RuleGridCalifornia · San Diego
San Diego
Short-term rentals (occupancy of a dwelling unit, or part thereof, for less than one month) are legal in the City of San Diego but require a Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) License under the STRO Ordinance, codified at San Diego Municipal Code (SDMC) Chapter 5, Article 10, Division 1 (§§510.0101 et seq.). The License Required section (§510.0102) was added 4-14-2021 by O-21305 (effective 5-29-2021); enforcement began May 1, 2023, the effective date of the City Treasurer's Host Operating Requirements. The ordinance applies to all dwelling units regardless of base zoning designation. There are four license tiers, each valid two years from issuance and non-transferable; a host may hold only one license and operate only one dwelling unit for STRO at a time (§510.0104(a)). Tier 1 (Part-Time): home share or whole home for an aggregate of 20 days or less per calendar year; only one Tier 1 license per dwelling unit per year. Tier 2 (Home Sharing): home share (host's primary residence only) for more than 20 days/year, with the host occupying the primary residence 'no less than 275 days of the calendar year' (§510.0104(c)(3)). Tier 3 (Whole Home, excluding Mission Beach): whole-home rental (>20 days/year, host not onsite), capped at '1 percent of the total housing units in the City of San Diego, excluding... the Mission Beach Community Planning Area' per SANDAG estimates, issued by lottery when demand exceeds the cap (city dashboard reported 4,825 issued / 781 remaining as of July 2, 2026 — a live figure that fluctuates). Tier 4 (Mission Beach Whole Home): capped at '30 percent of the total housing units in the Mission Beach Community Planning Area'; the cap is reached and no licenses remain (dashboard: 1,097 issued / 0 remaining as of July 2, 2026). ONLY Tier 3 and Tier 4 carry a two consecutive night minimum stay by the same guest (§510.0104(d)(2), (e)(2)); Tier 1 and Tier 2 have no minimum-stay requirement. Tier 3 and 4 must also be used a minimum of 90 days each year and file quarterly utilization reports; Tier 1 and Tier 2 are not required to submit quarterly reports. Before applying, every host must hold a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Certificate (free) and be in current TOT compliance. Guests pay TOT, which — effective May 1, 2025 (voter-approved Measure C) — is tiered by tax zone (proximity to the Convention Center) at 11.75% / 12.75% / 13.75%; it was a flat 10.50% through April 30, 2025. Owners renting more than 6 days/year also owe Rental Unit Business Tax. ADUs, income-restricted affordable units, dormitories/SROs, RVs, boats, and commercial/industrial spaces are prohibited from STRO use. STRO license fees (effective March 1, 2025, non-refundable): Tier 1 $226, Tier 2 $317, Tier 3 & 4 $1,170 per two-year term.
Not legal advice. Last verified 2026-07-15 · sources linked below.
Requirements checklist
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city Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) License Required
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city Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Certificate Required
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city Rental Unit Business Tax account Conditional
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city Quarterly STRO utilization reports (Tier 3 & 4) Conditional
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city Minimum use + two-night minimum stay (Tier 3 & 4 only) Conditional
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city Exterior signage posting TOT Certificate & STRO license numbers + local contact Required
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city Local contact 1-hour complaint response Required
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city Human trafficking awareness course + guest reporting guidance Required
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city Recordkeeping (4 years) Required
Taxes
| Tax | Rate | Administered by | Airbnb remits | Vrbo remits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) | — | — | — | — |
| Rental Unit Business Tax | — | — | — | — |
| Tourism Marketing District (TMD) assessment | — | — | — | — |
Operating rules
- Primary residence
- conditional
- Min stay (nights)
- 2
- Max nights / year
- —
- Max occupancy
- —
- Zoning-restricted
- No
- Cap on licenses
- Yes
Grandfathering: Only permitted companion units in existence before the September 2017 ADU prohibition may be used as a STRO; legally established ADUs are otherwise prohibited.
Zoning: The STRO Ordinance applies to all dwelling units regardless of base zoning designation ('Yes, the ordinance applies to all dwelling units used for short-term residential occupancy in the City of San Diego regardless of base zoning designation'). However, specific unit TYPES are prohibited from STRO use: income-restricted affordable housing units; student housing/dormitories/SRO buildings; legally established Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs / 'granny flats'); sleeping quarters in shipping containers, tipis, or tree houses; RVs/camper vans; unpermitted garage conversions; commercial/office/retail/industrial spaces; and boats or similar watercraft. Whole-home tier assignment depends on the dwelling unit's Community Planning Area (Mission Beach CPA = Tier 4; all other CPAs = Tier 3).
- Primary residence: required only for Tier 2 (Home Sharing) — the host must occupy the dwelling unit as their primary residence 'no less than 275 days of the calendar year in which the primary residence is rented as a home share' (SDMC §510.0104(c)(3)); if the host owned/rented less than the full preceding calendar year, at least 75% of the days owned/rented. Tier 1 home share is also limited to the host's primary residence but has no day-count threshold. Not tied to primary residence for Tier 3 or Tier 4 (whole home, host not onsite). The '90 days absent' framing is a derived paraphrase (365 - 275); the binding legal standard is the 275-day occupancy figure.
- Two consecutive night minimum stay (same guest) applies ONLY to Tier 3 and Tier 4 whole-home licenses — NOT to Tier 1 or Tier 2. (Corrected from draft, which incorrectly stated all tiers.)
- Note: the older repealed 2018 draft ordinance (O-2018-135) contained a three-night Coastal Overlay Zone / Downtown minimum; that provision is NOT in the operative codified ordinance and does not apply.
- License caps: Tier 3 = 1% of citywide housing units excluding Mission Beach; Tier 4 = 30% of Mission Beach CPA housing units. Tiers 1 and 2 uncapped. Tier 3/Tier 4 issued by lottery when demand exceeds the cap.
- Live license-count figures (e.g., Tier 3 ~781 remaining, Tier 4 0 remaining, 'as of July 2, 2026') are point-in-time dashboard values that change frequently and should be re-checked at time of use rather than treated as static.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Airbnb legal in San Diego?
Do I need a license or registration for a short-term rental in San Diego?
What taxes apply to short-term rentals in San Diego?
Official sources
- reference Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) — City of San Diego Office of the City Treasurer ↗
- reference STRO Ordinance Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) — City of San Diego ↗
- reference STRO Program — Host Operating Requirements Checklist (Effective May 1, 2023; Revised July 2025) ↗
- reference San Diego Municipal Code, Chapter 5, Article 10, Division 1 (Short-Term Residential Occupancy) — codified text ↗
- reference Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)/Tourism Marketing District (TMD) — City of San Diego ↗
- reference City press release: San Diego hotel room tax to increase starting May 1, 2025 ↗
- reference U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder — 202 C Street, San Diego, CA (geographies) ↗
Informational summary of publicly available sources; not legal advice. Verify against the linked official sources.