Monterey County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Carmel-by-the-Sea?
BannedCarmel-by-the-Sea prohibits transient rentals of homes in its single-family R-1 district, which covers nearly all houses. A limited number of legal nonconforming transient rental permits exist in the R-4 and commercial districts, and the city says those permits continue and transfer with a property sale.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseNone available: short-term rentals are prohibited, so there is no permit to apply for.L117.08.060 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsR-4 transient rentals limited to permits approved before Ordinance 2019-03 (legal nonconforming) plus conditional use permits granted as a housing creation incentive; no numeric cap statedL117.08.040 Schedule II-1 (L-6) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsFor ordinary R-1 homes there is nothing to transfer because transient rental is prohibited. For the small stock of legal nonconforming permits in R-4 and commercial districts, the city's STR information page states transient rental permits are allowed in perpetuity and transfer with property sales; this transfer statement is from the official page, not read in the code text.L1CMC 17.08.060 (Ord. 2004-01, Ord. 2004-02, 2004; Ord. 2019-03); city page also cites CMC 17.14.040.W, 17.68.090, 17.28.040 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
17.08.060“Uses such as transient bed and breakfast, hostel, hotel, inn, lodging, motel, hotel, resort and other transient lodging uses for remuneration, are prohibited in the single-family residential (R-1) district” source
17.08.040 Schedule II-1 (L-6)“Limited to permits approved prior to the adoption of Ordinance 2019-03” source
Citation: CMC 17.08.060 (Ord. 2004-01, Ord. 2004-02, 2004; Ord. 2019-03); city page also cites CMC 17.14.040.W, 17.68.090, 17.28.040
Check a specific address
The checker resolves any California address to its jurisdiction and returns these rules with their verification level. Where a county or city publishes a licensed-rental registry or parcel map (Riverside County, San Diego, Palm Springs, and a growing list), it also runs parcel spacing, permit cap, and registry checks.
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.