Tustin charges a 13% Transient Occupancy Tax on hotel and motel stays of 30 consecutive days or less. Because short-term rentals are prohibited, there is no separate STR fee schedule; the 13% TOT applies to lawful hotels and motels, not to banned residential vacation rentals.
The City of Tustin levies a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) of thirteen percent (13%) of the rent charged by the operator for occupancy during any 30 consecutive calendar days or less. The City's Finance Department states: 'Hotel and motel operators in the City of Tustin are required to collect a Transient Occupancy Tax... Each hotel guest (transient) shall pay a tax in the amount of thirteen percent (13%) of the rent charged by the operator for occupancy during any 30 consecutive calendar days or less.' Operators file a Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax Return, with payments due at the end of the month following the quarterly reporting period. The City references its TOT chapter as Chapter 3.25 / Article 2, Chapter 7 of the City Code; a Certificate of Tax Exemption form is available for qualifying exempt occupants. Note that a third-party Orange County collection portal lists a 10% figure for Tustin, but the City's own Finance Department page states 13% — the authoritative City source is used here. Because residential short-term rentals are prohibited, Tustin publishes no STR permit fee, STR application fee, or per-night STR levy. A residential host cannot lawfully operate and therefore has no City-sanctioned fee to pay. The practical tax-and-fee picture for legal transient lodging is simple: 13% TOT collected and remitted by permitted hotel and motel operators.
A lawful hotel or motel operator who fails to collect or timely remit the 13% TOT is subject to the City's TOT delinquency penalties and interest as administered by the Finance Department. A residential operator running an illegal sub-30-day rental faces zoning enforcement for an unpermitted hotel/motel use; there is no fee that cures the prohibition. Misrepresenting taxable occupancy or claiming improper exemptions can trigger audit and penalty action under the City's TOT provisions.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Under California SB 1383, Tustin requires residents to keep organic waste out of the trash. CR&R provides a three-cart system, and food scraps and yard trimm...
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Tustin allows synthetic turf in front and visible side yards but regulates its look and quality under the Synthetic Turf Standards (Ord. 1398, July 2015). Tu...
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Tustin has no ordinance banning rainwater harvesting; it actively encourages on-site capture. The Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Ord. 1465) gives proje...
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Tustin runs its own water utility and imposes permanent restrictions under City Code Sec. 4953: irrigation 4 days/week (Apr-Oct) or 3 days/week (Nov-Mar), no...
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Tustin treats overgrown, dead, or decayed vegetation as a property-maintenance nuisance under City Code Sec. 5502, not as a separate weed-height ordinance. A...
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