Riverside County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Palm Desert?
RestrictedPalm Desert issues short-term rental permits, but whole home rentals without a host on site are limited to the RE, R-3, downtown (DEO, DE, D) zones and to HPR and PR communities whose HOA rules allow them, and no new off-site permits are issued in the HPR zone. A new owner must apply for a new permit within thirty days of the change of ownership, so the permit does not carry over on sale.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L15.10.050 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1PDMC Chapter 5.10, sections 5.10.030, 5.10.050, 5.10.060, 5.10.070, 5.10.080, 5.10.090, 5.10.120; Ord. 1332 § 2 (2017), Ord. 1338 § 2 (2018, 5.10.070), Ord. 1345 § 5 (2019), Ord. 1360 § 2 (2020), Ord. 1382 (2022), Ord. No. 1417 (2024-10-24) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L15.10.030 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsNo numeric or percentage cap in Chapter 5.10. Zone based limits: off-site permits are not available in R-1, R-1M or R-2 (those zones appear only in the on-site list, 5.10.070). HPR: no new off-site permit will be issued and existing off-site HPR permits terminate and uses permanently cease by December 31, 2026 (5.10.080). HPR and PR off-site permits require a functioning HOA whose CC&Rs permit short-term rentals (5.10.070(B)(1)(c) and (d)). Apartments, accessory dwelling units, junior ADUs and units with one bedroom or less are prohibited as short-term rentals in all zones (5.10.070).L15.10.070(B)(1)(c) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sells5.10.060(D): within thirty days of a change of property ownership, the new owner shall submit an application and the application fee for a new short-term rental permit if continued short-term rental is desired. The chapter contains no sentence calling the permit nontransferable and no exception for heirs, spouses, trusts, or LLC membership changes; owner is defined as any person or entity holding fee title or appearing on the assessment roll with controlling interest (5.10.030), so an entity can hold a permit but a change of the property's ownership triggers the new application. The new owner's permit is limited to the permit types and zones in 5.10.070, and no new off-site HPR permit can issue (5.10.080(A)).L15.10.060(D) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
5.10.050“An owner, host, or operator must obtain one of the following short-term rental permit types to advertising, renting, or otherwise operating any short-term rental unit” source
5.10.060(D)“Within thirty days of a change of property ownership, the new owner shall submit an application and requisite application fee for a new short-term rental permit, if continued short-term rental is desired” source
5.10.080(A)“A new off-site short-term rental permit within the HPR zone will not be issued.” source
5.10.080(B)“Existing off-site short-term rental permits in the HPR zone may be renewed if otherwise qualified, but all such off-site short-term rental permits shall terminate, and such uses permanently cease operation, by December 31, 2026” source
Citation: PDMC Chapter 5.10, sections 5.10.030, 5.10.050, 5.10.060, 5.10.070, 5.10.080, 5.10.090, 5.10.120; Ord. 1332 § 2 (2017), Ord. 1338 § 2 (2018, 5.10.070), Ord. 1345 § 5 (2019), Ord. 1360 § 2 (2020), Ord. 1382 (2022), Ord. No. 1417 (2024-10-24)
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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.