Short-Term Rental Rules in the California Desert (Palm Springs & Joshua Tree) (2026)

Short-term rentals (stays of 28 nights or less) are legal in Palm Springs only with a city Vacation Rental Registration Certificate ($1,046 per year as of December 1, 2025, plus a one-time $25 TOT permit), and each owner may hold just one certificate. The biggest restrictions are the annual contract caps — 26 rental contracts per calendar year for post-October 17, 2022 permittees (grandfathered 'existing permittees' keep 32 plus 4 third-quarter contracts after Ordinance 2118 cancelled a planned 2026 reduction) — and a 20% per-neighborhood certificate cap under which new applications are refused in neighborhoods at or above the limit. Rentals are limited to single-family dwellings (prohibited in apartments), and hosts remit 11.5% city TOT plus a 1% TBID monthly. Always confirm current requirements with the city before operating.

Short-term rentals are legal in all zoning districts of the Town of Yucca Valley but require a Temporary Short-Term Vacation Rental (TSTVR) Permit under Ordinance 312 (adopted March 5, 2024), plus a business registration and a transient occupancy tax certificate; the permit fee is $973 every four years and the total initial application package is $1,425. The biggest restriction is a townwide cap: permits may never exceed 10% of the Town's official inventory of detached single-family homes (about 148 openings remained as of April 21, 2026), and only detached single-family dwellings qualify — one permit per parcel. Guests pay a 12% Town transient occupancy tax, which Airbnb collects for hosts but other platforms do not. Always confirm current requirements with the city before operating.

Short-term rentals are legal in unincorporated Riverside County but require an annually renewed Short-Term Rental Certificate from the Planning Department ($740 initial application, $540 annual renewal) plus a Transient Occupancy Tax certificate, under Ordinance 927 as amended through 927.2 (effective January 11, 2024). The biggest restrictions are geographic: hard caps, separation radii, and two-certificates-per-owner limits in Idyllwild (capped at 500 STRs, 150-ft radius) and Temecula Valley Wine Country (district caps, 500-ft radius, responsible guests must be 25+), plus a moratorium on all new STR certificates in Thousand Palms and B Bar H Ranch that was extended again in April 2026. Always confirm current requirements with the county before operating.

Short-term rentals (30 days or less) are legal in unincorporated San Bernardino County — including Joshua Tree and the unincorporated Big Bear area — but only in the county's Mountain and Desert regions, and every unit needs a Short-Term Residential Rental Permit from Code Enforcement ($1,144 new application under the fee schedule effective July 1, 2025; renewed annually, $550 if nothing changes). The biggest restrictions are hard caps: a maximum of 12 overnight occupants per unit, no more than 2 STR permits per person, and only 1 permit per parcel under 2 acres (2 on parcels of 2+ acres); operating without a permit draws fines of $1,000 per violation per day. Always confirm current requirements with the county before operating.