Did Manhattan Beach Lift Its Short Term Rental Ban for the 2026 World Cup?

Published July 15, 2026

No. Manhattan Beach's council rejected a temporary World Cup short term rental program 3 to 2 in January 2026, so the citywide ban stays in place.

No. On January 20, 2026, the Manhattan Beach City Council voted 3 to 2 to reject a draft ordinance that would have temporarily allowed short term rentals outside the coastal zone for a June 5 through July 17 window around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, whose matches run June 11 through July 19. The citywide ban on short term rentals outside the coastal zone stays in place through the tournament, and owners planning to list a non coastal property for World Cup crowds should not do so.

What was actually being considered

Manhattan Beach has banned short term rentals citywide since 2015, after residents raised concerns about traffic, parking, noise, and neighborhood disruption. With the 2026 World Cup bringing matches to the LA region, city staff drafted a temporary program that would have created up to 450 short term rental licenses in the non coastal zone, timed to run only around the tournament window. The city council directed staff to prepare the draft in December 2025 and gathered public input in early January 2026, but ultimately voted the proposal down on January 20, 2026. No temporary expansion took effect, and there is no indication as of this writing that the council plans to revisit it before the World Cup begins.

If you own a Manhattan Beach rental outside the coastal zone and were planning around a temporary World Cup carve out, that plan is off the table. Advertising a short term stay in the non coastal zone remains a code violation regardless of tournament demand.

The one place short term rentals are legal in Manhattan Beach

The citywide ban has a real exception, and it predates the World Cup debate. In April 2022, the California Court of Appeal ruled that Manhattan Beach's short term rental ban does not apply to properties inside the city's Coastal Zone, generally the blocks closest to the beach. The court found the city's ban functioned as an amendment to its own zoning code, which authorized short term rentals in that area, and any such amendment required review and approval from the California Coastal Commission under the California Coastal Act, which the city had never obtained. The city did not get that approval, so the ban could not be enforced there.

Practically, that means a property inside the Coastal Zone can operate as a short term rental today, World Cup or not, as long as the owner obtains a City of Manhattan Beach business license and collects and remits the city's Transient Occupancy Tax on every stay. Properties outside that zone remain fully banned, and that has not changed with the World Cup proposal's defeat.

Why this matters even if you do not do short term rentals

Even owners with long term tenants should track this because World Cup adjacent demand tends to spill into the regular rental market. Expect short term buzz to push some renters and prospective tenants toward furnished or flexible arrangements near the coast during June and July 2026, and expect code enforcement attention on non coastal listings to be higher than usual while the tournament is in town, given how publicly the council just debated and rejected loosening the rule.

What this means for you

If your Manhattan Beach property sits outside the Coastal Zone, do not list it short term for the World Cup under any theory that a temporary allowance exists. It does not, as of this council vote. If your property is inside the Coastal Zone, the standing legal pathway via business license and TOT remains open, tournament or not, and was not affected by January's vote either way.

If you would rather have someone track city council votes like this one for you instead of hearing about it after the fact, that is part of what we do for our owners.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with a licensed professional, or the City of Manhattan Beach Community Development Department, before you act.

Sources

1. Manhattan Beach Puts Kibosh On Short-Term Rental Proposal, MB News
2. Manhattan Beach Could Soon Allow Short-Term Rentals Citywide For World Cup, Patch
3. Residents Weigh In on Allowing Short-Term Rentals for 2026 World Cup, MB News
4. Short-Term Rentals, City of Manhattan Beach
5. California Court of Appeal Holds City's Ban on Short-Term Rentals in Coastal Zone Constituted An Amendment Requiring Coastal Commission Approval, Argent Communications
6. Update on Manhattan Beach Coastal Zone Short-Term Vacation Rental Litigation, Angel Law

Last verified: July 2026.

Topics: compliance, short term rentals, manhattan beach, world cup, zoning

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