City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Laguna Beach, CA
How Laguna Beach 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.
- Residential-zoning exclusion: new short-term lodging prohibited in purely residential districts (R-1, R-2, R-3); STRs allowed only in commercial/mixed zones
- Hard citywide cap of 300 commercial (unhosted) short-term lodging permits
- Non-commercial pathway is owner-occupancy home-share only (up to 165 units, host must live on-site for the whole stay) = supply constraint
- Existing residential-zone STRs only via grandfathered pre-ban permits
- Restriction is Coastal-Commission certified (LCP amendment, 2020) = durable and rating-determining in the coastal zone
Based on: Laguna Beach Municipal Code ch. 25.23 (Short-Term Lodging, zoning standards) + ch. 5.84 (STL unit license); ban on new
Summary of the rule
New short-term lodging prohibited in purely residential districts (R-1, R-2, R-3); STRs allowed only in commercial/mixed-use zones under ch. 25.23.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Laguna Beach · 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.