SandvueLa Quinta · Rules & Ordinance History
La Quinta Short-Term Rental Rules & Ordinance History
La Quinta’s short-term rental permit rules, new-permit exceptions, occupancy limits, fees and taxes, with an ordinance history from 2012 through 2026.
This guide covers properties within the City of La Quinta and provides general information, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements and address-specific eligibility with the City. The Municipal Code, adopted ordinances and property’s permit conditions control.
Rules at a glance
Start with the property’s eligibility
La Quinta requires a short-term vacation rental (STVR) permit and business license before advertising or renting. Since May 20, 2021, new permits have generally been restricted, with specific exceptions and a separate route for qualified large lots.
Calendar days or less
The STVR definition covers transient rentals lasting 30 consecutive calendar days or less. Portions of calendar days count as full days; this is not a 30-night threshold.
Year permit term
The permit and business license require annual renewal. Submit the renewal about 60 days before expiration and no later than the expiration date.
Minute response
A local contact must be available around the clock and able to respond at the property within 30 minutes to address complaints.
Check before buying
A seller’s permit generally cannot be renewed by a new owner. A buyer must qualify for a new permit unless a specific ownership-transfer exception applies.
A longer master lease does not exempt short stays
A lease exceeding 30 days does not settle whether the property needs an STVR permit. Short stays by other tenants, subtenants or transient occupants can still fall within Chapter 3.25. The code also prohibits the responsible person from sub-renting or subleasing the STVR unit.
Sources: LQMC §§3.25.030, .050, .055 and .070; City STVR program.
Permit types
Three permit types, with additional property categories
General
A permit that is neither Homeshare nor Primary Residence. A new General permit needs an applicable exception to the new-permit restriction.
Primary Residence
The owner spends the majority of the calendar year at the property, and Riverside County assessor records identify it as the owner’s primary residence. This category does not itself exempt a new application from the permit restriction.
Homeshare
The owner hosts visitors while living on site and in the dwelling throughout their stay. Homeshare applications are exempt from the new-permit restriction, but still require a permit and compliance with the operating rules.
Estate homes
A detached home with five or more bedrooms is an Estate subtype of General, Primary Residence or Homeshare. It requires City evaluation and inspection, plus an approved noise-monitoring system. Estate status alone is not a permit exception.
Qualifying multi-unit lock-off properties are subtypes of General or Primary Residence permits. Their design, independent access and eligibility under §3.25.055 must satisfy the code. A detached guest house or an accessory unit does not automatically qualify. The current definitions also expressly include permitted Village Hospitality Homes within the STVR framework.
New-permit exceptions
A citywide restriction with specific routes to approval
Section 3.25.055 generally bars processing and issuing new STVR permits. It preserves compliant renewals and Homeshare applications, and identifies these location-based exceptions:
- Residential projects within the CT Tourist Commercial or VC Village Commercial districts.
- Residential projects with a qualifying development agreement or entitlement allowing STVR use, together with governing CC&Rs that authorize that use.
- Residential dwellings within the SilverRock Resort Specific Plan or Estates at Griffin Lake Specific Plan.
- The specifically described La Quinta Resort Tennis Villas/Tennis Condos area adjacent to the resort’s Tourist Commercial district.
The legal boundaries and approval documents matter. Confirm the address with the City rather than relying on a development name or a nearby rental. HOA restrictions and other recorded restrictions still apply.
Large lots: at least 25,000 square feet, plus City certification
Section 3.25.057 provides another route for a single parcel with an existing dwelling. Lot size is only the starting point: the parcel must satisfy every criterion, including applicable recorded restrictions and parking requirements, and cannot be subdivided or reduced in size during the exemption.
The City Council must hold a public hearing and make the required findings before the City certifies the lot. Only then may the owner apply for an STVR permit. A successor owner can retain the lot’s exemption while it remains compliant, but that does not transfer the seller’s permit.
The City’s published reporting areas mix geography and exemption status. An inventory label does not establish whether a particular property can receive a new permit. Our dated permit reports describe inventory; the City determines address-specific eligibility.
Sources: LQMC §§3.25.020(B), .055 and .057; City program and exempt-area guidance. Changes to §3.25.055 require a four-fifths Council vote under subsection (E).
Buying & renewing
Confirm eligibility before relying on an existing permit
Verify the address and permitted use
Confirm City jurisdiction, the applicable exemption, approved bedrooms, parking and any permit conditions. Apartments, apartment buildings and apartment projects are ineligible under §3.25.070(S). Obtain required HOA authorization where applicable; City approval does not override private restrictions.
Review the ownership change
A new owner normally must apply for a new permit, including when ownership or control of a property-owning entity changes. Narrow exceptions cover certain transfers to entities or trusts with the same proportional ownership, specified family inheritances and qualifying trusts. Have the City confirm whether the exact transfer meets §3.25.050(B)(2).
