San Benito County · checked 2026-10-10
Can you BnB it in San Juan Bautista?
RestrictedSan Juan Bautista requires a city short term rental permit, a business license, and monthly lodging tax payment to rent a home or any part of one for 29 days or less, with no cap on permits and no owner occupancy requirement. The permit does not survive a sale except when a spouse or domestic partner is added to title or the property moves into a trust under the same ownership; otherwise a new owner must reapply within 40 days or the right is lost.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L1SJBMC 3-9-300.B · code text · checked 2026-10-10
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1SJBMC Chapter 3-9 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. 2019-10, 11/19/2019) · code text · checked 2026-10-10
Primary residenceThe code does not require the rental to be the operator's primary residence.L1SJBMC Chapter 3-9 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. 2019-10, 11/19/2019) · code text · checked 2026-10-10
Transfer when the home sellsThe permit is invalidated by a change in owner or administrator, except when a spouse or domestic partner is added to the title or the property is converted to a trust principally under the same ownership. After an ownership change the owner or administrator must complete the reapplication process within 40 days or the right to the permit is lost. Permits also expire June 30 each year and renew with a reissued business license and proof of timely lodging tax payment.L1SJBMC 3-9-300.D · code text · checked 2026-10-10
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
SJBMC § 11-29-010, Hotel“means a building containing six (6) or more bedrooms without individual cooking facilities which are designed to be used or rented to, or which are occupied by, six (6) or more individuals for compensation whether paid directly or indirectly.” source
SJBMC § 11-29-010, Dwelling unit“means one (1) or more rooms with a single kitchen, designed for occupancy by one (1) family for living and sleeping purposes.” source
SJBMC 3-9-300.B“A permit from the City (hereinafter referred to as a "STR permit") is required for all STRs.” source
SJBMC 3-9-200.F“a dwelling unit or dwelling, multifamily, or any portion thereof, rented for occupancy for lodging or sleeping purposes for a period of twenty-nine (29) consecutive days or less.” source
Citation: SJBMC Chapter 3-9 Short-Term Rentals (Ord. 2019-10, 11/19/2019)
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 2026-10-10 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.