Is Airbnb Legal in La Quinta? 2026 Rules, Permits & Taxes

Permit required

Yes

Taxes on a stay

11%

Fine for hosting without a permit

$5,000

Listings showing a permit number

81%

Latest rule change

Aug 4, 2026

Listing figures: AirROI, 12 months to October 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

Every owner who rents a home for 30 consecutive nights or fewer, including Airbnb hosts. The owner must hold the permit; an agent or property manager cannot hold it for them.^1,3,5,6,7

Issued by

City of La Quinta, City Clerk's Office

Valid for

One year, renewed annually. The renewal application should be filed 60 days before the permit expires and no later than the expiration date, and the permit closes when the home is sold.

Processing

Up to 30 calendar days from a complete application.

On listings

The number must appear on every listing

Platform checks

Hosting platforms may not complete a booking unless the home has a current, unsuspended permit. The city posts a list of active and suspended permits every Wednesday by 5:00 p.m. that platforms can rely on.

Fees

Who qualifies

• New permits are issued only for homes in an exempt area, for Homeshare permits (owner living on site during every stay) and for certified large lots of 25,000 sq. ft. or more
• The permit holder must be the owner of the home; apartments are not eligible
• Written proof that any homeowners association (HOA) or governing document allows short-term rentals
• Enough on-site parking: no more than four overnight guests per parking space, with at most two street spaces counted
• No open code violations on the property and all prior hotel tax reported and paid
• Homes with five or more bedrooms (estate homes) are inspected and need an always-on noise monitoring device

How to apply

1. 1 Email VacationLQ@LaQuintaCA.gov with the property address to confirm the home qualifies for a new permit (exempt area, Homeshare or certified large lot).
2. 2 Send the recorded grant deed so staff can confirm ownership and create a property account.
3. 3 Use the emailed instructions to sign in to the city's online portal and complete the STVR permit and business license applications, with a scan of a driver's license or government ID and written HOA authorization where an association governs.
4. 4 Pay the permit fee, the 5% technology fee and the business license fee; the city has up to 30 calendar days to review, and no advertising or renting may start before the permit is issued.
5. 5 After approval, show the permit number and approved bedroom count on every listing, post the permit and Good Guest brochure in the home, and file the monthly hotel tax form.

Permit rules

Permit and business license before advertising

An owner must hold a city STVR permit and business license before renting or advertising a home for 30 consecutive nights or fewer; the permit also covers the transient occupancy tax registration.^1,3,6

The ban can change only by a four-fifths council vote

Since January 4, 2024 the council can amend the ban on new permits only with at least a four-fifths majority.^1,3 In force since January 4, 2024

A permit closes when the home is sold

A permit covers one property and one owner. A buyer must apply for a new permit, which is only possible where new permits are issued, although moves into the owner's own LLC or trust and certain transfers to heirs do not count as a sale.^1,3,6

Annual renewal, 60 days ahead

The permit and business license last one year. The renewal application should be filed 60 days before expiration and no later than the expiration date; a late renewal can end the permit.^1,3,7

Unpaid hotel tax blocks the permit

The city will not issue or renew a permit, and may suspend or revoke it, if any hotel tax for the previous calendar year was not reported and paid on time.^1,3

Permit number and bedroom count on every ad

Every advertisement must show the 6-digit permit number and the approved bedroom count at the top, or in the platform's designated fields, and since 2026 whether the home is a Homeshare. The permit and the Good Guest brochure must also be posted inside the home.^1,6,13

Platforms may not book unpermitted homes

A hosting platform may not complete a booking for a home without a current, unsuspended permit, and may rely on the city's online list of active and suspended permits, updated weekly.^1,3,9 Applies to: Platforms

Advertised price must include mandatory fees

Since July 1, 2024 California's Honest Pricing Law (SB 478) bars a host or platform from advertising a rental price that leaves out mandatory fees; government taxes and fees may be listed separately. A federal rule has applied the same total-price standard to short-term lodging since May 12, 2025.^11,12 In force since July 1, 2024

