Can You Still Run an Airbnb in Redondo Beach? (No, and There Is No Exception)

Published August 10, 2026

Redondo Beach prohibits renting a home for fewer than 30 days, and the city offers no permit, registration, or hardship pathway around it. Here is what the rules actually say and what you can legally do with the property instead.

Short answer: No. Redondo Beach does not allow short-term rentals. The city's Code Enforcement Division states plainly that "short term/vacation rentals are not allowed (Airbnb rentals, less than 30 days)." There is no permit, no registration, and no hardship exemption. If you want to rent legally in Redondo Beach, the term has to be 30 days or longer.

The rule, in plain terms

Redondo Beach never built a short-term rental program. Other cities wrote ordinances that license hosts, cap nights, and collect transient occupancy tax. Redondo Beach did the opposite. It treats renting a dwelling for under 30 days as operating a hotel, and hotels are not a permitted use in residential zones.

That reading comes straight from the zoning code. RBMC 10-2.402 defines a hotel or motel as an establishment offering lodging for 30 consecutive calendar days or less. A house rented for a long weekend meets that definition. Once it does, it is a commercial lodging use sitting in a residential zone, which is not allowed.

The city began actively enforcing this in 2019 and has kept at it. Complaints go to Code Enforcement at 310-697-3665, at Code.Enforcement@Redondo.org, or through the ACCESS REDONDO app. Neighbors use it.

There is no application to fill out

This is the part owners get wrong most often. People assume that if they pay the tax and file the paperwork, they are fine. In Redondo Beach there is no paperwork to file. The city issues no short-term rental permits and collects no transient occupancy tax on residential short-term rentals, because the activity itself is prohibited.

The rental business license application makes this explicit. Owners applying for a residential rental license must sign a form titled "Short Term Rentals Not Permitted in Redondo Beach." You acknowledge the ban to get licensed at all.

What you do need: a rental business license

Legal long-term rentals in Redondo Beach still require a city business license under RBMC 6-1.06. Anyone operating rental units in the city pays an annual license tax set by the rate schedule in RBMC 6-1.22.

As posted by the city's Financial Services department:

• First unit: $24, which is a $20 license tax plus a $4 state SB 1186 fee
• Each additional unit: $8
• Per employee: $18

Applications go to blmail@redondo.org with a copy of your IRS EIN letter, any fictitious business name filing with LA County, an SB 205 stormwater compliance form, and the short-term rental acknowledgment. The city sends payment instructions after processing.

Fee schedules get adopted and amended. Confirm current amounts with the city before you write the check.

What happens if you list anyway

The listing is the evidence. A public Airbnb or Vrbo page with photos, a Redondo Beach location, and a one-night minimum documents the violation for the city without anyone knocking on a door. Code Enforcement can open a case, issue notices, and pursue administrative citations under the municipal code's general enforcement provisions.

Two costs get overlooked. First, an active enforcement case is a disclosure problem when you sell or refinance. Second, insurance. Most standard landlord policies exclude transient occupancy, so a guest injury during an illegal short stay can land outside coverage entirely.

The legal alternatives

The ban is on duration, not on flexibility. Owners near the beach still have real options.

31-day-plus furnished rentals

This is the closest legal cousin to an Airbnb. Furnish the unit, rent it on a one-month or three-month term, and market to traveling nurses, relocating families, film and production crews, and people between escrow closings. The South Bay has steady demand for all four. Nightly rate goes away, but so does turnover cost, cleaning coordination, and the compliance risk.

Standard annual leases

Lower rate, lower volatility, and no exposure. For most Redondo Beach single-family homes and duplexes, a well-priced annual lease beats what an illegal short-term operation nets after vacancy, wear, and citation risk.

Renting a room while you live there

A month-to-month room rental in your own home is a long-term tenancy, not a short-term rental, provided the term runs 30 days or more. Understand that you are creating tenancy rights when you do this.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rent for 30 days if I only have a guest for two weeks?

The problem is the actual occupancy, not the number on the contract. A 30-day lease used to house a series of one-week guests is still transient use, and it is still enforceable.

Does the ban apply to condos and apartments, or only houses?

It applies across residential zones. The zoning code cares about the use, not the building type. Your HOA may layer on its own stricter rules as well.

What about a rental to a corporate tenant?

Fine, if the term is 30 days or longer. Corporate housing on monthly terms is common in the South Bay and is treated as a long-term tenancy.

Do the neighboring cities have the same rule?

No. Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and unincorporated LA County each handle short-term rentals differently, and several have their own restrictions. Never assume a rule from one South Bay city applies one block over.

Is any of this likely to change?

Council policy can change. Nothing on the city's current published guidance signals a permit pathway. Confirm current rules with the city before relying on anything here.

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Last verified: August 10, 2026

This article is general information from a property management company, not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Ordinances and fee schedules change. Confirm current rules with the City of Redondo Beach and consult a licensed attorney, CPA, or other qualified professional before making decisions about your property.

Schofield Property Management manages long-term and furnished monthly rentals throughout the South Bay, including Redondo Beach.

Topics: Redondo Beach, short-term rentals, Airbnb, South Bay, landlord compliance, rental licensing, property management

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Schofield Properties is a family run property management company at 323 Richmond St, El Segundo, CA 90245. We have managed the South Bay since 1972 and personally oversee about 186 doors today. Book a call to talk about your property.