San Diego, CA's short-term-rental registration requirement
San Diego, CA's lodging-tax requirement
Whether the published rules are still current
What we found
→A licence is required
→Lodging tax applies
!Rules here changed recently — see what changed below
!This city publishes a daily penalty for operating unregistered
Read this before you list — these are rules you must confirm, not a verdict.
This page is informational, not legal advice, and not a guarantee. Only the
base zoning above is checked live, and even that is just the zone designation — not a ruling
that short-term rental is allowed at this address. Short-term-rental legality is mostly
decided by layers we do not verify here: city registration,
primary-residence requirements, night caps,
RSO / rent-stabilized & ADU restrictions, and your HOA or condo rules
(an HOA can ban STR even where the city allows it). Confirm every rule with the issuing
authority before you advertise or accept a booking.
San Diego, CA · free check
Short-term rental rules (preview)
What you get free: the city's core registration + lodging tax to confirm.
Full packet, fine exposure, and stage checklist are in the $49 report below.
Registration / license
Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) License — four tiers (SDMC § 510.0104). Tier 1 Part-Time: home share or whole home, ≤20 DAYS aggregate per calendar year, one Tier 1 per dwelling unit per year. Tier 2 Home Sharing: >20 days, PRIMARY RESIDENCE only, host must occupy it ≥275 days of the year. Tier 3 Whole Home outside Mission Beach and Tier 4 Mission Beach Whole Home: both >20 days with a TWO-CONSECUTIVE-NIGHT minimum stay, both CAPPED and awarded by LOTTERY.
Issued byCity of San Diego · Office of the City Treasurer (STRO Program) — enforcement by Development Services' Building and Land Use Enforcement (BLUE) team
What changed — A host may hold only ONE license and may operate only ONE dwelling unit in the city (§ 510.0104(a)(2)-(3)), and 'host' means a natural person — an entity cannot be a host. Licensing mandatory since May 1 2023.
Lodging / occupancy tax
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) + Rental Unit Business Tax
Rate⚠️ TOT is ZONED as of May 1 2025 under Measure C: Zone 1 11.75% · Zone 2 12.75% · Zone 3 13.75%, by proximity to the Convention Center. The old flat 10.5% applied only through Apr 30 2025 — most online tables are still wrong. Short-term rentals are explicitly covered. The 2% Tourism Marketing District assessment applies only to lodging businesses with 70+ rooms, so virtually no STR pays it — do NOT add 2% to an STR quote. Operators are responsible for collecting and remitting; platforms that collect rent must remit monthly, but the host retains ultimate responsibility. Due monthly; late penalty 1% first day then 1/3 of 1% per day, capped at 25%.
Paid toCity of San Diego · Office of the City Treasurer
Platforms must also use reasonable efforts to block a Tier 1 host who exceeds 20 days (§ 510.0201(d)), collect and remit TOT monthly if they collect rent (§ 510.0201(e)), report to the City at least monthly with license numbers, addresses and days booked (§ 510.0201(f)), and keep records 4 years (§ 510.0202).
Penalty band exists in city code
up to $10,000 per day (old ladder still applies in the Coastal Overlay Zone)
· Full statute cite + what gaps trigger it → in the $49 report
🔒 In the $49 report (not free)
5 operator exposure gaps (what missing can fine / delist you)
Full city application packet (6 items + official guide PDFs)
6 official document & portal links (ordinance, how-to, HOT guide…)
Stage-specific action sequence (existing operator vs new owner)
Free above = core registration + tax for San Diego, CA. Paid unlocks the full cited packet: penalty statute, what missing can fine or delist you (existing hosts), or the complete first-list checklist (new owners), city application items, official document links, and action sequence. Research only — not legal advice. Usually ready in minutes after payment; we guarantee delivery within 48 hours.
Existing operators: gap & fine exposure map — registration, listings, HOT path, renewals
New owners: complete first-list checklist — city packet, register, tax, then list
One-time · no subscription · informational, not a clear-to-list certificate
Which describes you?
⏳ San Diego's enforcement clock is running. Code DEADLINE is applied below — $29 instead of $49, through Sept 30, because that's when the useful filing window closes. One report, your address, cited to the city's own record.
San Diego, CA · stay current
Watch San Diego, CA for rule changes — $9.99/mo
We re-check San Diego, CA's official short-term-rental license & tax pages and
email you the moment they change — a heads-up to re-check, never a legal verdict. Cancel anytime.
BondPermit by AurumFlux AI · informational only, not legal advice ·
bondpermit.com