CanIBnBCalifornia STR Rules
San Luis Obispo County · checked 2026-09-13

Can you BnB it in Pismo Beach?

The rules, with their sources

Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L15.22.020 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1PBMC Ch. 5.22 Vacation Rental and Short-Term Rental Regulation (Art. I and Art. II), 5.22.020 history: Ord. O-2023-006 § 3 (part), 2023. Zoning: Ch. 17.113 (coastal, Ord. O-2018-006 § 1, 2018) and Ch. 17.09 (outside coastal, Ord. O-2018-007, 2018) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Night capUnhosted rentals are capped at 182 nights per year.L1PBMC Ch. 5.22 Vacation Rental and Short-Term Rental Regulation (Art. I and Art. II), 5.22.020 history: Ord. O-2023-006 § 3 (part), 2023. Zoning: Ch. 17.113 (coastal, Ord. O-2018-006 § 1, 2018) and Ch. 17.09 (outside coastal, Ord. O-2018-007, 2018) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsNo citywide numeric license cap found in the portions read. In single-family residential zones (R-1, P-R, O-S-1 in the coastal zone; RSL, RSM, OS outside it) STRs are allowed only at the owner's primary residence and are capped at 182 rental days per year when the owner is not on site; homestays (owner on site) have no day limit. The separate vacation rental license track (Ch. 5.22 Article I, generally the resort and higher-density areas) was not fully readable, and any caps there are unverified.L117.09 (Ord. O-2018-007) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsNo transfer or nontransferability language found in the sections that could be read (5.22.020, 17.09, 17.113 as adopted in 2018). Chapter 5.22 as rewritten by Ord. O-2023-006 very likely addresses license transfer in the unread sections. Since STR licenses in single-family zones are tied to the owner's primary residence, they cannot follow a sale to a non-occupant buyer as a practical matter. Unverified; treat as unknown.L1PBMC Ch. 5.22 Vacation Rental and Short-Term Rental Regulation (Art. I and Art. II), 5.22.020 history: Ord. O-2023-006 § 3 (part), 2023. Zoning: Ch. 17.113 (coastal, Ord. O-2018-006 § 1, 2018) and Ch. 17.09 (outside coastal, Ord. O-2018-007, 2018) · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →

In the city's own words

5.22.020“No owner or owners of a vacation rental shall rent, offer to rent, or advertise for rent the vacation rental to another person without a license approved and issued in the manner provided for by this chapter.” source
17.09 (Ord. O-2018-007)“STRs and homestays shall be permitted only at single-family properties that are the primary residence of the property owner.” source
17.09 (Ord. O-2018-007)“a qualifying STR property shall be limited to a maximum of one hundred eighty-two rental days per year (less than half the year) without the property owner concurrently on site.” source
17.113 (Ord. O-2018-006)“rental of a detached single-family residence or accessory dwelling unit for less than thirty consecutive days where the primary residence is not being concurrently occupied by the owner” source

Citation: PBMC Ch. 5.22 Vacation Rental and Short-Term Rental Regulation (Art. I and Art. II), 5.22.020 history: Ord. O-2023-006 § 3 (part), 2023. Zoning: Ch. 17.113 (coastal, Ord. O-2018-006 § 1, 2018) and Ch. 17.09 (outside coastal, Ord. O-2018-007, 2018)

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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.