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

Redwood City enforces its short-term rental rules through the registration itself rather than a strike count. Under Zoning Code § 31.3(G)(1), the City can revoke a registration after notice and hearing for four reasons: fraud, misrepresentation or false statements in the application; the same kind of false statements made while running the rental; any violation of § 31.3 or of any other provision of the City Code; or any violation of federal, state or local law. Because the last two grounds cover any violation at all, a booking beyond the 120-day unhosted cap, a missed 60-minute response from the local contact person, a wedding or corporate event at the property, or unpaid transient occupancy tax can each support revocation.

The hearing comes first. Under § 31.3(G)(2) the Zoning Administrator must give the host written notice of the proposed revocation and its grounds, plus the time and place where the host will get a reasonable opportunity to show cause why the registration should not be revoked. The notice can be served personally or mailed to the last known address or the address on the application, at least ten days before the hearing. After the hearing the Zoning Administrator decides whether to revoke.

A revoked host loses more than the permit. Section 31.3(G)(4) bars the host from applying for a new registration for 24 months. The same clock appears in the approval test at § 31.3(E)(4): the City Tax Administrator approves a registration only when no registration for that principal residence was revoked in the prior twenty-four-month period and the residence has not been the subject of an active compliance order or administrative citation in the past twelve months. Section 31.3(G)(6)(b) also names suspension, stating that repeated violations can result in suspension or revocation of short-term rental licenses, so the City has a lighter step available before it ends a registration outright.

The paper trail outlives the registration. Under § 31.3(G)(5) hosts must keep compliance records, including proof of platform-remitted transient occupancy tax, for three years after each rental period and hand them to the City Manager or designee on reasonable notice. The section was last amended by Ordinance 1130-892, adopted July 27, 2026.