Vacation rentals in Laguna Beach

What the city calls a short-term rental

Laguna Beach defines a short-term rental as occupancy of a lodging unit for 30 consecutive calendar days or less. A vacation rental in a home, cottage or condo falls under that rule, and so does a longer lease that a tenant re-lets for stays of 30 days or less. The city regulates these rentals through two parts of its municipal code: Chapter 25.23 decides where they can operate, and Chapter 5.84 decides how they must run. This page covers what that means for a guest. The short-term rentals guide covers the same rules for people who own or plan to buy.

Where rentals are allowed

The city no longer allows short-term lodging in its R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential districts. Rentals permitted there before October 2020 are legal nonconforming and may continue, and the right to keep operating runs with the property, not the owner. The city allows new short-term lodging in certain commercial districts and in downtown districts with an Administrative Use Permit, and in one more district with a Conditional Use Permit. The municipal code caps short-term lodgings at 300 units citywide, not counting up to 165 home-share units, and no more than 20 percent of the units in commercial and mixed-use districts may convert. The city’s page links a map of the permitted districts.

For a guest this means a rental in one of those residential districts is allowed only if it was permitted before the change, and the number of licensed rentals citywide is capped.

Check a listing before you pay

1. Find the license number. The city requires every listing to show it in the form “Laguna Beach License No.” followed by the number. A listing without it breaks the rule.
2. Compare the address. The city’s short-term lodging page links a list of approved short-term permits, with each permit’s address. The list carried a revision date of March 25, 2026 in October 2026, so a permit approved after that date may not appear yet.
3. Ask the city. The city’s Planning office answers questions at (949) 497-0713.

The city also requires hosting platforms to show the license number and to remove unlicensed listings when the city directs. This site does not recommend a platform or list individual rentals.

What a licensed rental owes you

The city’s rules for licensed operators include a local contact who is reachable at any hour for complaints, a signed rental rules agreement with basic guest information, and a copy of the city’s Good Neighbor Brochure and trash and recycling instructions inside the unit. The rental must also follow the city’s occupancy, parking and noise rules. Expect the bill to include 14 percent in taxes and assessments, because the city requires operators to collect a 12 percent Transient Occupancy Tax and a 2 percent tourism marketing district assessment.

If something goes wrong at a rental, start with the local contact named in the rental agreement, which the city also requires to be posted inside the unit. The city lists Code Enforcement at (949) 497-0301.

Parking and getting around

The city requires each rental agreement to state how many vehicles guests may park and to note that on-street parking is extremely limited in some areas of the city, so ask how many cars the rental allows. The Parking guide covers city lots, meters and the 72-hour street limit. The free Coastal Route trolley runs on Coast Highway, and the Getting around guide explains how it and the Laguna Local on-demand service work.

Hotels and inns instead

If a licensed rental is not available for your dates, the Stay section lists hotels, inns and resorts with their own websites: oceanfront hotels, inns and boutique hotels and hotels in the Village.