Los Angeles short-term rental laws in 2026: A practical guide for professional operators

Los Angeles is one of the most sought-after hospitality markets in the world, and also one of the most complex for short-term rentals. What many operators call “Los Angeles” actually spans multiple rulebooks: the City of Los Angeles has its Home-Sharing Ordinance, unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County follow a separate countywide ordinance, and incorporated neighbors like Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Malibu, and Pasadena enforce their own local laws.

Fines for non-compliance can reach $2,000 per day in city or county enforcement actions, so the first operational step is knowing which jurisdiction you’re in before you list or accept a booking. The second is building day-to-day processes that keep you compliant at scale.

This guide distills what property managers, short-term rental operators, aparthotel and hotel teams, multifamily managers, and student housing providers need to know about Los Angeles short-term rental laws in 2025 and beyond, and how to translate the rules into practical, privacy-first operations.

City or County? Why jurisdiction is your first decision

If your property sits within Los Angeles city limits, you are under the City’s Home‑Sharing Ordinance (HSO). If it’s outside any incorporated city but still within the County of Los Angeles, the County’s Short‑Term Rental Ordinance applies. Neighboring incorporated cities (such as West Hollywood and Santa Monica) run their own programs that differ in material ways.

For teams that manage across the metro, build a simple intake process for every address: confirm whether it’s in the City of Los Angeles, an incorporated neighbor, or in unincorporated Los Angeles County. This one question determines eligibility, caps, fees, and how your platforms should be configured.

The City of Los Angeles: What the Home‑Sharing Ordinance requires

The City regulates stays of up to 30 days in residential dwellings through the HSO. It centers on primary residence, registration, caps on un-hosted nights, and guest conduct standards that are designed to prevent nuisance and preserve housing availability.

Who can operate and where

The City’s framework is intentionally narrow, prioritizing resident hosts over commercial activity in residential housing.

• Primary residence only. Hosts must live in the home for more than six months per year and may operate only one home‑sharing unit at a time. Non‑primary homes are ineligible.
• RSO and income‑restricted housing are barred. Units covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, income‑restricted housing, and recently “Ellised” units cannot be used for STRs.
• ADUs have special limits. Accessory Dwelling Units permitted on or after January 1, 2017 are restricted unless the ADU itself is the host’s primary residence.
• Hotels and aparthotels follow hotel rules, not the HSO. Properties entitled and operated as hotels, motels, bed‑and‑breakfasts, or Transient Occupancy Residential Structures (TORS) are regulated under hotel provisions and the Transient Occupancy Tax regime. 

Registration, taxes, and fees

Registration and taxes form the backbone of the City’s compliance system.

• Registration is required before hosting. Your registration number must appear on all listings and marketing, and you should keep booking records for three years. Full details are available in the City’s Home‑Sharing code.
• The City’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) is 14%, and stays of 30 nights or fewer are taxable. You must obtain a Transient Occupancy Tax Registration Certificate unless every stay is processed through a platform with a City collection agreement. Requirements are outlined by the Office of Finance on the Transient Occupancy Tax page.
• Per‑night enforcement fee applies. The City set a per‑night home‑sharing enforcement fee effective December 1, 2020 at $2.93, with annual CPI adjustments thereafter. Platforms today list Los Angeles at $3.20 per booked night. 

Operating limits that shape day‑to‑day standards

For operators, the HSO’s operating standards translate directly into guest rules, platform settings, and monitoring thresholds.

• Hosting day limits. Un‑hosted stays are capped at 120 days per calendar year unless you secure Extended Home‑Sharing approval. Extended approvals can be ministerial or discretionary depending on citation history.
• Occupancy, quiet hours, and safety. The City caps overnight occupancy at no more than two guests per habitable room, excluding children. Amplified sound is barred after 10:00 p.m., and large outdoor gatherings in the evening are restricted. Hosts must provide a guest code of conduct and maintain working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and a fire extinguisher. These standards are codified in the City’s Home‑Sharing code.
• Listing and platform duties. The Home-Sharing code further states that you may list only on platforms you’ve disclosed to the City and must include the City registration number on every listing. Platforms are prohibited from processing bookings without a valid registration or for listings that have exceeded the 120‑day cap, and they must provide monthly data reporting to the City. 

Enforcement and penalties

Los Angeles pairs administrative fines with party‑house enforcement tools and public transparency.

• Host fines are significant. Advertising a non‑compliant listing can trigger the greater of $500 per day, or double the nightly rate, while hosting past the 120‑day cap without extended approval can trigger the greater of $2,000 per day twice the nightly rent. These amounts are CPI‑indexed.
• Platforms can be fined too. Processing transactions tied to unregistered or over‑cap listings, or to suspended or revoked registrations, can result in $1,000 per day fines. 
• The Party House Ordinance escalates penalties. For repeat “loud or unruly gatherings” the City authorizes abatement, 30‑day posting, and escalating administrative fines that reach $8,000 for the sixth and subsequent violations.
• The City publishes registrations and citations by address and district in the Home‑Sharing Records Portal, which can help operators audit their portfolio and benchmark compliance.

