Short-term rentals in Desert Hot Springs, explained properly.

Sec. 5.44.050(G) makes the permit nontransferable. Under Sec. 5.44.070(A), within 14 days of a change in property ownership or agency, or another material fact in the registration, the owner or agent must apply for a new permit, pay the registration fee and meet the business license requirements. A new owner therefore applies as a new applicant, and the cap, spacing and inspection rules in Secs. 5.44.055 and 5.44.080 apply to that application. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.050(H) and (I): the permit and its business license are valid for one year. Failure to renew as prescribed may result in the permit being terminated. Sec. 5.44.080(C) requires an inspection of the entire structure and exterior premises before renewal, no earlier than 60 days before expiry; new permits are inspected before issuance under Sec. 5.44.080(B). A failed City inspection is a ground for denial (Sec. 5.44.060). The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.060(A) lists the denial grounds, including revocation of a prior permit within the previous 12 months, the 4% cap, the 500-foot rule, two complaints resulting in an administrative citation for the same property, any violation of Federal, State or local law, unpaid transient occupancy tax at any time during ownership, an active code compliance matter, non-payment of fees, no steps taken on the application for 30 days, use that is prohibited by zoning, a public nuisance or detrimental to the public interest, a knowingly false statement, and failure of a City inspection. Sec. 5.44.060(B): an appeal needs a filing fee set by Council resolution and must be filed within 15 calendar days of the City's decision; hearings follow Chapter 4.36. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.055(C) rejects a permit for a vacation rental within a homeowners association that prohibits them. Sec. 5.44.080(O) adds that use of a vacation rental unit shall not violate applicable conditions, covenants or other restrictions on real property. California law on association rules is covered in the state section of this page. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.080(F) limits occupancy to the number in Table 5.44.081 unless a special event license has been issued. Reading the table from the saved text (which came through flattened, so the layout is our reading), overnight/total daytime occupants are: studio 2/4; 1 bedroom 4/6; 2 bedrooms 6/9; 3 bedrooms 8/12; 4 bedrooms 10/15; 5 or more bedrooms 12/18. Sec. 5.44.080(G) limits overnight guests' vehicles to the number of designated on-site parking spaces, and Sec. 5.44.080(N) requires the maximum overnight and daytime occupancy to be posted inside the unit. Confirm the table against the City's published code. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.080(L) requires owners to install a noise monitoring system that alerts the owner or manager to any loud noises above 70 decibels, notwithstanding Chapter 8.12. Sec. 5.44.080(E) requires compliance with the noise regulations in Chapter 8.12 (not reviewed here), and the posting and advertising rules require notice that amplified music outside the dwelling is a violation. On a noise notice, the owner, agent or emergency contact must contact the responsible person immediately and warn them or terminate the occupancy. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.020 defines the emergency contact person as available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with access and authority to take remedial measures; Sec. 5.44.080(I) requires the emergency contact person and the responsible person to be available throughout the rental. Sec. 5.44.080(M): on a complaint about noise, trash or another violation, the owner, agent or emergency contact must contact the responsible person immediately and warn them or terminate the occupancy, and must contact the occupant within 30 minutes of notice of the complaint. Failure to respond is grounds for penalties. Changes in the contact must be reported to the City within seven days (Sec. 5.44.070(B)). The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.080(K): before every use, obtain the responsible person's name, address, telephone number, a copy of valid government identification, and license plate and vehicle details for all occupants' vehicles; provide the Good Neighbor Brochure; and obtain a signed acknowledgement that the person is responsible for all occupants. Sec. 5.44.080(N) requires a framed permit plus posted occupancy, trash, amplified-music, parking and citation notices inside the unit. Sec. 5.44.080(Q): a copy of the permit is mailed or delivered to all property owners and occupants within 300 feet at least annually or within 14 days of a change. Sec. 5.44.080(H) requires trash bins and compliance with Chapter 8.04. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.080(R) lists what any advertisement must include: maximum occupancy; compliance with the noise ordinance; maximum number of cars; a statement that occupants shall respect neighbours' privacy; the City's transient occupancy tax rate; a photo of the front of the rental; and the business license number clearly in the first line of the property description in the format 'City of Desert Hot Springs Vacation Rental Permit Number.' Advertising or listing without a valid permit is barred by Sec. 5.44.030. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.045 (Ord. 794, 11/7/2023). Removal is due within 24 hours of a City notice that identifies the listing URL, permit number and reason. A platform may not complete a booking transaction for a property purporting to be a vacation rental unless it has a current, valid permit that is not suspended for the dates proposed, and may not publish a listing without a valid permit number in the City's format. The booking limits are interpreted subject to State and Federal law and do not apply where the City finds them preempted. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.080(D) makes the inspection cover pools and spas: a legible 'SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK' sign visible from all pool doors, a telescoping rescue pole, an exit alarm on every door to the pool area (not needed with qualifying fencing between house and pool), self-closing and latching side gates at 54 inches or higher, and two of seven listed drowning-prevention features (such as a compliant enclosure, mesh fence, safety cover, door device or pool alarm). The inspection also checks smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire hazards, parking and occupancy (Sec. 5.44.080(B) to (D)). The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.110(B) sets these fines notwithstanding the fines in Chapter 4.24, imposed by administrative citation under Chapter 4.24 (Sec. 5.44.110(A)). Operating without a valid permit also means the City collects past transient occupancy tax for the period State law allows. Sec. 5.44.110(G) makes each day a separate offense and Sec. 5.44.110(F) makes a violation a public nuisance. Penalties are in addition to other civil or criminal remedies (Sec. 5.44.110(E)). The fines come from the code text and we haven't compared them to a City fee or fine schedule. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.110(C) provides immediate summary suspension for two administrative citations at the same property (six months), for immediate hazardous conditions and for any criminal activity; the owner or agent may request a hearing in writing to the City Manager within 10 days, otherwise the suspension stands and the right to a hearing is waived. Sec. 5.44.110(D) lists revocation grounds (cap, 500-foot rule, violations of law by owner or unit, unpaid tax or TBID, nuisance, or zoning prohibition) and sets the notice and hearing procedure before the City Manager or designee, whose decision is final. A revoked permit also blocks a new application for 12 months (Sec. 5.44.060). The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