Keep the annual renewal current
Renewal applications should reach the City 60 calendar days before expiration and must arrive by expiration. A suspended permit may be processed for renewal, but renewal does not lift its suspension. A revoked permit is not eligible for renewal or a new permit.
Understand what closing a permit means
A filed written request or declaration of non-use closes the permit and business license. The property must stop STVR use. A new application is permitted only after 12 consecutive months and remains subject to the other eligibility rules; closing a permit is not a pause that preserves future rental rights.
Occupancy & operating rules
Use the guest limits on the issued permit
The code’s ranges below include children of all ages. The City determines the permitted number within the applicable range and may impose additional restrictions. The top of a range is not an automatic entitlement. Daytime limits include overnight occupants as well as their daytime guests.
| Approved bedrooms | Overnight occupants 10:01 p.m.–6:59 a.m. | Daytime occupants 7 a.m.–10 p.m. |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 | 2–8 |
| 1 | 2–4 | 2–8 |
| 2 | 4–6 | 4–8 |
| 3 | 6–8 | 6–12 |
| 4 | 8–10 | 8–16 |
| 5 | 10–12 | 10–18 |
| 6 | 12–14 | 12–20 |
| 7 | 14 | 14–20 |
| 8 | 16 | 16–22 |
| 9 | 18 | 18–24 |
Local response, 24/7
The contact must personally respond at the property within 30 minutes of notification or attempted notification, or arrange for the owner or authorized agent to do so.
Nighttime sound limits
No audio equipment may be used outside, or be audible outside, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Other noise restrictions apply throughout the day. Estate homes must keep their approved noise monitor operating.
Approved parking
The maximum overnight occupancy-to-parking ratio is 4:1. On-site parking uses approved driveways, garages or carports; the code allows no more than two street spaces to count toward the required number. Confirm the approved arrangement with the City.
Responsible person, age 21+
The responsible person must occupy the unit, oversee guest compliance and may not sub-rent or sublease it. Homeshare owners must remain in the dwelling for the visitors’ stay.
Accurate listings
Display the permit number, approved bedroom count and Homeshare designation when applicable at the beginning or top of an advertisement, or in the platform’s designated fields.
Guest information & records
Post the permit and City guest brochure conspicuously, provide the required guest information and obtain the signed acknowledgment. Keep those acknowledgments and required tax records for three years.
The code presumes its requirements apply when a permitted dwelling is occupied, whether rent is paid or not, including during a suspension. That presumption is rebuttable under City procedures; do not assume that a family or friends’ stay automatically avoids the permit conditions.
Source: LQMC §§3.25.020(C), .050(F), .060(D), .070 and .080.
Fees & taxes
Annual permit fees and rental taxes are separate
The City’s application FAQ lists these standard annual permit fees, checked October 27, 2026. They are base fees: add the 5% technology fee, the separate business-license fee and any other applicable charges.
The FAQ lists Primary Residence lock-off permits at $750 and General lock-off permits at $1,000. Properties qualifying for the City’s General mitigation fee program have separate rates: $300 below five bedrooms, $550 for Estate and $550 for lock-off. Eligibility for a fee reduction is separate from eligibility for a permit. The annual business-license fee depends on estimated gross income; check the City’s current schedule before applying.
10% TOT, with a separate 1% tourism assessment for shorter stays
The City FAQ lists 10% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on rent, including guest charges such as cleaning and pool heating. Its 1% Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) assessment applies to stays of 27 days or less. Stays of 28–30 days use the City’s non-TBID TOT form.
The FAQ requires monthly reporting and payment within 30 days after month-end, including a return when there was no rental activity. Check the account’s current forms and payment instructions.
City fee schedule, tax guidance and application FAQSources: City application and tax FAQ; LQMC §§3.25.050 and .070(L). Fee amounts are the posted schedule on the verification date, not a promise of future charges.
Enforcement
Violations can affect both fines and permit eligibility
Within one year
The code calls for immediate suspension after two violations at a dwelling within one year, subject to a defined minor-violation reprieve request and the opportunity for a subsequent hearing.
General operating violations
The listed first, second and third fines are $1,000, $2,000 and $3,000 for occupancy, noise, parking and other operating violations.
Operating without a permit
The listed fines escalate from $1,500 to $3,000 to $5,000. Unpermitted operation can also be grounds for permanent ineligibility for an owner or controlling person or entity.
Advertising without a permit has separate penalties: $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 for persons or entities other than management companies, and $1,500 / $3,000 / $5,000 for management companies, with additional management restrictions possible. Hosting a special event without its required permit carries a listed $5,000 fine.
