National City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)

Chapter 6.30 of the National City Municipal Code replaces the ordinary citation schedule with a steeper one for short-term rentals. Section 6.30.090.A subjects any violator to enforcement under Chapter 1.44 and any other enforcement mechanism available to the city, including permit revocation. Section 6.30.090.C then says, notwithstanding Section 1.44.050, that a first administrative citation carries a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars per violation of each provision of the chapter. A second citation within one year of the first carries a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, and a third or subsequent citation within one year of the first carries a fine not exceeding one thousand five hundred dollars. For comparison, Section 1.44.050 sets the general fines at one hundred, two hundred and five hundred dollars.

The third citation is the strike that ends the permit. Under Section 6.30.100.C, if a third administrative citation is issued within a one-year period, the city shall revoke the permit upon a determination that the violation alleged in the third citation has occurred. A final determination of a felony violation relating to the use or occupancy of the property triggers immediate revocation without waiting for a third citation. Section 6.30.100.B separately lets the city manager, or designee, deny or immediately suspend a permit for outstanding health or safety citations, a pending felony prosecution, a material misrepresentation, or delinquent fees and transient occupancy taxes.

Revocation carries a long tail. Under Section 6.30.100.E, no short-term rental can operate at the property for 12 months from the date of revocation unless the property has been sold and the new owner demonstrates a change of ownership. Section 6.30.040.E also bars an applicant from getting a permit at all if the applicant was subject to a permit revocation during the previous twenty-four-month period. Any denial, suspension or revocation must be made by the city in writing and is subject to the appeal procedures in Section 6.04.160. A recipient who wants to contest a citation itself must request a hearing within thirty days from the date of the citation, together with an advance deposit of the fine, under Section 1.44.070. Section 6.30.080.AA classifies outdoor party conduct during quiet time as a major violation and other disturbing conduct as a minor violation.