CanIBnBCalifornia STR Rules
Monterey County · checked 2026-09-16

Can you BnB it in Monterey?

The rules, with their sources

Permit or licenseNone available: short-term rentals are prohibited, so there is no permit to apply for.L138-26(O)(1) · code text · checked 2026-09-16
Transfer when the home sellsThere is no permit program to transfer. The only lawful STRs are grandfathered pre August 6, 1991 rentals under 38-26(O)(2), and per our reading of that subsection those grandfathered rights terminate within five years or upon property transfer, so a buyer cannot inherit one.L138-26(O)(2) · code text · checked 2026-09-16
Read the code text →

In the city's own words

38-26(O)(1)“Short-term residential rentals are prohibited in all residential districts if established after August 6, 1991” source
38-11“Rental of any residential building, portion of such building, or group of such buildings in which there are guest rooms or suites, including housekeeping units, for transient guests, where lodging with or without meals is provided for a period of less than a calendar month or less than 30 consecutive days.” source
22-19.5“No responsible party shall post, publish, circulate, broadcast or maintain any advertisement of a short-term residential rental prohibited by the Monterey City Code.” source

Citation: 38-26(O) (Ord. 3560 Section 8, 2017; Ord. 3554 Section 12, 2016; Ord. 3424 Section 1, 2009; Ord. 3246 Section 1, 1999); 38-11 definition; 22-19.5 advertising (Ord. 3564 Section 3, 2017)

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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 2026-09-16 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.