CanIBnBCalifornia STR Rules
San Mateo County · checked 2026-09-13

Can you BnB it in Foster City?

The rules, with their sources

Permit or licenseNo permit is required; the code has no short-term rental permit program.L117.11.010 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsCode silent on transfer. Foster City has no short-term rental permit or licence, so nothing transfers or lapses on sale. A buyer who rents to transients becomes an operator under Chapter 3.20 and must obtain their own transient occupancy registration.L1none (no short-term rental permit exists) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →

In the city's own words

3.20.020(G)“any individual who exercises occupancy or is entitled to occupancy of a specific room by reason of concession, permit, right of access, license, or other agreement for a period of thirty consecutive calendar days or less” source
17.11.010“The use of land for commercial cannabis activity, including any commercial cannabis activity requiring a license under Business and Professions Code Division 10, as may be amended from time to time, is prohibited in all zoning districts within the city; cannabis testing laboratories may be permitted in accordance with Chapters 17.28 and 17.30.” source

Citation: Foster City Municipal Code Chapter 3.20 Transient Occupancy Tax, secs. 3.20.020 and 3.20.030 (Ord. 615 sec. 1 (part), 2018; Ord. 566 sec. 1, 2011; Ord. 261 sec. 1 (part), 1982); Chapter 17.11 Prohibited Uses Generally sec. 17.11.010 (Ord. 616 sec. 5, 2018). No short-term rental ordinance found.

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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.