Is Airbnb Legal in Anaheim? 2026 Rules, Permits & Taxes

Permit required

Yes

Taxes on a stay

15%

Fine for hosting without a permit

$3,000

Listings showing a permit number

50%

Latest rule change

Dec 31, 2022

Listing figures: AirROI, 12 months to September 2026. A number on a listing doesn't prove the permit or license is valid, and a missing one doesn't prove there is none.

The rules in brief

Who needs it

Any owner or agent renting a home, or part of one, for fewer than 30 consecutive nights. Only homes the city permitted before August 11, 2016 qualify; the city issues no new permits.^{4,5,7,12,13,14}

Issued by

City of Anaheim Planning and Building Department, Business License Division (permits issued by the Planning Director)

Valid for

A permit runs to July 31 and must be renewed every year by the last business day of July; a lapsed or revoked permit cannot be replaced.

Processing

Relocating a permit: an Administrative Permit takes 10 business days and a Minor Conditional Use Permit generally 30 to 60 days.

On listings

The number must appear on every listing

Platform checks

Platforms may not list a rental without a city permit and must remove a listing within 10 calendar days of the city's notice, staying off until the city certifies a permit.

Fees

Who qualifies

• The home must hold a pre-moratorium permit, meaning it was authorized before August 11, 2016 (or had an application filed before September 16, 2015 and approved afterward)
• Short-term rental is not an allowed use in single-family, multiple-family or other residential zones except for these permitted rentals; permitted C-G General Commercial Zone rentals are also excepted
• The permit is personal to the owner and does not run with the land; a buyer files a change-of-ownership application within 14 days
• Homes in an HOA whose rules ban short-term rentals had to stop by December 31, 2022
• The home must meet fire, building and health codes, with smoke alarms, extinguishers and carbon monoxide devices, and pass city inspection

How to apply

1. 1 Confirm the home holds a city short-term rental permit by calling the Business License Division at 714-765-5194 or checking the city's STR Properties Map.
2. 2 To renew, file the renewal application and fee with the Business License Division at City Hall (200 S. Anaheim Boulevard, Suite 136) on or before July 31.
3. 3 After buying a permitted home, file the change-of-ownership application with the $498 fee within 14 days.
4. 4 Hold the City business license issued with the permit, register for the transient occupancy tax and file the monthly return.
5. 5 Put the permit number (REG ID#) on every listing.

Permit rules

City permit required for every short stay

It is unlawful to rent, offer or advertise a home for fewer than 30 consecutive nights without a city short-term rental permit, and the owner also needs a valid City business license for the property.^4,13

Renew every year by July 31

A permit expires each July 31 and must be renewed every year with the renewal application and fee; renewals are due on or before July 31.^5,14

A lapsed permit cannot be replaced

If a permit expires unrenewed or is revoked, the owner and later owners lose the right to apply for another permit and the home can no longer be rented for short stays.⁵

Business license and permit are both required

Each rented home needs a valid City of Anaheim business license (Business Tax Certificate) as well as the short-term rental permit, and the rental is subject to the city hotel tax.^4,13

City permit number on every advertisement

All advertising for the rental, on any website or in print, must show the city-issued permit number (REG ID#), and nobody may advertise a home the city has not permitted.⁶

Platforms must remove unpermitted listings in 10 days

A booking platform may not list a rental the city has not permitted, and must remove a listing within 10 calendar days of the city's notice and keep it off until the city certifies a permit.⁷

Advertised price must include mandatory fees

Since July 1, 2024, California's Honest Pricing Law bars a host or platform from advertising a short-term rental price that leaves out mandatory fees; government taxes and fees may be listed separately.¹¹ In force since July 1, 2024

No new short-term rental permits

Short-term rentals are not an allowed use in single-family, multiple-family or any other zone where homes are permitted, except for pre-moratorium rentals the city permitted before August 11, 2016. The city opens no route to a new permit.^2,4,12,15 In force since August 11, 2016

The permit belongs to the owner, not the home

A permit is personal to the owner it was issued to. A buyer of a permitted home files a change-of-ownership application with a $498 fee within 14 days of the sale.^5,14

General Commercial zone exception

Rentals in the C-G General Commercial Zone that held a conditional use permit from before the September 15, 2015 moratorium may obtain permits under the same operating rules.⁴

Homes in HOAs that ban rentals had to stop

Permitted rentals in a homeowners' association whose rules prohibit short-term rentals could not continue after December 31, 2022. The owner, not the city, must check that HOA rules allow the rental.^6,10 In force since December 31, 2022

One-time relocation of a permit

An owner whose rental was closed by an HOA ban may move the permit once to another property that is not under such a ban, through an Administrative Permit (10 business days) or a Minor Conditional Use Permit (generally 30 to 60 days); a detached house must be at least 250 feet from another short-term rental.^10,14

Rentals under 30 consecutive nights are covered

The rules apply to renting a home, or a room in it, for fewer than 30 consecutive nights; approved hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and time-shares are outside the definition.³

Three-night minimum stay

Every rental must be for at least three consecutive nights, and advertisements must state the minimum nights and the maximum number of occupants.^6,13

Guest cap set by bedroom count

Occupancy is capped by bedrooms: 2 for a studio, 4 for one bedroom, 7 for two, 9 for three and so on up to 19 for eight or more bedrooms. A lower limit written into the permit governs.^6,15

Renter must be 21 or older and on site

The person who signs the rental agreement must be at least 21, stay at the home during the rental, and is legally responsible for all occupants and any fines.³

24-hour contact who can arrive within 45 minutes

While the home is rented, the owner, agent or a local contact person must be reachable by phone around the clock and be at the property within 45 minutes when an officer or the police ask.⁶

Tell the neighbors who to call

Within 10 days of each permit issue, renewal or transfer, the owner delivers the name and phone number of the 24-hour contact to the owners and occupants of adjoining homes and those across the street, and certifies the delivery to the city.⁶

Quiet time from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.

