San Francisco County · checked 2026-09-14
Can you BnB it in San Francisco?
RestrictedSan Francisco allows short-term rentals only by permanent residents who live in the unit at least 275 days a year, register with the Office of Short-Term Rentals, and carry liability insurance. Unhosted rentals are capped at 90 nights per year, hosted rentals are unlimited, and a host may not offer more than five simultaneous listings.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L1Admin Code 41A.4 · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1Administrative Code Chapter 41A (Residential Unit Conversion and Demolition), especially 41A.4 and 41A.5(g); created by the 2014 short-term rental legalization ordinance effective February 2015, amended in 2016 and subject to a 2017 settlement per SF Planning; specific ordinance numbers not verifiable this pass · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Primary residenceThe rental must be the operator's primary residence.L1Admin Code 41A.5(g)(1)(A) · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Night capUnhosted rentals are capped at 90 nights per year.L1Administrative Code Chapter 41A (Residential Unit Conversion and Demolition), especially 41A.4 and 41A.5(g); created by the 2014 short-term rental legalization ordinance effective February 2015, amended in 2016 and subject to a 2017 settlement per SF Planning; specific ordinance numbers not verifiable this pass · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Caps and limitsNo citywide unit cap, but a host may not offer more than five simultaneous short-term rentals; hosted rentals have no annual night limit; dedicated affordable and BMR units, student dormitories, and ADUs are ineligible to registerL1Administrative Code Chapter 41A (Residential Unit Conversion and Demolition), especially 41A.4 and 41A.5(g); created by the 2014 short-term rental legalization ordinance effective February 2015, amended in 2016 and subject to a 2017 settlement per SF Planning; specific ordinance numbers not verifiable this pass · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Transfer when the home sellsThe registration certificate belongs to the permanent resident host, not the property: eligibility requires occupying the unit at least 275 days per calendar year and certificates run on a two year period, so a certificate cannot pass to a buyer and a new owner must establish permanent residency and register themselves. Stated per the official program rules; the exact non-transferability sentence in 41A.5 could not be quoted because the code text is not openable with our tools.L141A.5 (subsection could not be read) · code text · checked 2026-09-14
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
Admin Code 41A.5(g)(1)(A)“The Permanent Resident occupies the Residential Unit for no less than 275 days out of the calendar year in which the Residential Unit is rented as a Short-Term Residential Rental or, if the Permanent Resident has not rented or owned the Residential Unit for the full preceding calendar year, for no less than 75% of the days he or she has owned or rented the Residential Unit.” source
Admin Code 41A.4“Short-Term Residential Rental. A Tourist or Transient Use where all of the following conditions are met: (a) the Residential Unit is offered for Tourist or Transient Use by the Permanent Resident of the Residential Unit; (b) the Permanent Resident is a natural person; (c) the Permanent Resident has registered the Residential Unit and maintains good standing on the Department's Short-Term Residential Rental Registry.” source
Admin Code 41A.4“Permanent Resident. A person who occupies a Residential Unit for at least 60 consecutive days with intent to establish that unit as his or her primary residence. A Permanent Resident may be an owner or a lessee.” source
Citation: Administrative Code Chapter 41A (Residential Unit Conversion and Demolition), especially 41A.4 and 41A.5(g); created by the 2014 short-term rental legalization ordinance effective February 2015, amended in 2016 and subject to a 2017 settlement per SF Planning; specific ordinance numbers not verifiable this pass
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How this page was verified
Verified from the municipal code (level 1), checked on 2026-09-14 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.