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Is a short-term rental legal in Los Angeles, CA?

HEAVILY REGULATED

In the City of Los Angeles, short-term rentals (stays of 30 consecutive days or less) are legal only as 'home-sharing' in the host's primary residence — the sole residence where the host lives more than 6 months per calendar year — under Home-Sharing Ordinance No.

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Sources checked2026-07-166 open items listed below

The City does not distinguish hosted vs. unhosted stays: a registered host may rent a room or the entire primary residence (including while out of town), but only the primary residence — where the host lives more than 6 months/year — may ever be used (LAMC 12.22 A.32; Ord. 185,931). Rentals of 31+ consecutive days are not 'short-term rentals' and fall outside the ordinance. No fixed citywide guest cap; instead max 2 overnight guests (excluding children) per habitable room (kitchens excluded), one listing booked and one guest group at a time, no amplified sound after 10 p.m., no evening outdoor gatherings of more than 8 people. Ineligible: RSO units, units with affordable-housing covenants or income restrictions, units with open citations, buildings converted from RSO units to single-family homes within the past 5 years, and ADUs permitted on/after Jan 1, 2017 unless the ADU itself is the host's primary residence. Renters/lessees need notarized landlord approval; landlords may proactively bar home-sharing at their properties. One home-sharing registration per person citywide; registration is non-transferable. Home-sharing is allowed in all zones where residential use is permitted by right; 120-day/year cap applies unless Extended Home-Sharing is granted (requires 6 months registered or 60 days hosted, no suspension/revocation in 2 years, neighbor notification; ministerial if <=1 citation in 3 years, discretionary review with possible public hearing if 2+).

What you need to operate

Home-Sharing Registration $441 per year (application or renewal) under the citywide planning fee schedule adopted via Ordinance No. 188,796 (fee update effective Feb. 23, 2026; original 2019 fee was $89)
Los Angeles Department of City Planning (Home-Sharing Unit)
Renewal: annual (valid 1 year; non-transferable; renewal requires compliance declaration and prior-year hosting records unless listed exclusively on a platform with a pass-through Platform Agreement)
LAMC 12.22 A.32(c), Ord. 185,931 (CF 14-1635-S2), effective 7/1/2019; enforcement began 11/1/2019. Registration number (or pending status number) must appear on all listings. Current fee amounts verified in DCP report dated May 26, 2026 (https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2014/14-1635-s10_misc_6-03-26.pdf); a further fee revision to $404 application/$454 renewal is proposed but not adopted.
official source
Extended Home-Sharing Approval (to exceed 120 days/year) $883 administrative clearance or renewal; $12,798 discretionary review application (required if 2+ citations in prior 3 years) — per Ord. 188,796 fee schedule (originally $850/$5,660)
Los Angeles Department of City Planning
Renewal: annual
LAMC 12.22 A.32(h): requires current registration held >=6 months or >=60 days hosted, no suspension/revocation within 2 years, and mailed notice to adjacent/abutting owners and occupants; discretionary path may include a public hearing and findings (including no continued nuisance behavior). Revoked if 2 citations within a registration year. Current fee amounts verified in DCP report dated May 26, 2026.
official source
Transient Occupancy Tax Registration Certificate Cost not verified
Los Angeles Office of Finance
Required within 30 days of commencing rental business (LAMC Sec. 21.7.6). Home-sharing applicants must either hold a TOT registration certificate or exclusively list on a hosting platform that has a Platform Agreement with the City under which the platform collects and remits TOT (LAMC 12.22 A.32(c)(2)(i)); the home-sharing portal can auto-issue a matching Business Tax Registration Certificate.
official source
Home-Sharing Per-Night Fee $3.30 per night booked, effective Sept. 1, 2025 (set at $3.10/night effective Dec. 1, 2020 by Council resolution, CF 14-1635-S7, adopted Nov. 10, 2020; adjusted annually by CPI-U — $3.20 as of Sept. 1, 2024)
Los Angeles Department of City Planning (deposited into Short-Term Rental Enforcement Trust Fund, Ord. 186,197)
Renewal: ongoing (per night of home-sharing)
Required by LAMC 12.22 A.32(e)(5). Separate from TOT. A DCP-recommended increase to $5.48/night (targeted effective July 1, 2026) was pending before Council committees as of the last verified file activity (June 3, 2026) and had not been verified as adopted.
official source
Safety and conduct requirements Cost not verified
Los Angeles Department of City Planning
Hosts must maintain working fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, post emergency-exit and contact info, provide the City-issued Guest Code of Conduct to all guests, designate a 24/7 local responsible contact, keep booking records for 3 years, and (in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones) include no-smoking notices in listings and post them on patios/decks.
official source

