Short-Term Rental Rules in Los Angeles 2026
Updated July 2026. Rules and fees current as of this date.
Short-term rentals in Los Angeles are legal only in your primary residence, for up to 120 days per year unless you qualify for extended home-sharing. You must register with the city for $89 per year, display your registration number on every listing, and avoid rent-stabilized units, most ADUs, and income-restricted housing. Fines start at $500 per day.
This guide covers the rules for short-term rentals in Los Angeles as of July 2026: what the Home-Sharing Ordinance allows, what a permit costs, what changed this year, and how the rules differ in unincorporated LA County.
1. How LA’s Home-Sharing Ordinance Works in 2026
Los Angeles regulates short-term rentals (any stay of 30 consecutive days or less) through the Home-Sharing Ordinance, Ordinance No. 185,931, in effect since July 1, 2019. The core rules are the same in 2026 as the day they were adopted: you may only rent your primary residence, the home where you live more than six months of the year, and only for 120 days per calendar year unless the city approves you for extended home-sharing.
Properties that can never be used for home-sharing include:
Units covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), which applies to most multifamily buildings built before October 1978
Income-restricted affordable housing and units with an affordability covenant
Units withdrawn from the rental market under the Ellis Act (subject to five-year rules)
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) permitted on or after January 1, 2017, unless the ADU itself is your primary residence
Garages, storage sheds, trailers, vehicles, and any structure not approved for residential use
Enforcement has real teeth. The ordinance sets host fines at $500 per day (or twice the nightly rate, whichever is greater) for advertising an ineligible unit, and $2,000 per day (or twice the nightly rent) for hosting past the 120-day cap without extended home-sharing, with fine amounts adjusted annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index. Hosting platforms such as Airbnb face a separate $1,000 per day fine for listing unregistered properties.
2. Who Qualifies for a Short-Term Rental Permit?
To operate a legal short-term rental in the City of Los Angeles, you must meet every one of these requirements:
The property is your primary residence, where you live more than six months of the year (proof of residency is checked at registration and renewal)
The unit is not RSO, income-restricted, or otherwise prohibited (check any address under the Housing tab at zimas.lacity.org)
The space is approved for residential use
The property has no pending citations from Building and Safety, the Housing Department, LAPD, or the Fire Department
If you rent, you have notarized written approval from your landlord
You hold a Transient Occupancy Tax Registration Certificate from the Office of Finance, or you list exclusively on a platform that has a tax agreement with the city (the City of LA transient occupancy tax is 14%)
Your registration number appears on every listing
You can maintain more than one listing at the same property (two separate bedrooms, for example), but only one booking is allowed at a time. Neighbors can report suspected violations to the city’s 24/7 short-term rental hotline at (213) 267-7788.
3. Primary Residence vs. Investment Properties
Los Angeles short-term rental rules remain primary residence only in 2026: no second homes, no vacation properties, and no dedicated investment rentals. If you own multiple properties in the city, everything beyond your primary residence must operate as a long-term rental or stay off the short-term market. For those long-term units, the citywide caps in our Los Angeles rent increase rules guide govern what you can charge existing tenants.
That said, this rule is under more pressure right now than at any point since 2018. An Airbnb-backed proposal included in the mayor’s April 2026 budget would temporarily allow hosts to rent second homes and investment properties through December 31, 2028, timed to the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics. As of July 2026 the City Council has not approved it, so it is not law. Until the council acts, the primary-residence rule remains fully enforceable, with over-cap fines of $2,000 per day.
4. How to Apply for a Los Angeles STR Permit in 2026
Step 1: Gather proof of primary residency (government ID plus documents like utility bills, a property deed, or your lease)
Step 2: Submit your application through the city’s online home-sharing registration portal at planning.lacity.gov
Step 3: Pay the $89 registration fee (the renewal fee, due every year, is also $89)
Step 4: Start advertising with your pending registration number, which the portal issues as soon as you submit a complete, qualifying application; your final registration number arrives on approval
If you want to host beyond 120 days a year, you can apply for extended home-sharing once you have held a registration for at least six months or hosted at least 60 days, provided your registration has not been suspended or revoked in the past two years. Extended home-sharing review costs an additional $850, and cases that need discretionary review (generally hosts with two or more citations in three years) pay $5,660.
