County jurisdiction · checked 2026-09-16
Can you BnB it in unincorporated San Diego County?
No STR ordinanceUnincorporated San Diego County has no zoning permit scheme for short term rentals: the zoning ordinance defines a vacation rental use type (Transient Habitation: Rental Units) but no zone use regulation references it, and the county regulates operators through TOT registration only (8 percent, register with the Treasurer-Tax Collector). Because the code defines but does not zone the use, confirm any specific property with Planning and Development Services.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseNo permit is required; the code has no short-term rental permit program.L1SEC. 22.203 · code text · checked 2026-09-16
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1County Code of Regulatory Ordinances, Title 2, Chapter 2 Transient Occupancy Tax, SEC. 22.201 and following; no STR ordinance exists · code text · checked 2026-09-16
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L1County Code of Regulatory Ordinances, Title 2, Chapter 2 Transient Occupancy Tax, SEC. 22.201 and following; no STR ordinance exists · code text · checked 2026-09-16
Transfer when the home sellsNo STR permit exists, so nothing is tied to the seller. A new owner must register with the Treasurer-Tax Collector within 30 days of commencing business for their own TOT certificate. Code silent on STRs otherwise.L1County Code of Regulatory Ordinances, Title 2, Chapter 2 Transient Occupancy Tax, SEC. 22.201 and following; no STR ordinance exists · code text · checked 2026-09-16
Read the code text →
In the county's own words
SEC. 22.202(c)“a person who exercises occupancy or is entitled to occupancy, of a hotel, pursuant to a concession, permit, right of access, license, or other agreement for a period of 30 consecutive days or less” source
SEC. 22.202(a)“any structure or any portion of any structure, space, lot, area or site which is occupied, intended or designed for occupancy by transients for lodging or sleeping purposes” source
SEC. 22.203“an operator is subject to and shall pay a tax in the amount of eight percent of the rent charged” source
Zoning Ordinance sec 1545“Transient Habitation: Rental Units. Residences, condominiums, apartments and townhomes that are rented on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. When used in this way, a rental unit is not occupied by the owner nor is the occupant using the rental unit as his or her primary or permanent residence. (Amended by Ord. No. 7106 (N.S.) adopted 3-19-86) (Amended by Ord. No. 9958 (N.S.) adopted 12-10-08)” source
Citation: County Code of Regulatory Ordinances, Title 2, Chapter 2 Transient Occupancy Tax, SEC. 22.201 and following; no STR ordinance exists
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 2026-09-16 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.