The full picture

In the City of Los Angeles, short-term rentals (stays of 30 consecutive days or less) are legal only as 'home-sharing' in the host's primary residence — the sole residence where the host lives more than 6 months per calendar year — under Home-Sharing Ordinance No. 185,931 (LAMC 12.22 A.32, effective July 1, 2019). Hosts must register annually with the Department of City Planning (currently $441/year under the fee schedule adopted by Ordinance No. 188,796), display the registration number on every listing, pay a $3.30 per-night city fee plus 14% Transient Occupancy Tax, and may host at most 120 days per calendar year unless they obtain an Extended Home-Sharing approval (unlimited days; $883 administrative clearance, or $12,798 discretionary review if the host has 2+ citations in 3 years). Rent-stabilized (RSO), affordable-covenant, and income-restricted units are ineligible; renters need notarized landlord approval; each person may hold only one registration citywide and take only one booking at a time (max 2 adult overnight guests per habitable room). Whole-home unhosted stays are allowed only at the registered primary residence (e.g., while the host is out of town) — dedicated second-home/investment STRs are prohibited. Violations carry daily fines up to $2,000/day (or 2x the nightly rate) for hosts and $1,000/day per listing for platforms, which are barred from processing bookings for unregistered or over-cap listings and must report booking data to the City monthly.

Taxes on guests & hosts

TaxRateApplies toPlatform collectsOfficial source
Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), LAMC Ch. II Art. 1.7 14% of rent All rent from transient occupancy of 30 calendar days or less, including vacation/short-term rentals of any kind; stays over 30 days with a written agreement are exempt Yes source
Home-Sharing Per-Night Fee (regulatory fee, not a tax) $3.30 per night (effective Sept. 1, 2025; CPI-adjusted annually) Each night of home-sharing at a registered unit; funds the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Trust Fund Not verified source

Enforcement

PenaltiesPer LAMC 12.22 A.32(g) (Ord. 185,931): hosts/owners face a daily fine of $500 or 2x the nightly rate (whichever is greater) for advertising a rental in violation, and $2,000/day or 2x the nightly rent (whichever is greater) for each day of home-sharing beyond the 120-day cap without Extended Home-Sharing; other violations are fined per the ACE schedule in LAMC 11.2.04(a)(2), and all fine amounts adjust annually by CPI-U. Hosting platforms face $1,000/day per listing for processing bookings for unregistered listings, mismatched host addresses, suspended/revoked registrations, or over-cap listings. Registration is suspended for 30+ days after 2 citations and revoked after 3 sustained citations within a registration year (1-year re-registration ban; 2-year Extended Home-Sharing ineligibility). Site inspections can be billed at the minimum inspection fee under LAMC 98.0412.
Platform liabilityVerified: platforms may not process or complete any booking for a listing without a valid or pending registration number, nor for listings past the 120-day cap without Extended Home-Sharing (LAMC 12.22 A.32(f)); they must provide a responsible contact and report listing/booking data (registration number, responsible person, street address, days booked) to City Planning at least monthly, subject to $1,000/day fines. Compliance options adopted by Council resolution Oct. 30, 2019 (Admin Guidelines Appendix A) include an API check of registration validity at least every 24 hours or weekly data files, with 96-hour booking-block/takedown obligations after City notice. Platforms with a TOT collection agreement (Airbnb since Aug. 1, 2016, per Office of Finance) collect and remit the 14% TOT on hosts' behalf.
NotesEnforcement is complaint- and data-driven: 24/7 STR hotline (213) 267-7788, citations via the Administrative Citation Enforcement (ACE) program with volunteer hearing officers. On March 18, 2025, Council adopted an enforcement package (CF 14-1635-S10) covering vendor evaluation, process enhancements, compliance strategies, and staffing for home-sharing enforcement. State law SB 346 (Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act of 2025, Gov. Code secs. 50990-50996, effective Jan. 1, 2026) additionally authorizes cities that adopt an implementing ordinance to compel platform reporting of STR addresses (9-digit ZIP, plus APN/listing URL/ADU identification where needed) at least quarterly, with administrative fines for non-reporting; LA's own ordinance has required monthly platform reporting since 2019, and no LA SB 346 opt-in ordinance was verified.