Unincorporated Los Angeles County: County STR ordinance at a glance

On October 7, 2024, Los Angeles County’s STR ordinance took effect for properties in unincorporated areas. While aligned with the City in spirit — primary residence, registration, and day caps — there are operational differences. The LA County Treasurer and Tax Collector states the following:

• Primary residence requirement. The County requires the host to reside in the dwelling for at least nine months per year.
• Annual registration and TOT. Registration is required through the Treasurer and Tax Collector, and stays of 30 nights or fewer are subject to 12% County TOT in unincorporated areas.
• Hosting limits and eligibility. Un‑hosted stays are capped at 90 nights per year, while hosted stays have no upper limit subject to rules. Only primary residences are eligible. ADUs and JADUs are not eligible, and rent‑restricted or income‑restricted units are excluded.
• Occupancy, minimum stays, and fire safety. Overnight occupancy is limited to two persons per bedroom, with an overall cap established by the ordinance, and the County sets minimum stays that vary for hosted vs. un‑hosted scenarios. Properties must meet Building and Safety and Fire Department standards, with additional rules for High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
• Enforcement and platform duties. Hosts face fines up to $2,000 per day and repeat violations can trigger the STR Registration Certificate being suspended or revoked.

Incorporated neighbors: Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Malibu

Operating across municipal lines in Greater LA requires a city‑by‑city playbook. 

• Santa Monica allows only true home‑sharing, not un‑hosted stays. Its Home-Sharing Ordinance states that home-sharing is “the rental of 30 consecutive days or less of one or more bedrooms in the home that is the primary residence of the host while the host lives on-site in the home throughout the visitor’s stay.” Hosts are also required to register before they can share their home.
• West Hollywood continues to prohibit vacation rentals, and has similar home-sharing restrictions to Santa Monica. The Municipal Code states that the property must be the host’s primary residence, a home sharing licence needs to be obtained from the City, the host is required to be present during the stay, and stays cannot exceed 30 days.
• Malibu’s Ordinance No. 468 created a permit system, and lists the conditions for operating short-term rentals. There is an occupancy limit of “two people more than twice the number of bedrooms listed on City or County records,” up to a maximum of 14 people. There is also a requirement for the property owner’s agent to be available by phone 24/7.

Pasadena and other incorporated cities maintain their own programs that are distinct from both the City and the County, so make sure you confirm local rules before onboarding any new address.

What this means for operations: A compliance‑first, privacy‑first playbook

Whether you run five homes or five hundred, compliance in Los Angeles comes down to three building blocks: verifying eligibility up front, configuring your listings and platforms correctly, and hard‑wiring nuisance prevention into your guest experience.

Here are the steps you need to follow:

1) Verify eligibility before you list

Start each onboarding with a short checklist:

• Confirm jurisdiction and applicable ordinance.
• Validate the host’s primary residence status and ensure you operate only one home‑sharing unit at a time under City or County rules.
• Screen out ineligible housing, including RSO‑covered buildings and income‑restricted units in the City of Los Angeles, per LAHD’s HSO summary.

Where you manage on behalf of tenants in multifamily or student housing, require written landlord consent and designate a local responsible contact as the HSO expects.

2) Register, display, and collect

Next, get your paperwork right and keep it current:

• City of LA registration first, then listing. Don’t list until the registration number is issued, and display it in every listing. If you host un‑hosted stays beyond 120 nights, apply for Extended Home‑Sharing.
• Register for the City’s 14% TOT or confirm platform collection. Budget for the CPI‑indexed per‑night enforcement fee established by Council in the City Clerk resolution.
• For unincorporated County addresses, register with the Treasurer and Tax Collector, configure 90‑night caps for un‑hosted stays, and collect 12% County TOT as summarized in the County’s STR FAQs.

3) Prevent nuisance with codified house rules and privacy‑safe tech

Los Angeles writes day‑to‑day standards into law, including occupancy caps, quiet hours, and codes of conduct. You should make them real in the guest journey by pairing clear communication with privacy‑preserving monitoring.

• Publish and obtain acceptance of the guest code of conduct before arrival. Reference occupancy caps, quiet hours after 10:00 p.m., and no‑event policies.
• Use privacy‑first monitoring to enforce rules fairly. The HSO requires hosts to respond quickly to noise and nuisance. Minut’s privacy‑safe sensors monitor sound levels and occupancy patterns without recording audio or video, helping you detect sustained noise before it becomes a complaint and intervene with automated messages or calls.
• Maintain the required safety equipment. Smoke and CO detectors and a fire extinguisher are explicit HSO requirements in the City’s Home‑Sharing code, so build device checks into turnover inspection templates.

