City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Half Moon Bay, CA
How Half Moon Bay 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.
- Primary-residence-of-operator requirement for all STRs (hard supply constraint on non-owner/investor whole-home rentals)
- Unhosted STRs capped at 60 nights per calendar year in residential zoning districts
- STRs prohibited in ADUs, mobile homes, RVs, multi-family developments of 4+ units, and deed-restricted affordable/farmworker housing
- Restriction is durable: certified by the California Coastal Commission (entire city is in the coastal zone) via LCP amendment, so it is in force in the coastal zone
- Mandatory city registration/permit + business license + TOT
Based on: Half Moon Bay Municipal Code Ch. 18.06.025 (Short-Term Rental and Home Occupation Ordinance), Ord. C-2023, effective
Summary of the rule
No dwelling unit may be operated as a short-term vacation rental unless the dwelling is the primary residence of the operator (the residence where the person resides the majority of the time and registers property tax / voter / vehicle registration).
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Half Moon Bay · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Half Moon Bay
Following Half Moon Bay adds it to the Followed cities list on your ASTRO dashboard, linked to its city page.
Add a home to the ASTRO registry and confirm ownership of it.
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.