City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Pismo Beach, CA
How Pismo 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.
- Hard supply freeze: no new STR/homestay licenses issued citywide since Nov 7, 2023 per Ordinance O-2023-006 (existing licenses only; ~15-28 grandfathered).
- Non-transferable: licenses do not transfer on sale; new owners cannot re-license under the freeze.
- Coastal-zone chapter 17.113 (part of the certified 1983 Coastal Zoning Code / LCP) restricts STRs to R-1 owner primary-residence properties and prohibits STRs in all other coastal residential zones.
- OUTSIDE-coastal chapter 17.09 (Ord. O-2018-007) independently imposes an owner-primary-residence requirement (§ 17.09.060) and limits STRs/homestays to SFLD/RSM/Open Space designations (§ 17.09.030) — an in-force supply device needing no CCC certification.
- Responsible-party local-presence rule (within 25 miles); mandatory registration, inspection, TOT, good-neighbor policy, 300-ft neighbor notice; fines from $1,500.
Based on: PBMC Ch. 5.22 (VR/STR license administration), Ch. 17.09 (outside coastal zone) & Ch. 17.113 (in-coastal-zone, part of
Summary of the rule
No new STR/homestay licenses issued citywide effective Nov 7, 2023; 'new Short-Term Rental licenses in the City are not being issued per Ordinance (O-2023-006).' Only existing/grandfathered properties may operate.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Pismo Beach · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Pismo Beach
Following Pismo Beach 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.