Los Angeles County · checked 2026-09-13
Can you BnB it in Whittier?
RestrictedWhittier allows short-term rentals of 30 days or less only with a city short-term rental permit and a business license, and only for owners who live at the property most of the year or keep their primary residence elsewhere in Whittier. The permit does not run with the land, so a buyer must apply for a new one, and accessory dwelling units and properties in high or very high fire hazard severity zones cannot be used.
The rules, with their sources
Permit or licenseA permit or license is required before operating.L1Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Hosted onlyThe code does not limit rentals to hosted stays.L1Ordinance No. 3175, adopted February 24, 2026, adding Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 5.68 Short-term Rental Businesses and amending Sections 18.10.020, 18.24.030 and Table 18.35.020 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Primary residenceThe rental must be the operator's primary residence.L1Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Caps and limitsNo citywide numeric cap found. Per person cap: not more than three short-term rental permits shall be issued to the same person (Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68).L1Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Transfer when the home sellsThe permit does not transfer with the property. Ordinance No. 3175 states the permit does not constitute a vested right, shall not run with the land, and is personal and limited to the owner listed on the application, so a buyer must apply for a new permit and meet the ownership and residency tests. No family, heir, trust or entity exception was found in the ordinance text read, and no transfer application window or grace period was found.L1Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68 · code text · checked 2026-09-13
Read the code text →
In the city's own words
Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68“The rental of a dwelling unit or a portion thereof, by the owner to another person or group of persons for occupancy, dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes for a period of thirty (30) consecutive calendar days or less (i.e., 29 or fewer consecutive overnight stays).” source
Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68“A permit obtained under this Chapter does not constitute a vested right, shall not run with the land, and shall be personal and limited to the owner listed on the application.” source
Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68“Not more than three (3) short-term rental permits shall be issued to the same person.” source
Ordinance No. 3175, Chapter 5.68“A short-term rental permit shall only be issued for a property owned by a person that occupies the short-term rental property for a majority of the calendar year, or has their primary residence elsewhere in the City of Whittier.” source
Citation: Ordinance No. 3175, adopted February 24, 2026, adding Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 5.68 Short-term Rental Businesses and amending Sections 18.10.020, 18.24.030 and Table 18.35.020
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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 2026-09-13 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.