Short-term rental rules · Los Angeles, California
Short-term rentals in Los Angeles, explained properly.
Short-term rentals are allowed citywide under the Home-Sharing Ordinance, but only in a host's primary residence — investor-owned, non-owner-occupied units are not eligible. Standard registration caps hosting at 120 days a year unless a host obtains an Extended Home-Sharing registration.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Yes, citywide under the Home-Sharing Ordinance, but only in the host's primary residence [1] |
| Primary residence requirement | Host must occupy the unit more than 6 months per year; in multi-unit buildings, only the unit the host actually lives in qualifies [2] |
| Registration required? | Yes — hosts must register online, display their registration/pending number on all listings, and either hold a Transient Occupancy Tax Registration Certificate or list exclusively on platforms that have a Platform Agreement with the City [1] [2] |
| Registration fees | $89 standard registration/renewal; $850 for Extended Home-Sharing administrative review; $5,660 for discretionary review applications [2] |
| Annual night cap | 120 days per calendar year under standard registration [2] |
| Maximum occupancy | 2 persons (excluding children) per habitable room [1] |
| Transient Occupancy Tax rate | 14% of the rent charged, applicable to all properties rented to transients [3] [4] |
| How TOT is collected | Airbnb collects and remits TOT automatically for bookings made through Airbnb; hosts using other platforms or direct bookings must register for a TOT certificate and remit it themselves [3] |
| Violation fines (effective Sept. 1, 2024, CPI-adjusted annually) | $605.73/day against a host/owner/advertiser in violation; $1,211.33/day against a hosting platform facilitating a violation; $2,422.89/day for exceeding the 120-day cap without Extended registration [5]Confirming |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Eligibility & zoning
| Rent-stabilized units | Units subject to the city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) — which covers most non-single-family rental units built before 1978 — or to any other affordability restriction such as an affordable housing covenant are not eligible for home-sharing [2] |
|---|---|
| Renters/lessees | Tenants must obtain written, notarized landlord authorization before registering [2] |
| Ineligible property types | Vehicles parked on the property, storage sheds, trailers, temporary structures, and any other structure not built for residential use are ineligible [2] |
| Pending violations bar registration | Properties with pending citations or violation notices are ineligible to register [1] |
Licensing & application
| Application steps | Verify eligibility, obtain landlord authorization (if renting), gather two proofs of primary residency plus valid photo ID, register online, and post the registration/pending number on all listings [2] |
|---|---|
| Pending number while awaiting approval | A complete application generates a pending number that can be used on listings immediately; the final registration number is issued upon approval and must then appear on all ads [2] |
| Extended Home-Sharing eligibility | Requires 6+ months of valid standard registration or 60+ hosting days, proof of mailed notice to adjacent and abutting owners and occupants, and no suspended or revoked registration in the prior 2 years [2] No more than one citation in the prior three years qualifies for administrative approval; additional citations trigger a discretionary review process ($5,660 fee). |
Operations & requirements
| Code of Conduct | Hosts must provide guests with a Code of Conduct covering neighborhood noise and behavior expectations [1] |
|---|---|
| Events and parties | No commercial use of the home for parties or events, no late-night outdoor parties, and no more than one set of guests booked at a time [1] |
| Required safety equipment | Hosts must provide basic health and safety features, including fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors [1] |
| Listing platforms | Listings may only be posted on the hosting platforms named in the host's home-sharing application; hosts without their own TOT Registration Certificate must list exclusively on platforms that have a Platform Agreement with the City [1] [2] |
Taxes & fees
| Transient Occupancy Tax | 14% of the rent charged; Airbnb bookings are taxed and remitted automatically, other channels require the host to hold a TOT Registration Certificate (obtained within 30 days of starting to rent) and self-remit [3] |
|---|---|
| Measure TC — OTC fee loophole closed (2026) | Passed June 2026: online travel companies must now collect and remit TOT on the full amount the guest paid, including service fees, not just the negotiated room rate [4]Confirming Vote figures are from an unofficial June 10, 2026 count reported by the press; certified results and the operative date have not been confirmed against City Clerk records. Coverage describes the measure as aimed at online travel companies such as Expedia and Priceline; how it applies to home-sharing platforms is not spelled out in the sources checked. |
| Measure TT — rate increase rejected (2026) | A June 2026 ballot measure to raise TOT from 14% to 16% through 2028 (stepping down to 15% in 2029) failed at the polls [4]Confirming |
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We re-checked LA City Planning's Home-Sharing Program page and Background & FAQs PDF (fees, 120-day cap, Extended Home-Sharing criteria and RSO/affordable-covenant exclusion unchanged), the September 2024 fine schedule (no newer CPI-adjusted schedule could be confirmed because the Home-Sharing program page's Enforcement tab did not render), LA Office of Finance's TOT page (still 14%, no mention of Measure TC), City Clerk documents for Measure TC (Ordinance 188868 placed it on the June 2, 2026 ballot; certified results not yet fetched), and City Attorney announcements on post-wildfire price gouging. A March 2025 City Council motion directing tighter home-sharing enforcement (complaint portal, stronger primary-residence verification, fine adjustments for repeat offenders) was reported by a secondary source; City Planning's Home-Sharing Ordinance amendment fact sheet could not be loaded to confirm what, if anything, has been adopted. Watch Council File tracking and City Planning's Home-Sharing page for that and for each September 1 CPI fine adjustment.
In August 2026 the LA City Attorney sued an alleged network of 30+ illegal short-term rentals (including rent-stabilized units) that used expired or invalid Home-Sharing registration numbers and raised prices more than 10% after the January 2025 wildfires. The City Attorney says California's price-gouging limit on rental housing remains in effect for the duration of the emergency extensions, so STR rates in LA remain subject to it.
Voters approved Measure TC in the June 2026 primary, requiring online travel companies to collect and remit Transient Occupancy Tax based on the full amount guests pay (including service fees), not just the negotiated room rate. Estimated to raise about $5 million annually.
Voters rejected a proposed temporary increase of the Transient Occupancy Tax from 14% to 16% (stepping down to 15% in 2029) in the June 2026 primary election.
The city's annual CPI-based adjustment raised home-sharing violation fines effective September 1, 2024 (e.g., owner/host violations to $605.73/day, platform violations to $1,211.33/day, extended-stay violations to $2,422.89/day).
Sources
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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.