SandvuePalm Springs reference guide
Palm Springs Short-Term Rental Rules & Ordinance History
A practical guide to Palm Springs vacation rental permits, neighborhood caps, operating rules, enforcement, and the ordinances that shaped the program.
Rules and fees change. Ordinance 2133, adopted July 8, 2026, is posted by the City as new law and may not yet be fully folded into the online code. If this page conflicts with an adopted ordinance, the Municipal Code, or written City guidance, the official source controls.
Rules at a glance
The short version
Palm Springs allows regulated short-term stays as a secondary use of residential property. A City registration certificate is required before advertising or operating, and the standard vacation-rental program is limited by both annual contract counts and a neighborhood-based 20% cap.
days or fewer
Chapter 5.25 treats a stay of 28 consecutive days or less as a vacation rental. Longer stays fall outside this chapter but may be governed by other laws.
Certificate first
Operating or advertising before written City approval is prohibited. A certificate is annual, property-specific, and expires when ownership changes.
Neighborhood cap
New non-Junior certificates are limited to 20% of residential units in each organized neighborhood. Reaching the cap triggers a queue rather than an automatic approval.
Owner-absent: single-family
Owner-absent vacation rentals are limited to single-family dwellings. Ordinance 2133 broadens homeshare property types, but ADUs and JADUs still cannot be rented for fewer than 30 days.
Vacation rental versus homeshare
A vacation rental is a single-family dwelling, or a portion of one, used for a stay of 28 days or less while the owner is absent. A homeshare is a stay of the same length while the owner lives on site throughout the guest's stay. The City uses “vacation rental,” “short-term rental,” and “transient use” synonymously for the owner-absent category.
Read Chapter 5.25 definitionsPermit types
Three ways the City classifies short stays
The certificate type changes the annual contract limit and whether the neighborhood cap applies. “Existing” generally means the application and certificate were in place on or before October 17, 2022; later certificates are treated as “new.”
Standard vacation rental
Owner absent during the stay.
- New permittee: up to 26 contracts per calendar year
- Existing permittee: up to 32 contracts, plus four more whose entire terms fall in the third quarter
- Counts toward the organized-neighborhood 20% cap
Junior vacation rental
Owner absent, but used only occasionally.
- Up to six contracts per calendar year
- Does not count toward the 20% neighborhood percentage
- Still requires a certificate and compliance with operating and tax rules
Homeshare
Owner lives on site throughout the guest's stay.
- No annual contract limit under Ordinance 2133
- No contract-summary filing for each stay
- Counts toward the 20% cap; certificate, TOT, safety, insurance, nuisance, and HOA rules still apply
A property with five or more bedrooms is subject to additional land-use review. Approved Estate Homes can receive limited occupancy relief, up to 12 guests plus two children age 12 or younger.
The 20% cap
Capacity is measured by neighborhood
Ordinance 2075 created a cap for non-Junior certificates in every City-recognized organized neighborhood. The City Council may change the percentage by resolution, so 20% is the current policy—not a permanent mathematical constant.
Locate the property
Identify its City-recognized organized neighborhood. A mailing address or informal real-estate area name is not enough.
Check the current percentage
Junior certificates are excluded from the numerator. Pending applications, recent closures, and City processing can make a simple calculation diverge from real availability.
Respect the queue
If issuing a certificate would exceed the cap, the City does not issue a new non-Junior certificate. Requests are queued by neighborhood and generally handled first in time when availability opens.
Confirm with the City
Being below 20% does not guarantee approval, and a mathematical “slot” is not a reservation. Eligibility, the application, inspections, HOA restrictions, and queue position still control.
Operating rules
What owners, managers, and guests need to know
The list below highlights the rules most likely to affect a stay or an investment decision. It is not a substitute for the full code, certificate conditions, administrative regulations, HOA documents, or a property's inspection requirements.
Responsible guest
The contracting responsible person must be at least 25 and is accountable for the conduct of occupants and guests.
