In December 2020, the Huntington Beach City Council adopted new rules regarding operating short-term rentals (STR).  Sometimes called “vacation rentals” that are typically advertised through online platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO, these are rentals of residential homes for less than 30 days. 

There are several important facets to these newly adopted rules: 

• City permits are required to operate an STR in Huntington Beach. 

• All permitted STRs must be “hosted” meaning the property owner must remain on the property throughout the guests’ stay.   

• One exception applies to STRs in Sunset Beach which are not required to be hosted.  However, Sunset Beach property owners must obtain a city permit by March 1, 2022 in order to operate an unhosted STR.  

• After March 1, 2022, the City will ONLY issue permits for hosted STRs citywide. 

• The permit application fee is $624 for the first two years and $324 annually thereafter. 

To learn more about these new STR rules in Huntington Beach, click this link: https://bit.ly/HBSTRpermit 

To review the regulations related to both hosted and unhosted STRs in the ordinance, please click this link: https://bit.ly/HBSTRordinance.  Violations of the rules set forth in the ordinance can result in fines.  Issuance of multiple fines can result in a revocation of the STR permit. 

If you have any questions or need assistance with the application process, please reach out to the city directly at [email protected].