Permit decisions and fine appeals follow different procedures. Section 3.25.100 routes qualifying permit appeals through Chapter 2.08, while administrative citations imposing fines follow Chapter 1.09. Read the notice promptly for the applicable procedure and deadline.
Sources: LQMC §§3.25.090–.100; City compliance information and complaint reporting.
Ordinance history
From a permit program to today’s exceptions
Adoption dates and effective dates are different. The milestones below identify when an ordinance was adopted and highlight effective dates where they explain today’s rules. The library that follows links to all 16 ordinances cited in the current chapter’s history notes.
Chapter 3.25 is created
Ordinance 501 established the STVR chapter and amended related transient-occupancy-tax provisions. Later ordinances in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 revised the permit and operating framework. Read Ordinance 501.
The new-permit restriction takes effect
Ordinance 591, adopted April 20, added the restriction on new permits and the specified exceptions. Ordinance 595 followed in June with amendments to the permit framework; Ordinance 596, adopted October 19, added the Tennis Villas/Tennis Condos exception. Read 591 · 595 · 596.
Measure A does not pass
Voters did not approve the proposal to phase out non-hosted STVRs in non-exempt areas by December 31, 2024. That proposed phase-out did not take effect. The existing permit restrictions and Chapter 3.25 continued; Measure A did not create the 2021 restriction. City Measure A explanation.
Homeshare and large-lot routes open
Ordinance 607, adopted December 5, 2023, took effect. It added the Homeshare exception, the qualified-large-lot process, specified ownership-transfer exceptions and the four-fifths voting requirement for changes to §3.25.055. It also added Estates at Griffin Lake to the specific-plan exceptions. Read Ordinance 607.
The non-use procedure is revised
Ordinance 611 amended the written-notice and declaration-of-non-use procedure. It specified an effective date 30 days after adoption and, once effective, retroactive application from January 1, 2023. Read Ordinance 611.
Lock-off units, subtenants and bedroom conversions
Ordinance 619 added definitions for multi-unit lock-off STVR units and subtenants, set requirements for counting converted rooms as approved bedrooms and made related revisions across the chapter. Read Ordinance 619.
Short stays under longer leases are clarified
Ordinance 631 refined the purpose, definitions and operating rules, including the treatment of transient occupants and subtenants when another occupant has a longer rental agreement. Its effective-date clause specifies 30 days after adoption. Read Ordinance 631.
Village Hospitality Homes are expressly included
Ordinance 635 clarified that permitted Village Hospitality Homes fall within the dwelling and STVR-unit definitions, added their definition and refined language in the purpose and violations sections. It specifies an effective date 30 days after adoption. Read Ordinance 635.
Our La Quinta permit-history page preserves complete registers and separate City summaries reaching back to 2021. Changes in counts alone do not prove that a particular ordinance caused the change.
Ordinance library
The adopted documents behind Chapter 3.25
These are historical documents, some of which have been amended. Use the current consolidated chapter for today’s text. Dates in this table are adoption dates; each document supplies its own effective-date provision.
| Ordinance | Adopted | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 501 | Oct. 16, 2012 | Creates the STVR chapter; related TOT amendments. |
| 563 | Dec. 5, 2017 | Revises Chapter 3.25. |
| 572 | July 17, 2018 | Revises Chapter 3.25. |
| 577 | Jan. 15, 2019 | Development-process amendments, including STVR permit and parking provisions. |
| 578 | Feb. 19, 2019 | STVR violation and fine provisions. |
| 586 | Dec. 15, 2020 | Revises STVR regulations, processes and standards. |
| 590 | March 16, 2021 | Revises STVR regulations, processes and standards. |
| 591 | April 20, 2021 | New-permit restriction and permit-denial provisions. |
| 595 | June 15, 2021 | Further amendments to the STVR permit framework. |
| 596 | Oct. 19, 2021 | Tennis Villas/Tennis Condos exception. |
| 607 | Dec. 5, 2023 | Homeshare, large lots, transfers, exceptions and enforcement revisions. |
| 608 | Dec. 5, 2023 | Apartments, apartment buildings and projects are ineligible. |
| 611 | March 19, 2024 | Written notice and declaration of non-use. |
| 619 | Dec. 17, 2024 | Lock-off units, subtenants, bedroom conversions and related revisions. |
| 631 | April 7, 2026 | Purpose, definitions and operating-rule clarifications. |
| 635 | Aug. 4, 2026 | Village Hospitality Home definitions and related clarifications. |
Official sources
Confirm the current rule with the City
Verified October 27, 2026 against the September 10, 2026 code version, the City program and application FAQ, and adopted ordinance records. Ordinance 635 is the latest Chapter 3.25 amendment listed in the City’s 2026 ordinance catalog as checked on that date.