City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
How Carmel-by-the-Sea regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- Blanket STR prohibition under 30 days in R1 single-family
- Prohibited in R4 and commercial, except grandfathered legal-nonconforming and housing-incentive permits
- Entire city in coastal zone LCP co authority
- Advertising of unpermitted transient rentals prohibited citywide
- Complaint-driven enforcement, up to $1,000 per day
Based on: Carmel Municipal Code Title 17 (Zoning) as amended by Ordinance No. 2019-003 (2019)
Summary of the rule
STRs (stays under 30 consecutive days) prohibited outright in the R-1 single-family residential district, the city's predominant residential zone
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 8, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Carmel-by-the-Sea · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
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City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.