Short-term rental rules · Joshua Tree, California
Short-term rentals in Joshua Tree, explained properly.
Joshua Tree is unincorporated, so short-term rentals are governed entirely by San Bernardino County's countywide STR program for Mountain and Desert areas — not by any city ordinance. STRs are permitted, but capped at 2 per owner (1 per parcel under 2 acres), with a detailed application, inspection and neighbor-notification process.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Yes — Joshua Tree falls within San Bernardino County's Mountain and Desert areas, where the county's STR program permits short-term rentals of 30 days or less [1] |
| Permit required? | Yes — a county short-term rental permit is required, obtained through the online EZ Online Permitting (EZOP) system [2] |
| New application fee | $1,144 total ($600 application + $285 permit + $259 neighbor notification fee), effective July 1, 2026 [2] [3] |
| Permit cap per owner/parcel | Maximum 2 STR permits per owner (owners who already held more than 2 when the rule took effect are grandfathered); a parcel under 2 acres may have only 1 permit, a parcel of 2+ acres may have up to 2. Permits are not transferable — a buyer must apply for a new permit [4] [5] |
| Occupancy limit | Set by bedroom count: studio/1-bedroom 4, 2-bedroom 6, 3-bedroom 8, 4-bedroom 10, 5-bedroom 12 occupants, with an absolute maximum of 12 per STR. All guest vehicles must park on the STR property. Exceeding the permitted occupancy can result in expulsion, fines, or both [6] [2] |
| Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) | 7% of gross rental revenue for stays of 30 nights or less in the unincorporated county [7] |
| 24/7 local contact requirement | The owner or agent must be available by phone 24 hours a day, make phone contact within 30 minutes, be able to be physically present at the property within one hour, and confirm within one hour of a complaint whether it is valid [1] [8] |
| Annual renewal fee | $550 with no changes; $885 with physical changes; $859 with management/occupancy changes; $1,144 if both types of changes apply [2] |
| Penalty for operating without a permit | Operating without a permit: administrative fine of $1,000 per violation per day, up to six months in county jail, or both. Other violations draw notices of violation or administrative citations ($1,000 first, $2,000 second, $5,000 third) and can lead to permit modification, suspension or revocation [5] |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Eligibility & zoning
| STRs limited to Mountain and Desert regions | San Bernardino County's STR rules apply only in the unincorporated Mountain and Desert regions (which include Joshua Tree, Morongo Valley, and unincorporated Big Bear areas), and only where residential use is allowed under the county's zoning districts (or in a legal nonconforming residential structure in a non-residential zone); the county accepts no STR applications in the Valley region, and incorporated cities like Big Bear Lake, Yucca Valley, and Twentynine Palms have their own separate rules [9] [2] [10] |
|---|---|
| Eligible and ineligible structure types | Any legal dwelling unit or portion of one can qualify — the county's definition covers single-family homes, condominiums, accessory dwelling units, guesthouses and manufactured homes (duplexes are listed as eligible by a secondary source). Individual apartments in multi-family projects are not eligible, and no permits are issued for alternative shelters such as travel trailers, RVs, tents, yurts or recreation cabins. Each dwelling unit needs its own permit [11] [4] [5] [10] |
Licensing & application
| Application process and timeline | The process includes application review (about 1 week), an exterior property inspection, a 20-day project notice period for neighbor comments, and a 30-day permit-issuance appeal period before the permit is issued [2] |
|---|---|
| Required application documents | Applicants upload an Owner Acknowledgement and Safety Requirements form, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) certification, and a plot plan through EZOP (renewals also need a Renewal Acknowledgement Form). Separately, owners must give each renter the county's Good Neighbor brochure and a copy of the rental unit rules and regulations [2] |
Operations & requirements
| Outdoor noise monitoring program | The county offers an outdoor noise monitoring device program; installing one earns a one-time $150 credit toward permit fees [2] |
|---|---|
| Late renewal closes the permit | Permits must be renewed annually. Renting is prohibited once a permit expires until the renewal payment (plus a delinquent fee) is received; if payment is not made within 45 calendar days of expiration, the permit expires and the owner must file a new application and pay new-application fees [12] |
Taxes & fees
| TOT certification required at application | Applicants must submit Transient Occupancy Tax certification as part of the permit application, in addition to remitting the 7% tax on rental revenue on an ongoing basis [2] |
|---|
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We checked the county STR site (program page, Getting Started, FAQs and Announcements), County Code Chapter 84.28 sections 84.28.020–.070 and TOT section 14.0203 on amlegal, the Land Use Services FY 2026 Code Enforcement fee schedule, and news searches for 2025–2026 county STR actions. The latest amendment in Chapter 84.28's history notes is Ord. 4439 (2022); the county's Announcements page has no item newer than June 2024, and we found no adopted county-wide or Morongo Basin (Joshua Tree, Homestead Valley, Morongo Valley) permit cap or moratorium — the per-community cap discussed in the 2022 Housing Element process does not appear in the current code. The adopted fee schedule already sets increases for July 1, 2027 and July 1, 2028.
The county's adopted fee schedule raises STR fees in two annual steps. From July 1, 2027: application $618, permit $293, notification $266 (new application $1,177) and no-change renewal $566. From July 1, 2028: $636, $301 and $273 (new application $1,210) and no-change renewal $582.
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
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This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.