursue it as an administrative citation under Chapter 1.20. Where the violation is an infraction that poses a threat to public health and safety, the code fixes escalating fine ceilings: up to $1,500 for a first violation, up to $3,000 for a second violation within one year, and up to $5,000 for each additional violation within one year of the first (§ 5.86.140(A)).

Every day a violation continues counts as a separate offense (§ 5.86.140(D)), and a short-term rental operated in violation of the chapter is declared a public nuisance that can be abated or enjoined under Chapter 8.18 (§ 5.86.140(B)), with abatement costs, attorneys' fees, and court costs charged to whoever caused the nuisance, including both the licensee and the property owner. Separately, § 5.86.130 authorizes the Director to suspend or revoke the short-term rental business license itself, through written Code Enforcement findings, for failing to comply with any chapter provision or permit condition, transferring ownership without a new license, or failing to maintain or produce required guest logs; the Director must give the owner at least 30 days' written notice before a suspension or revocation takes effect, though a guest already booked before that date can still complete the stay. A suspension or revocation decision is appealable under the procedure in § 5.08.300 per § 5.86.150.