San Mateo County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Menlo Park?
No STR ordinanceMenlo Park has no short-term rental ordinance and no short-term rental permit. Anyone renting for thirty consecutive days or less must register for a transient occupancy tax account and collect the city tax, which is fifteen and one half percent from January 1, 2026.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseNo permit is required; the code has no short-term rental permit program.L1Title 16 Zoning chapter list · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L1Menlo Park Municipal Code Chapter 3.16 Transient Occupancy Tax (Ord. 569 s 1, 1974; Ord. 686 s 1, 1983; Ord. 842 s 1, 1992; Ord. 983 s 2, 2012; Ord. 1121 s 1, 2024). No short-term rental chapter exists in Titles 1 to 16. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsCode silent on transfer. Menlo Park has no short-term rental permit or registration in its code, so nothing transfers or lapses on sale. A new owner who rents for thirty days or less must open a transient occupancy tax account with the city, which the city describes as required of all short-term rental operators.L1Menlo Park Municipal Code Chapter 3.16 Transient Occupancy Tax (Ord. 569 s 1, 1974; Ord. 686 s 1, 1983; Ord. 842 s 1, 1992; Ord. 983 s 2, 2012; Ord. 1121 s 1, 2024). No short-term rental chapter exists in Titles 1 to 16. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
3.16.020(7)“Transient means any person who exercises occupancy [...] for a period of thirty consecutive calendar days or less, counting portions of calendar days as full days.” source
Title 16 Zoning chapter list“Chapters run 16.02 through 16.99 with no chapter for short-term rentals, vacation rentals or home sharing.” source
Citation: Menlo Park Municipal Code Chapter 3.16 Transient Occupancy Tax (Ord. 569 s 1, 1974; Ord. 686 s 1, 1983; Ord. 842 s 1, 1992; Ord. 983 s 2, 2012; Ord. 1121 s 1, 2024). No short-term rental chapter exists in Titles 1 to 16.
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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.