San Mateo County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Pacifica?
RestrictedPacifica prohibits short-term rentals everywhere except those that hold a city short-term rental permit, and the city allows no more than 150 permits at a time with a waiting list. The operator must live at the property, unhosted stays are capped at 60 nights a year with a two night minimum, and the code does not say whether a permit survives a sale.
Proposed, not in effect: Section 9-4.4912(b) provides that the ordinance must be certified by the California Coastal Commission before it can be enforced in any area of the Coastal Zone. The city program page states that Ordinance No. 901 (August 11, 2025) applies in non-coastal zones while Ordinance No. 888 (February 27, 2023) still applies in coastal zones, and a Local Coastal Program amendment (LCP-2-PAC-25-0079-2, City of Pacifica Short-Term Rentals) was before the Coastal Commission in 2026. Coastal zone properties may therefore be under different rules than the codified Article 49.
source. This page states adopted law only; a pending change is never written as current law.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L19-4.4902(a) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1Pacifica Municipal Code Title 9, Chapter 4, Article 49 (Sections 9-4.4901 to 9-4.4912); Section 2, Ord. No. 901-C.S., effective September 10, 2025. The city program page also names Ordinance No. 888, February 27, 2023, as the ordinance in effect for coastal zone properties. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe rental must be the operator's primary residence.L19-4.4903(c) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Night capUnhosted rentals are capped at 60 nights per year.L1Pacifica Municipal Code Title 9, Chapter 4, Article 49 (Sections 9-4.4901 to 9-4.4912); Section 2, Ord. No. 901-C.S., effective September 10, 2025. The city program page also names Ordinance No. 888, February 27, 2023, as the ordinance in effect for coastal zone properties. · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Permit capPermits are capped at 150.L19-4.4902(c) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsCitywide cap of 150 short-term rental permits at any given time (Section 9-4.4902(c)). The Administrator maintains a waiting list when applicants exceed available permits (Section 9-4.4902(d)), and waitlist applications are processed twice a year, between October 31 and November 30 and between April 30 and May 31 (Section 9-4.4904(h)). Unhosted short-term rentals are limited to 60 nights per year with a minimum two consecutive night stay (Section 9-4.4905(v)). In multi-family buildings only hosted short-term rentals are allowed. A permit allows a single short-term rental on a single site (Section 9-4.4901(l)).L19-4.4902(c) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsArticle 49 contains no sentence about transfer, sale, change of ownership, assignment, or non-transferability, so the code is silent on transfer. What the code does say points against a permit surviving a sale: the permit is defined as a permit issued by the city to allow the use of a single short-term rental on a single site (Section 9-4.4901(l)); each operator must have their primary residence at the site of the short-term rental (Section 9-4.4903(c)); the permit runs one year to October 31 and is renewed by the permittee (Section 9-4.4907(a) and (b)); and a citywide cap of 150 plus a waiting list controls who may obtain a permit. A buyer should assume they must apply in their own name and may face the waitlist. Confirm with the city before relying on any assumption.L19-4.4901(l) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
9-4.4902(a)“The short-term rental of residential dwelling units is a prohibited use in every zoning district in the City, with the exception of permitted short-term rentals approved pursuant to the requirements of this article.” source
9-4.4902(c)“The short-term rental permit cap shall be one hundred fifty (150) short-term rental permits at any given time.” source
9-4.4902(d)“The Administrator shall create a waiting list where the number of short-term rental applicants exceeds the total number of available short-term rental permits.” source
9-4.4903(c)“Each operator operating a short-term rental shall have their primary residence at the site of the short-term rental.” source
Citation: Pacifica Municipal Code Title 9, Chapter 4, Article 49 (Sections 9-4.4901 to 9-4.4912); Section 2, Ord. No. 901-C.S., effective September 10, 2025. The city program page also names Ordinance No. 888, February 27, 2023, as the ordinance in effect for coastal zone properties.
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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.