4) Configure platforms to block non‑compliant bookings

Both the City and County place obligations on platforms, and the City can fine platforms $1,000 per day for processing non‑compliant bookings per the HSO. As an operator, you should mirror those controls:

• Require the registration number field on every listing and automate nightly caps in the City (120 nights for un‑hosted) and County (90 nights for un‑hosted) where your channel manager allows.
• Restrict listing exposure to platforms you have disclosed to the City, as the HSO requires.
• Maintain three years of stay and pricing records to align with the City’s recordkeeping obligations in the Home‑Sharing code.

Audience‑specific implications

Different segments face distinct constraints and opportunities under Los Angeles STR laws. Here’s what to prioritize.

STR property managers and operators

Your risk sits at the intersection of eligibility screening, platform control, and nuisance prevention. Build a single source of truth for each listing: jurisdiction, eligibility proof, registration status, day‑cap counter, and last inspection date. In the City, the 120‑day cap, two‑guests‑per‑room occupancy limit, and 10:00 p.m. quiet hours are codified in the Home‑Sharing ordinance, so calibrate your guest messaging and automated alerts accordingly. Financially, confirm the 14% TOT setup under the Office of Finance’s TOT rules and budget for the CPI‑indexed per‑night enforcement fee per the Council resolution.

Aparthotels and hotels

If your property is entitled and operated as a hotel, motel, B&B, or TORS, you’re generally outside the HSO and within the hotel/TOT regime described in the LAMC hotel chapter. That said, the Party House Ordinance still applies to “loud or unruly gatherings” and can be used by the City to abate nuisances, with fines escalating under LAMC 41.58.1. Many aparthotel operators adopt STR‑style quiet‑hours standards and privacy‑safe monitoring to keep guest experience strong and neighbor relations positive.

Multifamily and student housing managers

City policy makes it clear that RSO‑covered buildings and income‑restricted housing can’t participate in home‑sharing, and owners may proactively prohibit tenant STR activity citywide. The Housing Department summarizes ineligible housing and owner notifications on LAHD’s HSO page. Where nuisance activity occurs, the HSO provides a framework for citations and registration revocations. Proactive communication, clear lease clauses, and privacy‑first monitoring in common areas can prevent repeat issues.

Bringing it together: Compliance as an operational advantage

The most successful Los Angeles operators treat compliance as a product feature, not a back‑office chore. Clear rules, smart platform settings, and privacy‑first monitoring protect guest experience and neighbor trust, while lowering your exposure to fines, revocations, or reputational damage.

Minut was built for this operating environment. Our privacy‑safe sensors help you uphold quiet hours without recording audio or video, notify guests automatically when noise starts creeping up, and give your team the confidence to manage more listings with fewer issues.

Conclusion: Start with “where,” build for “how,” and stay proactive

Los Angeles short‑term rental laws demand precision. Start with the “where” — City of LA, unincorporated County, or a neighboring city — because jurisdiction drives eligibility, night caps, and fees. In the City, the HSO’s primary‑residence requirement, 120‑day un‑hosted cap, occupancy and quiet‑hours standards, and the City’s 14% TOT define your day‑to‑day. In unincorporated County, plan for a 90‑night un‑hosted cap, primary‑residence eligibility at months months per year, a 12% County TOT, and strong platform and recordkeeping duties. Across the region, party‑house enforcement and platform liability mean your listings must be configured to block non‑compliant bookings by default.

Build a simple eligibility checklist, hard‑wire your platform controls, align guest communication with codified house rules, and use privacy‑first monitoring to prevent nuisance proactively. With these elements in place, compliance becomes a competitive advantage that protects your properties, your neighbors, and your brand in one of hospitality’s most dynamic markets.

FAQs

1. Are short-term rentals legal in Los Angeles?

Yes, but only under strict conditions. The City of Los Angeles allows short-term rentals only in a host’s primary residence, while Los Angeles County permits STRs in unincorporated areas under separate rules. Both jurisdictions require registration and have strong enforcement.

2. Can I short-term rent an investment property in Los Angeles?

No, both the City and unincorporated County limit STRs to primary residences only.

3. What is the difference between the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County short-term rental rules?

The City governs short-term rentals within LA’s incorporated boundaries through its Home-Sharing Ordinance.
The County regulates STRs only in unincorporated areas.
Each has its own eligibility rules, fees, caps, and enforcement systems, so verifying jurisdiction is essential.

Disclaimer

The information in this article is provided for general informational purposes only and reflects regulations as they were understood at the time of writing. It should not be considered legal advice. Laws and enforcement practices may change without notice, and local interpretations can vary. Always verify current requirements with official city, county, or state authorities before operating a short-term rental.