One boundary note for LA hosts: Hollywood, Venice, and most of the Valley are inside the City of Los Angeles, so these rules apply there. Incorporated cities like Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank write their own short-term rental ordinances, so always check the local municipal code before you list. The city recommends submitting renewals at least 30 days before your registration expires.
5. What Changed for Short-Term Rentals in Los Angeles in 2026?
The ordinance itself is unchanged: the rules on the books in 2026 are the same primary-residence, 120-day rules adopted in December 2018. What moved is enforcement funding and a high-profile push to loosen the rules ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
Enforcement money: in March 2025 the City Council voted 12 to 0 to direct departments to report on the staffing and funding needed to pursue illegal listings, with the Housing Department requesting 18 new enforcement positions and the council exploring a private right of action that would let residents sue violating operators directly.
The Airbnb proposal: the mayor’s April 2026 budget included an Airbnb-backed plan to allow second homes and investment properties as short-term rentals through December 31, 2028, which Airbnb claims could add roughly 5,500 listings and more than $100 million a year in tax revenue. Hotel workers’ union UNITE HERE Local 11 and housing groups oppose it, and it still awaits a council vote as of July 2026.
The enforcement gap driving both: a December 2024 ProPublica investigation estimated about 7,500 illegal short-term rental listings in LA multiunit buildings, roughly 60% of the market, while only a small fraction of violators had ever been cited.
County enforcement ramped up: unincorporated LA County now runs its own registration system through the Treasurer and Tax Collector, with platform fines of up to $1,000 per day, and the county has temporarily suspended certain short-term rental restrictions to house residents displaced by the January 2025 wildfires.
The practical takeaway for hosts: the compliance rules did not get easier in 2026, and the enforcement budget behind them got bigger, so an unregistered listing now carries more risk than it did when fines totaled just $667,000 citywide over the ordinance’s first five years.
6. Short-Term Rental Rules in Unincorporated LA County
If your property sits in unincorporated Los Angeles County (areas like Altadena, East LA, or Marina del Rey’s unincorporated pockets rather than an incorporated city), a separate county ordinance applies. You need a Short-Term Rental Registration Certificate from the county Treasurer and Tax Collector before you rent, renewed annually, and the rental must be your primary residence. Stays without a host present overnight are capped at 90 days per calendar year, and guest counts are limited.
County hosts must also collect and remit the county’s 12% transient occupancy tax within 30 days of the rental start date. Operating without a valid certificate can bring noncompliance fees, administrative fines, and delisting, and the Treasurer and Tax Collector can fine hosting platforms up to $1,000 per day for carrying unregistered properties. One notable carve-out: the county states that coastal zone properties are currently unregulated under the registration requirement. Complaints in county areas go to the 24/7 hotline at (213) 371-1070.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are short-term rentals legal in Los Angeles?
Yes, but only in your primary residence. The Home-Sharing Ordinance lets you rent your home for stays under 30 days if you register with the city, display your registration number on every listing, and stay within 120 rental days per year unless you hold an extended home-sharing approval.
How many days per year can I rent my home in Los Angeles?
120 days per calendar year under a standard home-sharing registration. Hosts who have held a registration for at least six months (or hosted at least 60 days) and have a clean citation record can apply for extended home-sharing, which removes the annual cap.
How much does a short-term rental permit cost in Los Angeles in 2026?
The home-sharing registration and annual renewal fee is $89. Extended home-sharing review adds $850, and applications that require discretionary review cost $5,660 per the city's posted fee schedule.
What are the fines for illegal short-term rentals in Los Angeles?
The ordinance sets a fine of $500 per day (or twice the nightly rate, whichever is greater) for advertising an ineligible unit, and $2,000 per day (or twice the nightly rent) for hosting beyond the 120-day limit without extended home-sharing. Fine amounts adjust annually with the Consumer Price Index, and platforms face $1,000 per day for listing unregistered properties.
Can I run an Airbnb in an ADU or rent-stabilized unit in Los Angeles?
No. Units covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and income-restricted affordable housing are banned from home-sharing outright. ADUs permitted on or after January 1, 2017 are also ineligible unless the ADU itself is your primary residence.
What is the latest news on short-term rental rules in Los Angeles?
As of July 2026, the biggest story is a pending Airbnb-backed proposal that would let hosts rent second homes and investment properties through December 31, 2028 ahead of the 2028 Olympics. It has not passed, so the primary-residence rule still applies, while the City Council continues to fund tougher enforcement of the existing ordinance.