No new General or Primary permits since May 20, 2021

La Quinta stopped processing new General and Primary permits on May 20, 2021, except for homes in the exempt areas below; existing permits can still be renewed.^1,5,6,13 In force since May 20, 2021

Where new permits are still issued

New permits can still be issued for homes in the Tourist Commercial or Village Commercial zones, in projects whose development agreement or approval conditions allow rentals and whose CC&Rs authorize them, in the SilverRock Resort and Estates at Griffin Lake plan areas, and in a small area next to the La Quinta Resort.^1,3,6 Applies to: Exempt areas · In force since May 20, 2021

Homeshare permits need the owner on site

Since January 4, 2024 Homeshare permits are exempt from the ban on new permits, but the owner must live in the home throughout each visitor's stay.^1,3,5 In force since January 4, 2024

Large lots can seek a council exemption

A single parcel of 25,000 square feet or more can apply for an exemption from the ban if it meets the code's criteria and the City Council approves it after a public hearing; the owner then applies for a permit.^1,3,5 Applies to: Large lots · In force since January 4, 2024

Homeshare, Primary and General permits

A Primary permit is for the owner's primary residence, where the owner spends most of the year and the Riverside County assessor lists it as the primary residence; a General permit covers second homes and investment properties.^1,6

Written HOA authorization

An applicant must give the city written authorization that the permit does not conflict with any HOA covenant or governing document; a written notice from the HOA that rentals of 30 days or less are not allowed is presumed to defeat the application.^1,3 Applies to: Homes in an HOA

Apartments cannot get a permit

No apartment, apartment building or apartment project is eligible for an STVR permit.¹ Applies to: Apartments

Tenants cannot sublet for short stays

A guest or tenant may not sub-rent or sub-lease the home, and a rental of 31 days or more that is sublet to a guest for 30 days or less is treated as a short-term rental that needs the owner's permit.¹ Applies to: Tenants and guests

Stays of 30 nights or fewer are covered

Any rental of 30 consecutive calendar days or less, counting part days as full days, is a short-term vacation rental; bookings of 31 days or longer do not need the permit.^1,6,13

The permit covers only the approved bedrooms

A permit is valid only for the number of bedrooms the city approves, and a listing may not advertise more; converting a room to a bedroom needs city approval and at least 1,000 square feet of other living space.^1,3,6

Guest limits by bedroom count

Total occupants, children included, must stay within a range set by bedrooms: for example 4 to 6 overnight guests (4 to 8 in the daytime) for two bedrooms and 6 to 8 overnight (6 to 12 daytime) for three, with overnight meaning 10:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.^1,3,6

One on-site parking space per four overnight guests

A home must have on-site parking so that overnight guests per space do not exceed four, counting at most two street spaces; a five-bedroom home hosting up to 12 overnight guests needs three spaces.^1,3

No outdoor or audible sound from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Amplified or other sound may not be used outside, or be audible from outside the home, between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.^1,3

Local contact within 30 minutes, around the clock

Every rental needs a local contact person, who also needs a business license, available 24 hours a day who can reach the home or send the owner within 30 minutes of a call from the city or its hotline.^1,3,6

Estate homes need a noise monitor

A home with five or more bedrooms is evaluated and inspected before it is approved and must keep a noise monitoring device operating at all times; the city can add a monitor as a condition for other homes.^1,3 Applies to: Homes with 5 or more bedrooms

Special events need their own permit

A rental must follow any other permit the property needs, including a special event permit under Section 9.60.170; hosting an event without it carries a $5,000 fine.^1,3

Two violations in a year suspend the permit

Two violations of the chapter or the city code within one year for the same home lead to an immediate permit suspension, with a hearing available to ask for it to be lifted; minor first offenses can be excused on request.^1,3

Median nightly rate, booked nights

$355

Taxes on that night (11%)

$39

Guest pays, before Airbnb and cleaning fees

$394

What the host still handles

• The city STVR permit, which includes the hotel tax registration and the business license, through the city's online portal
• A monthly hotel tax and tourism assessment return through the portal, filed even for months with no bookings
• Business licenses for the local contact person and any management company^2,6,13,14,15