Sec. 5.44.100 requires access at any time during normal business hours for inspection or audit. Sec. 5.44.080(B) and (C) require an inspection of the entire structure and exterior premises before a new permit or a renewal. Sec. 5.44.120 preserves the City's ability to inspect and cite immediate health and safety threats. The City's online code is current only through Ord. No. 815 (May 20, 2025), so later amendments may exist that we haven't reviewed.

California Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280 lets the legislative body of any city, county, or city and county levy a tax on the privilege of occupying a room or other living space in a hotel, inn, tourist home or house, motel or other lodging, unless the stay is longer than 30 days. A county's tax applies only in its unincorporated areas. The rate, registration and filing rules are set by each city or county, so the local tax is shown in the city's own section of this page.

Government Code sections 50990 to 50996 (Senate Bill 346, 2025) apply only in a city or county that adopts an ordinance making them apply. Where they apply, a booking platform must, on the local agency's request, report the physical address with nine-digit ZIP code of each short-term rental it facilitated (no more often than every 3 months, or monthly if the local tax is remitted monthly), and must include in each listing any applicable local license number and any transient occupancy tax certification issued by the local agency. The local agency may fine a platform that does not report. The act does not stop a city or county from regulating short-term rentals, platforms or tax collection in other ways.

Government Code section 66333(g) requires a city's junior accessory dwelling unit ordinance to require that a rental of a junior ADU be for a term longer than 30 days (as amended by Assembly Bill 1154, in force January 1, 2026). Section 66323(e) requires a city to require that a rental of an ADU created under that section (the ministerial, by-right approvals) be for a term longer than 30 days. For other ADUs on a lot with a single-family home, section 66315 bars standards beyond section 66314, including owner occupancy, except that a city may require that the property be used for rentals of terms 30 days or longer. Cities can be stricter in their own codes; see the city section.

Civil Code section 4741 says an owner in a common interest development is not subject to a governing-document provision that prohibits, has the effect of prohibiting, or unreasonably restricts renting or leasing a separate interest, ADU or junior ADU, and an association may not cap rentals below 25 percent of the separate interests. The same section says it does not prohibit an association from adopting and enforcing a provision that prohibits transient or short-term rental of a separate property interest for 30 days or less. Check your association's governing documents.

Civil Code section 1940 applies the chapter on hiring of real property (Civil Code sections 1940 to 1954.071) to tenants, lessees, boarders, lodgers and others who hire dwelling units, but excludes a person in transient occupancy in a hotel, motel, residence club or other facility when the stay is or would be subject to a transient occupancy tax under Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280 (stays of 30 days or less). Stays longer than that are not covered by this exclusion.

In a December 6, 2016 letter to coastal cities and counties, the California Coastal Commission said that regulating short-term or vacation rentals in the coastal zone must happen within the local coastal program or under a coastal development permit, because it changes the intensity of use and access to the shoreline and so counts as development under the Coastal Act. The Commission said it does not believe outright bans adopted outside that process are legally enforceable in the coastal zone, that it has not historically supported blanket bans, and that it has supported limits such as caps on numbers by area, limits on days, occupancy limits, 24-hour response, parking, noise and signage rules and payment of transient occupancy tax. This applies only to places inside the coastal zone.