Vista, CA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- First citation fine
- up to $500 per violation
- Second citation (1 yr)
- up to $1,000 per violation
- Third+ citation (1 yr)
- up to $1,500 per violation
- Revocation trigger
- 3rd citation within one year
- Post-revocation ban
- 12 months at that property
- Appeal path
- Vista Municipal Code § 5.04.210
Summary
Vista fines repeat short-term rental violations on a rising scale under Municipal Code Chapter 8.34: up to $500 for a first administrative citation, up to $1,000 for a second within one year, and up to $1,500 for a third or later. A third citation within that same one-year window forces the City to revoke the rental's permit outright.
C. The following penalties apply to administrative citations issued for violations of this chapter: 1. For a first administrative citation, a fine not exceeding $500 per violation of each provision of this chapter. 2. For a second administrative citation within one year of the first citation, a fine not exceeding $1,000 per violation of each provision of this chapter. 3. For a third or subsequent administrative citation within one year of the first citation, a fine not exceeding $1,500 per violation of each provision of this chapter. ... C. Revocation of Permit. If a third administrative citation is issued for violation(s) of this chapter at a short-term rental within a one-year period, the City shall revoke the short-term rental permit upon a determination that the violation(s) alleged in the third citation has occurred.
Full Breakdown
36, subject to abatement or injunction. C is strictly tiered by citation count within a rolling one-year clock: $500 for a first citation per violation, $1,000 for a second, and $1,500 for a third or any later citation. 090 turns that same third citation into an automatic strike against the permit itself: once a third administrative citation is issued at a property within one year and the City determines the violation occurred, revocation is mandatory, not discretionary, made by the City Manager or a designee.
A felony violation tied to the use or occupancy of the rental triggers immediate revocation regardless of citation count. B lets the City deny or suspend a permit for a defective application, a material misrepresentation on it, an unresolved health or safety citation, a pending felony prosecution, or delinquency on fees, assessments, or Transient Occupancy Tax owed on the property. 210. E bars operating a short-term rental at that address for 12 months, unless the property sells and the new owner can show the City the ownership change actually occurred.
Violations & Fines
A first administrative citation under Chapter 8.34 draws a fine up to $500 per violation; a second within one year draws up to $1,000; a third or later within that year draws up to $1,500. That third citation also triggers mandatory revocation of the short-term rental permit by the City Manager or designee, and the property cannot host again for 12 months absent a bona fide sale. Vista may additionally abate the rental as a public nuisance under Chapter 8.36.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many strikes before Vista pulls a short-term rental permit?
How much are the fines before revocation happens?
Can a revoked short-term rental start operating again right away?
Does a felony charge at the rental skip straight to revocation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vista
California rules heatmap·Compare Vista to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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