• Operating without a valid permit: $1,500 for a first violation, $3,000 for a second and $5,000 for a third or later, and each violation is cause to bar the owner for all time from receiving a permit or business license for the property.^1,3,6
• Occupancy, noise, parking and other operating-rule violations: $1,000 for a first violation, $2,000 for a second and $3,000 for a third.^1,3
• Hosting a special event without a special event permit: $5,000 for a first violation and $5,000 for a second.^1,3
• Advertising without a valid permit: $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000 for an owner or other person; $1,500, $3,000 and $5,000 for a management company, which can also be barred from managing the property or, after three violations, from the city.^1,3
• Failing to report a change of ownership right away: a fine of $1,000 per day while the violation continues, and the permit ends with the sale.^1,3
• Two violations within a year at the same home lead to an immediate permit suspension, and a violation can also lead to modification, suspension or permanent revocation of the permit.^1,3
• Late hotel tax or tourism assessment: a 10% penalty plus interest of one-half percent a month under the code; the city's FAQ states the combined charge as 10.5%.^2,6

1. August 4, 2026
   Ordinance 635 widens the general violation fines

   The $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000 fine tier now covers violations of the operational requirements and standard conditions as well as occupancy, noise and parking.¹

2. April 7, 2026
   Ordinance 631 tightens the sublet and advertising rules

   The code now bars the responsible person from sub-renting the home to a subtenant, and ads must say whether the home is a Homeshare; the permit and Good Guest brochure must be posted in the home.¹

3. December 17, 2024
   Ordinance 619 amends Chapter 3.25

   Added definitions for multi-unit lock-off units and subtenants and set the criteria for turning existing rooms into approved bedrooms.³

4. November 19, 2024
   Council updates permit fees and adds a lock-off permit type

   Resolution 2024-041 approved updated STVR permit fees and a new fee category for multi-unit lock-off units.³

5. January 4, 2024
   Homeshare permits and large-lot exemption open

   Ordinance 607, adopted December 5, 2023, exempted Homeshare permits and certified large lots from the ban on new permits and required a four-fifths council vote to amend the ban.^1,3,5

6. July 1, 2021
   1% tourism assessment begins

   All STVR units became subject to the 1% Greater Palm Springs TBID assessment on stays of 27 days or less, collected with the hotel tax.^6,13

7. May 20, 2021
   New General and Primary permits stop

   Ordinance 596 ended the processing of new STVR permits on May 20, 2021, except in the exempt areas; existing permits can be renewed.^1,13

Estimate what a La Quinta home could earn

1. 1. Chapter 3.25 Short-Term Vacation Rentals, La Quinta Municipal Code · City of La Quinta (Municode)
2. 2. Chapter 3.24 Transient Occupancy Tax, La Quinta Municipal Code · City of La Quinta (Municode)
3. 3. Ordinance No. 619, amending Chapter 3.25 (adopted December 17, 2024) · City of La Quinta City Council
4. 4. California Revenue and Taxation Code section 7280 - Occupancy taxes · California Legislative Information
5. 5. Short-Term Vacation Rentals · City of La Quinta
6. 6. Short-Term Vacation Rental Program: Frequently Asked Questions · City of La Quinta (STVR permit portal)
7. 7. STVR Account Login & Application Info (permit types and fees) · City of La Quinta
8. 8. STVR Quarterly Report, January 1 to March 31, 2026 (Departmental Report Item No. 3) · City of La Quinta
9. 9. STVR Education, Training & Information · City of La Quinta
10. 10. STVR Complaints & Compliance Information · City of La Quinta
11. 11. SB 478 - Hidden Fees (Honest Pricing Law) · California Attorney General
12. 12. The Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees: Frequently Asked Questions · Federal Trade Commission
13. 13. La Quinta, CA · Airbnb Help Center
14. 14. Occupancy tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in California · Airbnb Help Center
15. 15. TBID Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) · Visit Greater Palm Springs (Greater Palm Springs Tourism Business Improvement District)