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

Pacifica's short-term rental ordinance treats repeat violations more severely than first-time noncompliance. Sec. 4908(b) lists two violations of Article 49 occurring on the site within the preceding twelve months as one of six specific grounds on which the Administrator may revoke a permit, alongside grounds such as obtaining the permit by misrepresentation or operating in a manner detrimental to public health or safety. Sec. 4909(e), in the article's enforcement chapter, converts that discretionary ground into a mandatory duty: upon a second violation of the article within a twelve consecutive month period, the Administrator shall revoke the short-term rental permit.

The two-strike count also blocks new applicants: Sec. 4904(g) bars issuing a permit in the first place if the site has had two or more violations within the twelve months before the application, and bars an operator whose permit was revoked in the prior twelve months from getting a new one. Once revoked under this rule, Sec. 4908(e) bars any reapplication for one year. An operator facing suspension or revocation gets written notice of the factual basis and ten days to file an appeal, with a deposit, to a hearing officer who must hold a hearing within thirty days under Sec. 4908(c) and (d); the hearing officer's decision is final and can sustain, overrule, or reduce a revocation to a suspension.