Short-term rental rules in San Diego County

The rules for whole-home short-term rentals (Airbnb, VRBO) in all 18 cities and the unincorporated county, read from each city's code and pages. Every row links its sources and the day we checked it (most recently Oct 20, 2026). Rules change: confirm with the city before you buy.

The rules follow the parcel

A home is governed by the city or county its parcel sits in, not its mailing address. Lake San Marcos and Twin Oaks Valley have San Marcos addresses but are unincorporated county land. To see which rules apply to one home, check its address.

In San Diego, eligibility is per buyer

The City of San Diego issues one whole-home license per person, and an LLC can't hold one. A home can be eligible while you are not, if you already hold a license. Chula Vista licenses only its residents; Del Mar only an owner's primary residence.

HOAs

An HOA may ban rentals of 30 days or less (Civ. Code §4741). A city permit doesn't override the CC&Rs.

Mid-term rentals

A furnished stay of 31+ nights (in San Diego, a full calendar month: check-in day to the same day next month) is outside every short-term rental ordinance and transient occupancy tax (TOT) here. Each city's page says where it draws the line.

Open

· 5 jurisdictions

Whole-home short-term rentals are allowed with a permit, license or tax registration.

Limited

· 6 jurisdictions

Allowed only in part of the jurisdiction, for some owners, or under a cap.

Closed

· 5 jurisdictions

Not allowed for an investor buying today.

Unclear

· 3 jurisdictions

No program, or rules we could not confirm: ask the city before you buy.

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