No outdoor sound equipment may be audible from outside between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m., and outdoor parties or use of pools, spas and fire pits in those hours is a major violation.⁶

Lodging only: no parties or events

The home may be used only for overnight lodging, not for weddings, receptions, parties, commercial functions or advertised conferences.⁶

At least two off-street parking spaces

Guest vehicles must park in the driveway or garage, with at most one street parking permit per rental, and vehicles are limited to the available off-street spaces, with a minimum of two.⁶

Smoke alarms, extinguishers and carbon monoxide devices

The home needs smoke alarms in habitable areas, a charged extinguisher on each floor, carbon monoxide devices in stairways and hallways, a visible street address, and a sprinkler system if more than 10 occupants are permitted.⁶

City inspections

The owner must allow an enforcement officer to inspect the home and grounds, and the city may also inspect at random, after complaints or before a renewal.⁶

Hotel tax returns every month

The host files a transient occupancy tax return every month, due by the last city business day of the month, and reports the tax an online travel company paid for the home.^16,17

Median nightly rate, booked nights

$300

Taxes on that night (15%)

$45

Guest pays, before Airbnb and cleaning fees

$345

What the host still handles

• A transient occupancy tax account with the City of Anaheim License Collector (TOT number) and a monthly return, due by the last city business day of the month, listing the tax paid by any online travel company
• A City of Anaheim business license (Business Tax Certificate), issued with the short-term rental permit
• The short-term rental permit renewal each year by July 31^{1,16,17,18,21}

• Permit holders: civil citations of $200 (minor) or $1,000 (major) for a first offense, $400 or $1,500 for a second within 12 months, $1,000 or $2,500 for a third and fourth, and $1,500 or $3,000 for a fifth and later offense; any offense during a revocation period is $2,500.⁸
• Operating a short-term rental without a permit: a $500 civil citation for each day the violation occurs.⁸
• Renters who sign the rental agreement: $200 for a minor offense and $500 for a major offense, issued without a prior warning.^8,15
• Booking platforms: $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second and $2,000 for a third or later within 12 months.⁸
• Permit revocation: the Planning Director may suspend or revoke a permit for two major violations, or ten minor violations, at the same property within 12 months; failing to pay the hotel tax is itself a major violation.⁹
• Any violation can also be charged as a misdemeanor or abated as a public nuisance at the owner's expense.⁸
• Late hotel tax: a penalty of 10% per month of the tax due, up to 50%, plus interest of 1.5% per month.¹⁷

1. December 31, 2022
   HOA-restricted rentals must close

   Permitted rentals in homeowners' associations that ban short-term rentals were prohibited after December 31, 2022, with a one-time right to move the permit.¹⁰

2. November 2022
   Measure J changes how the hotel tax is collected

   Voters approved Measure J, which makes online travel companies pay Anaheim's hotel and short-term rental tax on the full amount a guest pays. It did not change the rate.¹⁸

3. June 19, 2019
   Council reverses the phase-out

   The City Council voted to let most permitted short-term rentals keep operating under strict rules; the updated policy took effect July 19, 2019. New rentals remain prohibited.^12,15

4. August 11, 2016
   Ban on new rentals and 18-month phase-out

   New ordinances took effect banning new short-term rentals and phasing existing ones out over 18 months.¹⁵

5. September 15, 2015
   Moratorium on new permits

   The City Council adopted a 45-day moratorium on new short-term rental permits.¹⁵

6. May 13, 2014
   First Anaheim short-term rental ordinance

   The City Council adopted the first ordinance requiring owners to register and obtain a short-term rental permit.¹⁵

Estimate what an Anaheim home could earn

1. 1. California Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280 - Occupancy taxes · California Legislative Information
2. 2. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.020 Purpose and Intent · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
3. 3. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.030 Definitions · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
4. 4. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.040 Permit Required; Processing of Pending Applications and Renewals of Permits · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
5. 5. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.070 Term of Permit and Renewal · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
6. 6. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.100 Conditions of Permit Issuance and Renewal; Operational Requirements · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
7. 7. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.120 Responsibilities of Hosting Platforms · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
8. 8. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.130 Violations/Penalties · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
9. 9. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.140 Procedure for Imposition of Modification, Suspension and/or Revocation of Short-Term Rental Permit · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
10. 10. Anaheim Municipal Code 4.05.180 Termination and Amortization of Pre-Moratorium Short-Term Rentals · City of Anaheim (American Legal Publishing)
11. 11. SB 478 - Hidden Fees (Honest Pricing Law) · California Attorney General
12. 12. Short-Term Rental Program · City of Anaheim Business License Division
13. 13. Short-Term Rental Program FAQ · City of Anaheim
14. 14. Short-Term Rental Forms & Applications · City of Anaheim Business License Division
15. 15. Short-Term Rentals fact sheet (August 2024) · City of Anaheim
16. 16. Transient Occupancy Tax · City of Anaheim Business License Division
17. 17. Transient Occupancy Tax Return, Short-Term Rental and Online Travel Company notice and instructions · City of Anaheim Business License Division
18. 18. Measure J: Anaheim hotel tax update · City of Anaheim
19. 19. Report STR Violations · City of Anaheim Community Preservation Division
20. 20. Responsible hosting in the United States · Airbnb Help Center
21. 21. Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in California · Airbnb Help Center