Politics
Long Beach Council Approves New Short-Term Rental Ordinance, Raising Registration Fees and Neighbour Caps
Residents operating short-term rentals in Long Beach will face new rules limiting numbers and increasing annual fees, with city officials citing comparisons to rules in Santa Monica and San Diego.
How we reported this
The Long Beach City Council voted Tuesday night to tighten regulations on short-term rentals, passing an ordinance that raises the annual registration fee from $250 to $425 and limits the number of non-owner-occupied rentals allowed per neighbourhood. The policy, which takes effect September 1, is expected to affect roughly 1,600 current short-term rental properties citywide, as recorded in the June 2026 city planning report.
Why the New Rules Matter Now
Officials say the new measures are aimed at preventing further reductions in the city’s already tight rental housing stock while addressing concerns about noise and congestion on residential streets. The adjustment comes as other California cities, including Santa Monica and San Diego, report drops in long-term rental availability and rising rents attributed in part to unregulated short-term lets. Santa Monica has enforced a ban on non-primary-residence rentals since 2015, while San Diego’s 2023 ordinance limits vacation rentals to 1% of the city’s housing units. Policy analysts say Long Beach’s move places it in the mainstream of California coastal cities working to strike a balance between tourism and local housing needs.
What Residents Can Expect
Under the new policy, a maximum of one non-owner-occupied short-term rental will be allowed every 1,000 feet in single-family zones, and hosts will face annual re-registration. Residents who rent out rooms in homes they occupy will still be permitted to list on platforms such as Airbnb, but must display a city-issued permit. The legislation also requires renters to provide 24-hour local contact information and submit quarterly reports on property use. For households dependent on supplemental income from short-term rentals, local advocates note the higher fee and distance restrictions may reduce flexibility and income potential, though exemptions remain for hosted stays in owner-occupied properties.
Comparisons and Key Numbers
According to the latest city budget, Long Beach collected $784,000 from short-term rental registration fees in 2025. The planning department projects the new fees could yield as much as $1.3 million annually, earmarked for enforcement and neighborhood impact mitigation. In Santa Monica, stringent enforcement has reduced non-primary-residence rentals from over 1,400 to fewer than 200 in five years, according to city records. San Diego, which now issues about 5,400 short-term rental permits a year, faces continued calls for stricter limits, policy documents show. Long Beach officials note that without new curbs, the city risked exceeding a self-imposed threshold of 2% of housing stock being used for short-term rental purposes.
Residents with existing non-owner-occupied short-term rental licenses will be grandfathered in until their next renewal but will be subject to the increased fee and all new operational requirements. City officials plan to launch an online compliance portal and establish a hotline for complaints, with details to be released ahead of the September rollout.