Occupancy
For standard vacation rentals, generally two overnight occupants per verified bedroom, no more than eight total, plus up to two children age 12 or younger. Up to four additional daytime guests are allowed.
Vehicles
For standard vacation rentals, no more than one automobile per verified bedroom. Vehicles may not block driveways or mailboxes.
Sound
Music and other sound-producing devices must remain inside a fully enclosed unit and cannot be audible at the property line.
Local response
After enforcement contacts the local contact, the ordinance requires a telephone response within 15 minutes and an in-person response within 30 minutes when a complaint is not resolved.
Guest orientation
Rules must be explained before or within 24 hours of arrival. Ordinance 2133 allows that meeting to occur by live, two-way video as well as in person.
Contracts and records
Standard and Junior stays require a written contract and a City contract summary before occupancy. Contracts must be retained for at least four years. Free owner-absent stays can still count as contracts.
Taxes and advertising
A Transient Occupancy Tax return is due every month, even when there was no rental. Advertising must display the City-issued account or certificate information.
Safety and insurance
Annual building, fire, and safety review is required. Owners must maintain the insurance coverage required by the City; current City guidance identifies a $500,000 minimum.
Ownership and private restrictions still matter
As a general rule, one natural person may hold only one financial interest in a vacation-rental or homeshare certificate, subject to grandfathered and estate-planning provisions. Ordinance 2133 also formalizes HOA-letter requirements for properties governed by CC&Rs. A City certificate does not override an HOA or deed restriction, and the City can revoke a certificate if a later restriction makes the use impermissible.
Accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units cannot be rented for fewer than 30 days. A registration certificate is a privilege, not a transferable property right; it expires on a sale and a buyer must qualify independently.
Fees & enforcement
The cost of applying—and of getting it wrong
These are the City's published fees effective December 1, 2025 and still displayed when this guide was checked. Always confirm the current comprehensive fee schedule before applying.
Ordinary violations
The code sets a $500 administrative citation for a first violation and $1,000 for each subsequent violation. A third violation within 12 months triggers a two-year certificate suspension.
Operating unregistered
Unregistered operation can mean a $5,000 fine, unpaid TOT with penalties and interest, and permanent ineligibility. Continuing operation raises the stated fine to $10,000 before further escalation.
Unpaid TOT
Failure to remit TOT after written notice results in a 12-month suspension. Separate penalties apply to advertising, missing contracts or summaries, and late tax payments.
Ordinance 2133 extends the general deadline to appeal an administrative action to the Administrative Appeals Board from 10 days to 30 days. Verify the deadline stated on any notice you receive and seek legal advice promptly.
Detailed history
How Palm Springs arrived at today's system
The current program was not created in one vote. It developed through an original registration system, successive restrictions, a referendum, a ballot initiative, litigation, a neighborhood-cap workgroup, and two recent amendments.
Ordinance 1748 creates Chapter 5.25
Palm Springs formally authorizes and regulates vacation rentals of 28 days or fewer. The original framework requires annual registration, liability insurance, occupancy controls, a local responder, nuisance prevention, and collection of Transient Occupancy Tax.
Ordinance 1848 expands the operating framework
After a neighborhood and industry workgroup, the City restates the chapter, strengthens registration and response obligations, and requires the responsible person entering the rental agreement to be at least 25.
Apartments are removed from the program
Urgency Ordinance 1891 temporarily prohibits apartment vacation rentals while protecting then-valid certificates. Ordinance 1897 extends the temporary rule, and Ordinance 1902 makes the apartment prohibition permanent with limited legacy treatment.
Ordinance 1907 is stopped by referendum
The Council adopts a broad rewrite, but a valid referendum petition suspends it before it takes effect. In February 2017, the Council rescinds Ordinance 1907 instead of sending it to the next municipal election. The December ordinance therefore never becomes operative.
Ordinance 1918 establishes the modern model
The comprehensive rewrite limits ownership interests, establishes the 32-plus-four annual contract structure, recognizes homesharing and Estate Homes, strengthens enforcement, and expressly treats short-term rentals as ancillary and secondary residential uses. It takes effect April 16, 2017.
