Riverside County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Cathedral City?
RestrictedCathedral City no longer issues short-term vacation rental permits except for home sharing where an owner lives on site during the stay, or for units inside a common interest development (an HOA governed community under the Davis-Stirling Act) whose rules do not prohibit them. A permit does not pass to a buyer; the new owner must apply for a new permit within fourteen days and can only qualify under those two exceptions.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L15.96.040(A) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1CCMC Chapter 5.96, sections 5.96.020, 5.96.035, 5.96.040, 5.96.050, 5.96.070, 5.96.080; Ord. 842 § 3 (2020, adopted the ban on new permits), Ord. 859 § 1 (2022); Ord. 895 adopted 2026-01-28 adds 5.96.090 short-term rental facilitator responsibilities (listed as a New Law, not yet codified) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L15.96.020 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsNo numeric cap. Since the effective date of Ord. 842 (2020) no new STVR permit may be issued except (1) for home sharing in any qualifying residential dwelling unit, where at least one owner occupies the dwelling or an ADU on the same property for the duration of the rental, or (2) for a STVR in a qualifying residential dwelling unit within a common interest development, meaning a development subject to the Davis-Stirling Act, Civil Code 4100 (5.96.020, 5.96.035(B)). Renewal permits valid beyond January 1, 2023 were limited to the same two categories (5.96.035(C)). 5.96.035(G) bars multiple rentals under one permit. The code does not name any specific community.L1CCMC Chapter 5.96, sections 5.96.020, 5.96.035, 5.96.040, 5.96.050, 5.96.070, 5.96.080; Ord. 842 § 3 (2020, adopted the ban on new permits), Ord. 859 § 1 (2022); Ord. 895 adopted 2026-01-28 adds 5.96.090 short-term rental facilitator responsibilities (listed as a New Law, not yet codified) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sells5.96.040: within fourteen days of a change of property ownership (or of the owner's agent or any other material fact in the application) the owner or agent must submit an application and fee for a new permit, and if the STVR is sold or otherwise disposed of the owner or agent must cancel the permit within seven days. The chapter has no sentence calling the permit nontransferable and no exception for heirs, family, trusts or LLC membership changes; owner is defined as the person(s) or entity(ies) holding legal or equitable title (5.96.020). Because 5.96.035(B) allows a new permit only for home sharing or a qualifying unit in a common interest development, a buyer of a home outside a common interest development cannot obtain a whole home permit at all, and a buyer inside one applies for a new permit within the fourteen day window.L15.96.040 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
5.96.035(B)“Upon the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section, no person or entity shall be issued a permit for a short-term vacation rental, except for a new permit:” source
5.96.035(B)(1)“to conduct home sharing in any qualifying residential dwelling unit” source
5.96.035(B)(2)“to operate a short-term vacation rental in a qualifying residential dwelling unit within a common interest development as permitted under this chapter.” source
5.96.035(C)“Effective on January 1, 2023, all existing STVR permits previously issued by the city shall terminate.” source
Citation: CCMC Chapter 5.96, sections 5.96.020, 5.96.035, 5.96.040, 5.96.050, 5.96.070, 5.96.080; Ord. 842 § 3 (2020, adopted the ban on new permits), Ord. 859 § 1 (2022); Ord. 895 adopted 2026-01-28 adds 5.96.090 short-term rental facilitator responsibilities (listed as a New Law, not yet codified)
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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.