San Mateo County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Brisbane?
RestrictedBrisbane allows short term rentals only as hosted stays in a single family home where the owner lives at least 275 days a year, under a city short term rental permit, and whole home unhosted rentals are prohibited. The permit is tied to the named host and automatically expires when the property is sold, so a buyer must qualify and apply on their own.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L117.35.030 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyOnly hosted rentals are allowed; the host must be present.L1Title 17, Chapter 17.35, sections 17.35.010 to 17.35.050; Ord. No. 655, section 2, adopted 9-3-2020 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe rental must be the operator's primary residence.L117.35.020 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsNo citywide numeric cap on permits appears in the chapter. Unhosted stays are prohibited outright, so the unhosted night allowance is zero. Section 17.35.040 allows no more than two habitable rooms to be rented at any given time during a hosted stay, no more than two overnight renters (not counting children) per habitable room between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and no more than four daytime persons (not counting children) per habitable room between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.L117.35.040 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsThe permit does not survive a sale. Section 17.35.030 provides that an issued permit is valid only for the host or hosts named in the application and automatically expires upon sale or transfer of the subject property, and that a permit may not be assigned, transferred, or loaned to any other person. No family, heir, trust, or entity exception, no transfer application window and no grace period appear in the chapter. Because a host must be the owner of record who resides in the dwelling at least 275 days of a twelve month period, a buyer who does not live in the home cannot qualify at all.L117.35.030 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
17.35.030“No host shall conduct short term rental activity in the City of Brisbane without an approved short term rental permit issued by the city, pursuant to this chapter.” source
17.35.030“An issued permit shall be valid only for the host or hosts named in the application and shall automatically expire upon sale or transfer of the subject property.” source
17.35.030“An issued short term rental permit may not be assigned, transferred, or loaned to any other person.” source
17.35.040“This ordinance authorizes only hosted stays and prohibits unhosted stays, as such terms are defined in Section 17.35.020 of this chapter.” source
Citation: Title 17, Chapter 17.35, sections 17.35.010 to 17.35.050; Ord. No. 655, section 2, adopted 9-3-2020
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How this page was verified
Verified from the municipal code (level 1), checked on 2026-09-13 by the CanIBnB research desk. Research is AI assisted and human reviewed; the method, the level system, and the re-check schedule are on the How we verify page. If anything here is wrong, report it and it goes in the public corrections log.