Redwood City, CA Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax rate
- 12% of rent charged
- Governing section
- Municipal Code Sec. 32.75
- Who collects
- host, unless platform has agreement
- Registration deadline
- within 30 days of renting
- Ties to STR permit
- renewal needs proof of tax paid
Summary
Every short-term rental in Redwood City counts as a 'hotel' under the Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax Ordinance, so each guest owes a twelve percent tax on the rent charged. Hosts collect the tax unless a hosting platform has signed a voluntary agreement with the City to collect it instead.
HOTEL: ... A hotel also includes a short-term rental as provided for in Section 31.3 of the Redwood City Zoning Ordinance. ... Sec. 32.75. - IMPOSITION; AMOUNT; WHERE PAYABLE: For the privilege of occupancy in any hotel, each transient is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of twelve percent (12%) of the rent charged by the operator. Said tax constitutes a debt owed by the transient to the City which is extinguished only by payment to the operator or to the City. The transient shall pay the tax to the operator of the hotel at the time the rent is paid.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
3, and defines 'operator' to include a host under that same section. 75 sets the tax at twelve percent of the rent charged and makes it a debt owed by the guest to the City, extinguished only when paid to the host or directly to the City. The host must collect the tax at the same time rent is collected, state it separately from the rent on the guest's receipt, and may not advertise that the tax will be absorbed into the rental price. If the tax is not paid to the host, the Tax Administrator, who is the City's Collector, can demand payment directly from the guest.
Within thirty days of starting to rent, a host must register with the Tax Administrator and obtain a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate, posted where guests can see it; a hosting platform that has entered a voluntary collection agreement with the City can register in its own name instead, relieving the individual host of a separate registration. 3(E) requires proof that transient occupancy tax due on the rental has been remitted, and hosts must keep records documenting tax payments for three years after each rental period so the City can inspect or audit them.
Violations & Fines
Failing to collect, remit, or account for transient occupancy tax exposes a host to the general penalty and interest provisions of the Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax Ordinance, and unpaid tax remains collectible as a debt to the City. Because Section 31.3(E)(6) ties annual short-term rental registration renewal to proof of tax remittance, unpaid transient occupancy tax can also block renewal or trigger revocation of the underlying short-term rental registration under Section 31.3(G).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much occupancy tax do I owe on a Redwood City short-term rental?
Do I have to register separately for the occupancy tax?
What happens if I do not pay the transient occupancy tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
How Redwood City compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California short-term rentals overview
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