Moreno Valley, CA Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax rate
- 13% of rent charged
- Registration fee
- $5 per permit
- Return due
- Last working day of following month
- Late penalty
- 10% plus 0.5% monthly interest
- Owner-occupied exception
- Occasional, incidental rentals only
- Criminal exposure
- Misdemeanor, $500 fine/6 months jail
Summary
Moreno Valley taxes short-term rentals the same as hotels: Municipal Code Section 3.24.020 defines 'hotel' to include any single-family dwelling rented for transient stays, exempting only a private home rented occasionally and incidentally to the owner's own occupancy. Every other short-term rental owes the 13 percent transient occupancy tax under Section 3.24.030 and must register for a permit under Section 3.24.060.
"Hotel" means any structure...including...duplex, triplex, single-family dwelling units except any private dwelling house or other individually owned single-family dwelling house unit rented only occasionally (infrequently) and incidentally to the normal occupancy by the owner or his family... For the privilege of occupancy in any hotel, each transient is subject to, and shall pay a tax in the amount of 13% of the rent charged by the operator or otherwise payable by the transient.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4887234; v10 updated 2026-04-07).
Full Breakdown
020 defines 'transient' as anyone occupying a room for 30 consecutive days or less, and defines 'hotel' broadly enough to reach single-family dwellings, duplexes, triplexes, apartment houses, mobile homes and similar structures rented to transients; the only carve-out is a privately owned single-family house rented only occasionally and incidentally to the owner's normal occupancy, so a homeowner who books the house out regularly through a short-term rental platform is operating a 'hotel' under this chapter regardless of how the listing is described. 050) and stated separately from the room charge; an operator cannot advertise that the tax is absorbed into the rent. 060). 080). 110).
Violations & Fines
Failing to register, collect or remit the transient occupancy tax is a misdemeanor under Section 3.24.260, punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in county jail, or both; an operator who simply keeps tax collected from guests instead of remitting it to the city can instead be charged with a felony under Penal Code Section 424. Willfully filing a false or fraudulent return is a separate misdemeanor, and unpaid tax becomes a lien against the operator's property under Section 3.24.190 that the city can enforce by seizure and sale of business assets under Sections 3.24.200 and 3.24.210.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Airbnb-style short-term rentals owe Moreno Valley's transient occupancy tax?
Do I need a permit before renting my house short-term?
What happens if I collect the tax from guests but don't pay it to the city?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Moreno Valley
How Moreno Valley compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·California rules heatmap·Compare Moreno Valley to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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