Ordinance 1926 adjusts Estate Home treatment
The City amends the Estate Home definition, refining how larger homes fit within the vacation-rental and land-use-permit framework.
Voters reject Measure C
The citizen initiative would have phased out vacation rentals in single-family R-1 zones while retaining limited homesharing. Final certified results show 70.06% voting “No,” so the 2017 regulatory model remains in place.
A Court of Appeal upholds the City's zoning approach
In Protect Our Neighborhoods v. City of Palm Springs, the court affirms the trial court and rejects claims that the 2017 ordinance conflicts with the City's single-family zoning rules.
Workgroup review leads to a temporary moratorium
The Council reviews the state of the program in March, receives workgroup recommendations in September, and adopts a temporary processing moratorium on October 17 while preparing a new framework.
Ordinance 2075 creates the neighborhood cap and Junior certificate
The City adopts the 20% organized-neighborhood cap and neighborhood queues, creates a six-contract Junior certificate, sets new permittees at 26 annual contracts, preserves 32 plus four third-quarter contracts temporarily for existing permittees, counts Event House use toward contract limits, and adds a 12-month suspension for unpaid TOT. It takes effect December 28, 2022.
Ordinance 2118 preserves the existing-permittee contract limit
Ordinance 2075 had scheduled existing permittees to fall to 26 contracts in 2026. Ordinance 2118 removes that reduction, leaving the 32-plus-four structure in place.
Ordinance 2133 updates enforcement, homeshares, and platforms
The latest amendment clarifies local-contact response timing, extends administrative appeals to 30 days, updates trash and maintenance provisions, permits live video guest orientations, formalizes HOA and homeshare requirements, and implements California's Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act. Platforms must report specified listing information and cannot complete a booking for a property absent from the City's registry.
Ordinance library
The primary legislative record
Every official-record link below is hosted by the City of Palm Springs. For some older laws, the City's archive preserves the ordinance inside a Council packet, staff report, or adoption minutes rather than as a standalone signed ordinance. The consolidated Municipal Code and the newest adopted ordinance should be used for present-day compliance.
| Law | Adopted / status | Why it matters | Official record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinance 1748 | 2008 · amended | Creates Chapter 5.25 and the original registration system. | City archive packet |
| Ordinance 1848 | Mar. 19, 2014 · amended | Restates and expands registration and operating rules. | Adopted ordinance |
| Ordinances 1891 & 1897 | 2016 · temporary / expired | Temporarily stop new apartment vacation rentals, then extend the restriction. | Council record |
| Ordinance 1902 | Oct. 19, 2016 · incorporated | Makes the apartment prohibition permanent. | Adoption report |
| Ordinance 1907 | Dec. 7, 2016 · never effective; rescinded | Broad rewrite suspended by referendum and later withdrawn. | Referendum & rescission report |
| Ordinance 1918 | Mar. 15, 2017 · amended | Comprehensive foundation of the modern program. | Adoption minutes |
| Ordinance 1926 | May 3, 2017 · incorporated | Amends the Estate Home definition. | Adoption report |
| Ordinance 2075 | Nov. 28, 2022 · current framework | Adds the 20% cap, queues, Junior certificates, and revised contract limits. | City adoption history |
| Ordinance 2118 | Nov. 12, 2025 · current amendment | Keeps 32 plus four contracts for existing permittees. | Adopted ordinance |
| Ordinance 2133 | July 8, 2026 · new law | Updates Chapter 5.25, appeals, homeshares, HOA rules, and platform obligations. | Adopted ordinance |
Ballot record
2018 Measure C
Read the proposed initiative and the final certified election result.
Court record
2022 appellate decision
The published opinion explains the 2008–2017 ordinance sequence and upholds the City's treatment of regulated vacation rentals in residential zones.
Read the opinionOfficial sources
Where to verify before acting
Research last verified August 17, 2026. Sandvue updates this guide on a monthly cadence.