Long Beach sets deadline for coastal short-term rental owners to register
- Aug 23, 2022 | Jennifer Sokolowsky
Short-term rental operators in coastal areas of Long Beach, California, have until September 6 to register their properties with the city or face a $1,000 fine.
The deadline comes months after the city council approved new rules for short-term rentals in beach areas to comply with direction from the California Coastal Commission, which has the power to deny or approve local government policies that affect coastal resources.
The city council initially passed their vacation rental ordinance in the summer of 2020, with another law passed later that year allowing unhosted short-term rentals. When the commission approved the vacation rental ordinance earlier this year, some changes were required.
The city approved a revised law in May, and it now has the authority to enforce short-term rental rules in coastal areas.
Throughout the city, short-term rental hosts must register their properties. Owners are allowed to register one primary residence and one nonprimary residence as vacation rentals. Owners must live in a property for at least nine months per year for it to be considered a primary residence. Unhosted stays in a primary residence are limited to 90 days per year, but operators can offer an unlimited number of hosted stays throughout the year.
The number of nonprimary residence short-term rentals is capped at 800 total citywide. Under the new rules, up to 350 of those nonprimary rental permits can be in coastal areas.
The city has also agreed to include Americans with Disabilities Act information in its vacation rental permit application to ensure that ADA features are available to guests. And it will monitor and report on any impact that vacation rental regulations have on public access and take steps to mitigate negative effects.
Vacation rental hosts must also:
- Designate a local contact who can be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to any issues
- Carry liability insurance
- Include registration numbers in any advertisements
- Follow occupancy and nuisance rules
The law allows Long Beach property owners to petition to ban short-term rentals in their census block. When a property owner requests a petition, the city will take a vote of the census block by mail. A ban can pass when a simple majority of voters in the census block approve it.
Long Beach rental hosts are also responsible for collecting the city’s transient occupancy tax (TOT) from guests and remitting the tax to the city via monthly tax returns. If a short-term rental hosting platform such as Airbnb or Vrbo agrees to collect the tax on behalf of its hosts, the platform and host share responsibility to collect and pay the tax. Airbnb collects the city tax on behalf of its Long Beach hosts, while Vrbo does not.
MyLodgeTax can help California vacation rental hosts comply with all their TOT obligations. For more on lodging taxes in California, see our state vacation rental tax guide. If you have tax questions related to vacation rental properties, drop us a line and we’ll get back to you with answers.