Pending changes

  • Home-Sharing fee overhaul (CF 14-1635-S7/S10): City Planning recommends new fees of $404 (application), $454 (renewal), $858 (Extended Home-Sharing administrative clearance/renewal), $11,706 (Extended Home-Sharing discretionary review), and a resolution raising the per-night fee from $3.30 to $5.48 targeted for July 1, 2026 'or as soon as possible,' with annual inflation adjustments; report referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee May 29/June 3, 2026 — not verified as adopted as of last file activity — proposed, 2026-05-26 [official]
  • Draft ordinance adding a private right of action to the Home-Sharing Ordinance (City Attorney Report R26-0267 with Exhibit 1 draft amending LAMC 12.22 A.32): would let 'Aggrieved Neighbors' (tenants/owners within 1,000 feet) sue hosts, persons, or hosting platforms for HSO violations for injunctive relief and damages after notice-and-cure and City Attorney review windows; held in Planning and Land Use Management Committee May 12, 2026 — proposed, 2026-05-07 [official]

What we could not verify (6)

  • Exact adoption vs. effective date of Ordinance No. 188,796: the DCP May 26, 2026 report states the $441/$883/$12,798 home-sharing fees were adopted by Council on February 23, 2026 via Ord. 188,796, and search results indicate the citywide planning fee update took effect February 23, 2026, but the ordinance text itself (posted under CF 09-0969-S4, dated 12-24-25) was not directly parsed to confirm the home-sharing line items and effective date.
  • Whether the proposed $5.48 per-night fee resolution or the revised $404/$454/$858/$11,706 fee ordinance was adopted between June 3, 2026 (last verified council-file activity) and July 16, 2026.
  • Whether the City of Los Angeles has adopted an SB 346 (Gov. Code sec. 50990 et seq.) opt-in ordinance; blog claims that LA is using SB 346 data requests could not be verified against any official source. LA's own monthly platform-reporting requirement (LAMC 12.22 A.32(f)(4)) predates SB 346.
  • Cost of the Office of Finance Transient Occupancy Tax Registration Certificate (no fee amount stated on the verified Finance page; left null rather than assumed free).
  • Current consolidated LAMC 12.22 A.32 text on codelibrary.amlegal.com returned 403 and was verified instead via the city-posted Ordinance 185,931 PDF and the May 2026 City Attorney draft (which reflects a minor amendment by Ord. 187,122, eff. 8/8/2021, to the Citation definition); any other post-2019 codified amendments were not independently confirmed.
  • Which hosting platforms besides Airbnb currently hold TOT-collection Platform Agreements with the City (the current list is published on City Planning's site behind JS-rendered pages that could not be fetched).

Sources

A markdown mirror of this page lives at /los-angeles-ca.md for AI tools and researchers.

STRWatch publishes educational information about short-term rental regulation, checked against the official sources linked above as of the date shown. It is not legal advice, and rules change — a city can move between the times we check it. For decisions with money at stake, confirm with the authority linked above or a local attorney.