San Diego County · checked 2026-09-21
Can you BnB it in National City?
RestrictedNational City allows short-term rentals only with a city permit, capped at 180 citywide and 45 per council district, and the operator's primary residence must be in the city or within a quarter mile of the rental. Permits are non-transferable with no family or sale exceptions, so a buyer must apply fresh under the caps.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L1NCMC Ch. 6.30 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. No. 2025-2544, s 2, 9-2-2025) · code text · checked 2026-09-21
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1NCMC Ch. 6.30 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. No. 2025-2544, s 2, 9-2-2025) · code text · checked 2026-09-21
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L1NCMC Ch. 6.30 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. No. 2025-2544, s 2, 9-2-2025) · code text · checked 2026-09-21
Permit capPermits are capped at 180.L1NCMC Ch. 6.30 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. No. 2025-2544, s 2, 9-2-2025) · code text · checked 2026-09-21
Caps and limitsMaximum 180 STR units citywide, no more than 45 per designated City Council District (6.30.030). An applicant may not hold a permit for more than one Nonprimary Residence Short-Term Rental at any given time (6.30.040.F). No lottery or waitlist mechanism appears in the chapter.L1NCMC Ch. 6.30 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. No. 2025-2544, s 2, 9-2-2025) · code text · checked 2026-09-21
Transfer when the home sells6.30.070.F: 'Permits only apply to the person(s) named on the application and are non-transferable.' The whole chapter was searched for exceptions: there are NO exceptions for family, heirs, trusts, entities, sale windows, or grace periods. The only adjacent rule: 'Within fourteen calendar days of a material change in the property Ownership or substitution of listed Agent(s), a new application for a Short-Term Rental permit shall be submitted with the required application fee.' A buyer therefore starts over under the caps.L1NCMC Ch. 6.30 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. No. 2025-2544, s 2, 9-2-2025) · code text · checked 2026-09-21
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
6.30.060“Prior to renting or advertising the availability of a Short-Term Rental, the Owner or their Agent shall obtain: (1) a business license pursuant to Chapter 6.04 of this code; (2) a transient occupancy registration certificate pursuant to Chapter 4.32 of this code; and (3) a Short-Term Rental permit pursuant to this chapter.” source
6.30.030“A maximum of one hundred eighty Short-Term Rental units shall be permitted in the city with no more than forty-five such units being located per designated City Council District.” source
6.30.030“Short-term rentals that comply with all requirements of this chapter are allowed in zones and specific plans in the city that permit residential uses.” source
6.30.040“The applicant's Primary Residence must be located in the city, or within a quarter-mile of the Short-Term Rental if located outside the city.” source
Citation: NCMC Ch. 6.30 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. No. 2025-2544, s 2, 9-2-2025)
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 2026-09-21 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.