Is Airbnb Legal in Beverly Hills? 2026 Rules, Permits & Taxes

Permit

None available

Taxes on a stay

14%

Fine for breaking the rules

Up to $5,000

Active Airbnb listings

582

Latest rule change

Aug 31, 2026

The rules in brief

Issued by

City of Beverly Hills

Valid for

No permit is issued, so there is no term or renewal; the Business Tax Registration Certificate for owners of rental property is renewed through the Finance Department.

On listings

No number needed on listings

Platform checks

The city has no registration number or platform verification program for short-term rentals. City staff monitor online listings themselves and accept complaints, including anonymous reports.

Who qualifies

• Every rental, lease or sublease of a single-family or multi-family home, room, accessory dwelling unit, pool or yard must have an initial term of at least 12 consecutive months
• Month-to-month tenancy is allowed only after the initial 12-month term
• A valid city Business Tax Registration Certificate is required for owners who rent property
• Advertising a stay shorter than 12 months is itself a violation, whether or not a guest books

How to apply

1. 1 Write every lease for an initial term of at least 12 consecutive months; shorter terms, including a room, guest house, pool or yard, are prohibited.
2. 2 Apply to the Finance Department for a Business Tax Registration Certificate before, or within 30 days of, starting to rent the property.
3. 3 Do not advertise stays of less than 12 months on any platform; a listing alone can bring a citation.
4. 4 Owners of multi-family rental units covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance register those units with the city every year.

Permit rules

Advertising a short stay is itself a violation

Advertising or listing a short-term stay by any means is a separate violation, even when the listing does not show the address, and the city says an online listing can bring a citation whether or not the home is rented.^2,5 In force since September 5, 2025

Business Tax Registration Certificate for owners who rent

Any business operating in Beverly Hills, including an owner renting out property, must hold a valid Business Tax Registration Certificate from the Finance Department, obtained before or within 30 days of starting; the city lists it among the steps to comply with the short-term rental ordinance.^5,9 Applies to: Owners of rental property

Airbnb tells hosts to check local permit and zoning rules

Airbnb's responsible-hosting guidance tells hosts in the United States to look up the permitting, zoning, safety and health rules that apply to their property, which in Beverly Hills means the citywide ban on short stays.^4,11

No platform tax-collection agreement

In July 2024 the city reported that it had no agreement with short-term rental platforms to collect and remit the hotel tax, and Airbnb's California collection list does not include Beverly Hills.^7,12

Short-term rentals prohibited citywide

Beverly Hills prohibits short-term rentals in all single-family and multi-family units across the city, under Ordinance 25-O-2918, which took effect on September 5, 2025.^2,4 In force since September 5, 2025

Rooms, guest houses, ADUs, pools and yards are covered

The ban reaches a whole home, an apartment, a single room, a guest house or accessory dwelling unit (ADU), and outdoor areas such as a pool or yard rented for short stays.⁵ In force since September 5, 2025

Shared use is covered, so living in the home is no exception

The code defines a transient use as a rental, lease or sublease for habitation or exclusive or shared use of a home for less than 12 consecutive months, and the city lists a room among the covered rentals; it sets no owner-occupied exception.^2,5 Applies to: Single-family homes · In force since September 5, 2025

Single-family zones

In the one-family zones (R-1 and its variants) a single-family transient use of a home, an accessory dwelling unit or any accessory structure, including pools, game courts and yards, is prohibited.² Applies to: Single-family zones · In force since September 5, 2025

Apartments and condos in multiple-residential zones

In the multiple residential zone (R-4) a multi-family transient use of a unit, its accessory dwelling units or accessory structures is prohibited, and the other multi-family zones carry the same 12-month minimum lease.² Applies to: Multi-family zones · In force since September 5, 2025

Mixed-use overlay zone also needs a 12-month lease

Homes in the mixed-use (MU) overlay zone may be rented only on an initial lease term of at least one year.² Applies to: Mixed-use overlay zone · In force since September 5, 2025

Short-term lodging cannot be run as a home occupation

Single-family and multi-family transient uses, including any residence, accessory dwelling unit, accessory structure, pool, game court or yard, are listed among the activities prohibited as a home occupation in residential zones.² Applies to: Residential zones · In force since September 5, 2025

Initial lease of at least 12 months

Every single-family and multi-family unit must be rented on an initial lease of at least 12 months; anything shorter counts as a prohibited short-term rental.^4,5 In force since September 5, 2025

Month-to-month only after the first year

A lease may revert to month-to-month once the initial 12-month term has ended, but not before.⁴ In force since September 5, 2025

Each day is a separate violation

Each day of operation within a rolling 12-month period, and each day an advertisement stays visible to the public, counts as its own violation, fined at the maximum state law allows.² In force since September 5, 2025

Guests must be refunded and hotel tax paid

Anyone responsible for an unlawful short-term rental, including an owner, agent or broker, must refund the guest everything paid and remit to the city the transient occupancy tax that would have been due.² In force since September 5, 2025

Hotel tax collectors may sue violators

Any person who collects and remits the city's hotel tax, such as a hotel operator, may seek an injunction or other relief against a knowing violation, and the winning side recovers damages, costs and attorney's fees.² In force since September 5, 2025

