STR Rulebook
Cities / San Diego, CA

San Diego, CA short-term rental rules

Read from official city pages on 2026-10-23

San Diego issues a fixed number of licences across four tiers — one per host, two-year terms, whole-home licences capped at 1% of the city's housing stock outside Mission Beach. The occupancy tax depends on which of three tax zones the address falls in.

Can you run a short-term rental in San Diego, CA?
Yes, with a licence — only in your primary residence.

1. Can you operate here?

Permit required
Yes[1]
Primary residence
Required for Tier 2[1]Tier 2 home sharing requires the host to reside on site. Tiers 1, 3 and 4 do not carry a residence-on-site condition, but the licence caps and tier definitions still apply.
Unit limit
One licence, one dwelling unit per host; not transferable[1]
Night limits
Tier 1: 20 days/yr · Tier 3: host absent up to 90 days/yr[1]Tier 1 allows 20 days or fewer a year with no host on site. Tier 2 is room rental with the host present. Tier 3 whole-home lets the host be absent up to 90 days a calendar year. Tier 4 is the Mission Beach whole-home category, which is capped by licence count.
All 10 figures above are published by the city and linked to the page that states them. These are the figures the city publishes — not a determination that a particular property may operate. Zoning, building occupancy class, lease terms and HOA rules sit outside this page and can bar a rental that otherwise holds a licence.

2. What the licence takes

Licence
STRO license — Tier 1, 2, 3 or 4[1]
Fee — new
Tiered by licence tier[1]
TypeApplication feeLicense fee
Tier 1 — Part-Time$33$193
Tier 2 — Home Sharing$33$284
Tier 3 — Whole Home$41$1,129
Tier 4 — Mission Beach Whole Home$41$1,129
Fees approved by City Council effective March 1, 2025 and non-refundable. First-year cost is the sum of the two columns.
Fee — renewal
Same as the first-year fee[1]The city publishes an identical renewal table — the same application and licence amounts per tier.
Term
2 years from date of issuance[1]

3. What it costs

Occupancy tax
  • TOT — Tax Zone 1[2]11.75%
  • TOT — Tax Zone 2[2]12.75%
  • TOT — Tax Zone 3[2]13.75%
  • TMD assessment — lodging businesses with 70+ rooms[2]2.00%
Combined rate11.75% – 13.75% by tax zone
Measure C split the city into three tax zones effective May 1, 2025, so the rate depends on the property's address — the city publishes a tax zone lookup for that. A single-unit short-term rental pays TOT only: the 2.00% TMD assessment applies to lodging businesses with 70 or more rooms. The three zone rates are listed as published; no midpoint is used.
If you operate without one
Unlicensed operation unlawful since May 1, 2023[1]Enforcement is handled by the Building and Land Use Enforcement team. The page does not publish a fine schedule.

Other rules that apply

Licence caps

Tier 3 licences are capped at 1% of the city's housing units outside Mission Beach; Tier 4 at 30% within the Mission Beach planning area. Tier 4 is currently closed.[1]

Two-night minimum

Guest stays must be at least two nights.[1]

Three prerequisite accounts

An active Transient Occupancy Tax certificate, an active and paid Rental Unit Business Tax account, and — for hosts who are not the owner — a Business Tax Certificate.[1]

Right to occupy

A host who is not the owner must show a lease clause or signed owner authorisation permitting subletting for less than a month.[1]

Compare this city with the others: can you operate · occupancy tax · licence cost.

Sources, and the wording behind the key figures

Each bracketed number above points to the entry below. Where a sentence is quoted it is the city's own wording — the exact text the figure was read from. Figures whose sentence is not reproduced here still carry a bracketed reference — follow it to the source page for the exact wording.

  1. 1City of San Diego — Treasurer, Short-Term Residential Occupancyprimary
    It is unlawful to operate a STRO without an STRO license on or after May 1, 2023.
    As of March 1, 2025, City Council has approved the STRO license and application fees will increase to the following:
    Rented for an aggregate of 20 days or less per year
    Renting a room or rooms in the home for more than 20 days per year so long as the Host resides onsite
    Note that all fees are non-refundable, and licenses expire two (2) years from the date of issuance and may be renewed in accordance with section 510.0106(d) of the Ordinance.
    A Host may only hold one license and may not operate more than one dwelling unit for STRO at a time; licenses are not transferrable between ownership or location/dwelling unit.
  2. 2City of San Diego — Treasurer, Transient Occupancy Taxprimary
    TOT and TMD Assessment Rates, effective May 1, 2025: Tax Zone 1 11.75% Tax Zone 2 12.75% Tax Zone 3 13.75%
    TMD assessment - lodging businesses with 70 or more rooms 2.00%
If a figure above differs from the page it cites, the official page is correct and this page is out of date. Report it to [email protected].

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