Legal Disclaimer: When deciding whether to become an Airbnb host, it is important for you to understand the laws in your region or city. As a platform and online marketplace, we do not provide legal advice, but we want to provide resources that may help you better understand applicable laws and regulations. This list is not exhaustive, but it may give you a good start in understanding your local laws. If you have questions, contact government agencies directly, or consult a local lawyer or tax professional.
If you only host for 31 days or more at a time, you do not need a license number or a tax number to publish your listing.
If you host for 1 to 30 days at a time, you are required to add a short-term residential occupancy license (STRO) and a Transient Occupancy Tax number (TOT) to your listing. Your STRO is valid for 2 years and must be renewed to continue hosting on Airbnb.
Step 1: Obtain a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) number
Step 2: Obtain a short-term rental license
Step 3: Once you receive your license and TOT number, add them to your Airbnb listing.
Step 4: Follow the City’s renewal process to renew your short-term residential occupancy license every 2 years to continue hosting.
We recommend reviewing these general FAQs or the STRO license application FAQs.
For specific questions, contact the City of San Diego at dsdstrocomplaint@sandiego.gov or call 619-533-6489.
Confirm if your address is within the geographic boundaries of the City of San Diego (colored districts on map).
If your address is outside the colored districts, you do not need to get a license for your listing. The City of San Diego short term rental ordinance does not apply to you.
The City of San Diego has four license options for Hosts to apply for, with each tier having different eligibility requirements.
Here is a guide and video tutorial to help determine the best license tier for your listing. Get more information on tiers.
Pro-tip: A Host may only hold one short-term rental license for one dwelling unit at a time.
If you have a motel or hotel listing, you are exempt and do not need to obtain a license. You can claim your exemption on your listing. It only takes a few minutes.
After you submit your application and pay the fee, you typically receive a license number shortly thereafter (often within 1 business day) via email.
Note: The license turnaround time can vary depending on the volume of submitted applications.
Fees vary depending on what type of Tier license you apply for. Licenses are valid for 2 years from date of issuance.
Here is a registration guide from the City of San Diego.
Each listing’s STRO license is valid for 2 years and must be renewed before it expires to continue hosting on Airbnb. The City of San Diego sends a courtesy reminder about 60 days before your license expires. Your renewal window opens at that time. Information about the cost of the fee can be found here.
To renew, you will need to:
If you do not renew before the end of the required timeframe, your registration will be considered lapsed. You will need to submit a new registration application and will receive a new registration number and come back to Airbnb to resubmit your new registration number. You may not host short-term rentals while your registration is inactive.
All renewals are processed through the City’s online portal.
For questions about your renewal, contact the City of San Diego at dsdstrocomplaint@sandiego.gov or call 619-533-6489.
Airbnb isn’t responsible for the reliability or correctness of the information contained in any links to third party sites (including any links to legislation and regulations.)