The city monitors listings and takes anonymous complaints

City staff check online listings to verify and enforce the ban, and anyone can report a suspected rental by phone, email or an online complaint form, anonymously if they wish.^4,5

City Attorney and City Prosecutor can bring civil or criminal action

The City Attorney and City Prosecutor may start civil or criminal actions to enforce the ban and to recover money for guests.² In force since September 5, 2025

In-home caretakers and permitted filming are not covered

The definition of a transient use leaves out in-home caretakers who live in a home to care for its occupants and filming and photography permitted under the city's filming rules.² Applies to: Single-family homes · In force since September 5, 2025

Transitional and supportive housing are outside the lease minimum

The 12-month minimum lease does not apply to transitional housing, emergency shelters, congregate care facilities or supportive housing.² Applies to: Special housing types · In force since September 5, 2025

Business tax on residential rental receipts is 1.2%

The city's fiscal year 2026-27 schedule sets the business tax for residential property rental at 1.2% of gross receipts.⁶ Applies to: Owners of rental property

Rent-stabilized units are registered every year

Owners of multi-family units covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance register those units with the city every year and must show their city business tax registration number and certificate.¹⁰ Applies to: Rent-stabilized units

Median nightly rate, booked nights

$265

Taxes on that night (14%)

$37

Guest pays, before Airbnb and cleaning fees

$302

What the host still handles

• A city Business Tax Registration Certificate from the Finance Department, before or within 30 days of starting to rent a property in Beverly Hills
• Annual registration of each unit with the Rent Stabilization Division for multi-family units covered by the Rent Stabilization Ordinance^{1,2,6,7,9,10,12}

• Renting or advertising a short-term rental is punishable by administrative fines of up to $5,000 per day.⁵
• The code sets the fine at the maximum state law allows for a first, second and each further violation, and every day of operation or of a visible listing within a rolling 12 months counts separately.²
• Everyone responsible for an unlawful short-term rental must refund the guest all money received and pay the city the hotel tax that would have been due.²
• The City Attorney and City Prosecutor may bring civil or criminal actions, and an unlawful use is a public nuisance.²
• An online listing alone can bring a citation, regardless of whether the home is rented.⁵
• A hotel operator or other tax collector can sue a knowing violator for an injunction, damages and attorney's fees.²

1. August 31, 2026
   Federal lawsuit challenges the ordinance

   The Beverly Hills Vacation Rental Alliance filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California asking the court to declare the ordinance unlawful; the ordinance remains in force.^4,13

2. September 11, 2025 Not in force
   Planning Commission votes against a historic landmark exemption

   The Planning Commission voted 3-2 against creating an exemption for historic landmark homes, leaving the decision to the City Council; the city's rules page lists guest houses and ADUs among the banned rentals and mentions no exemption.^4,14

3. September 5, 2025
   12-month minimum lease and ban take effect

   The ordinance replaced the earlier rules, which allowed a single-family home to be rented for under six months up to twice a year and barred multi-family units from rentals under 30 days, and raised the minimum initial lease to 12 months for both.^2,8

4. August 5, 2025
   Ordinance 25-O-2918 adopted

   The City Council adopted the ordinance prohibiting single-family and multi-family transient uses and requiring an initial lease term of at least one year.²

5. July 1, 2025 Not in force
   City Council introduces the short-term rental ordinance

   After a public hearing the City Council introduced Ordinance 25-O-2918, which the Planning Commission had recommended on November 14, 2024.²

6. January 16, 2025
   Temporary wildfire housing exception

   The City Council passed an urgency ordinance suspending short-term rental restrictions for 90 days so that homes could house households displaced by the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires, with documentation required.⁸

1. 1. California Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280 - Occupancy taxes · California Legislative Information
2. 2. Ordinance No. 25-O-2918 amending short term rental regulations (transient uses) · City of Beverly Hills City Council
3. 3. SB 478 - Hidden Fees (Honest Pricing Law) · California Attorney General
4. 4. Short-Term Rentals · City of Beverly Hills Code Enforcement
5. 5. FAQs: Code Enforcement - Short-Term Rentals · City of Beverly Hills
6. 6. Schedule of Taxes, Fees, and Charges, Fiscal Year 2026-27 · City of Beverly Hills Finance Department
7. 7. Planning Commission Report: Short Term Rental Regulations (study session, July 11, 2024) · City of Beverly Hills Planning Division
8. 8. Beverly Hills Passes Urgency Ordinance Temporarily Suspending Restrictions on Short-Term Rentals for Emergency Housing (January 16, 2025) · City of Beverly Hills
9. 9. Business Tax · City of Beverly Hills Finance Department
10. 10. Rental Unit Registration & Appeals · City of Beverly Hills Rent Stabilization Division
11. 11. Responsible hosting in the United States · Airbnb Help Center
12. 12. Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in California · Airbnb Help Center
13. 13. Beverly Hills sued over short-term rental ban · Beverly Press & Park Labrea News
14. 14. Beverly Hills Planning Commission denies historic home exemption for short-term rental ban · Beverly Press & Park Labrea News