City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Santa Monica, CA
How Santa Monica 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.
- un-hosted whole-home vacation rentals prohibited citywide
- owner-occupied host-present home-sharing only (host on-site in primary residence throughout the stay)
- home-share permit and business license required
- 14% transient occupancy tax on home-share stays
Based on: Santa Monica Municipal Code Ch. 6.20 (Home-Sharing and Vacation Rentals); adopted 2015, amended 2017 and 2019
Summary of the rule
Santa Monica Municipal Code Ch. 6.20 (Home-Sharing and Vacation Rentals), per the City Planning & Community Development Department: the ordinance 'continues the City's longstanding prohibition against Vacation Rentals,' and permits only 'home-sharing,' defined as 'the rental of 30 consecutive days or less of one or more bedrooms in the home that is the primary residence of the host while the host lives on-site in the home throughout the visitor's stay.' A vacation rental (un-hosted whole/part dwelling, no eligible resident on-site) cannot be permitted. The absentee whole-home operator is foreclosed citywide.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Active litigation / open question
HomeAway.com, Inc. v. City of Santa Monica, 918 F.3d 676 (9th Cir. 2019) — Platform challenge (CDA §230 / dormant Commerce Clause) rejected; the vacation-rental prohibition and hosted-only home-sharing regime are enforceable.
Reported as fact only, reflecting the code as currently in effect — not legal advice, and not a prediction of the outcome. Verify current status before relying on it.
Last reviewed Sep 22, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Santa Monica · system last checked Oct 13, 2026
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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.