Does the new LA County 90 night short term rental cap apply to your Marina del Rey unit yet?

Published July 25, 2026

The County capped unhosted short term rentals at 90 nights a year with a $914 annual registration, but that clock has not started in Marina del Rey because the Coastal Commission still has to weigh in.

If you own a unit in Marina del Rey and you rent it out by the night, here is the short version. LA County's Board of Supervisors approved a short term rental ordinance that caps an unhosted rental at 90 nights in a calendar year and requires a $914 annual registration. The important part for you: it is not yet being enforced in Marina del Rey. Your property sits in the Coastal Zone, so the rules wait on a second agency.

What the ordinance actually says

The County rule applies to unincorporated Los Angeles County, which is exactly where Marina del Rey sits. It is not a city with its own government, so County law is the law that governs your building.

The core of it is a distinction between hosted and unhosted stays. A hosted stay is one where you, the host, are present overnight while a guest is there. An unhosted stay is the whole unit rented out with nobody home. The ordinance limits the unhosted version to 90 nights in a calendar year, and it ties the whole thing to your primary residence. The property you rent short term has to be the home you actually live in.

There is also a registration requirement. The reporting on the Board vote put the number at $914 on an annual basis for a host to operate legally. On top of the night cap and the fee, the ordinance sets restrictions on guest counts, length of stay, and the kinds of events a rental can host. It is a full framework, not a single rule.

One line matters more than the rest for most Marina del Rey owners. The ordinance restricts short term rentals to a host's primary residence and specifically keeps accessory dwelling units and rent restricted properties out of the program. If your Marina del Rey unit is a second property, an investment unit, or a rent restricted one, the ordinance does not open a short term rental path for it. It closes one.

Why Marina del Rey is on a different clock

Here is the piece that makes Marina del Rey its own situation. The rules will not immediately be enforced in select coastal areas such as Marina del Rey and Catalina Island, because those areas also fall under the California Coastal Commission. The Commission is expected to enact rules of its own before anything takes effect on the coast.

That is not a loophole. It is a dual jurisdiction. Marina del Rey is inside the Coastal Zone, and land use rules that touch the coast generally need the Coastal Commission to sign off. Coastal access is the Commission's whole mandate, and short term rentals are one of the things it watches, because they change who gets to stay near the water and at what price. So the County can pass its ordinance, but it cannot flip the switch in Marina del Rey until the coastal piece is settled.

What that means in plain terms is a waiting period with no fixed end date that I can point you to. The County framework exists. The 90 night cap and the $914 registration are the shape of what is coming. But the date they start applying to your Marina del Rey building depends on the Commission, and that is out of the County's hands.

What this means for your building

If your Marina del Rey property is your primary residence and you host guests occasionally, nothing is being enforced against you today. That is the honest read. But I would not treat the pause as a reason to ignore it, because the direction is set and the numbers are already on the table.

A few things I would do now rather than later. First, figure out honestly whether your unit could ever qualify. The ordinance is built around a primary residence you live in, not an investment unit and not an accessory dwelling. If your building is a rental you hold as income property, the short term rental path the County drew is not for it, and the smarter long term play is almost certainly a stable lease, which is what most of Marina del Rey runs on anyway.

Second, if you do live in the unit and want to keep the option open, start thinking in terms of 90 nights and a registration cost. Budget the $914 as a real annual line, not a surprise. Ninety nights is roughly a busy summer plus a handful of weekends, so if your plan depends on renting more than that, the plan needs to change before the rule lands, not after.

Third, watch the Coastal Commission, not just the County. The trigger for Marina del Rey lives with the Commission. When it acts, the County framework can begin to apply to the coast, and the quiet period ends. That is the date worth tracking, and it is the one nobody has yet.

The thing I want you to take away is that the delay is real but temporary. The rule that governs your Marina del Rey unit is written. It is simply parked while a second agency does its part. Owners who use the pause to get honest about what their unit is, primary residence or income property, are the ones who will not be scrambling when the coastal rules drop.

Common questions

Can I still rent my Marina del Rey unit by the night right now?

Enforcement of the County ordinance is not yet active in Marina del Rey because of the Coastal Commission review, so the County's specific cap and registration are not being enforced there today. That does not mean there are no rules. Platform terms, tax obligations, and your own building's governing documents can still apply, and the coastal rules are coming. Treat today as a planning window, not a permanent green light.

Does the 90 night cap apply if I live in the unit versus renting it out as investment property?

The cap is built around a primary residence. The 90 nights in a calendar year limit governs the home you live in when it is rented without you present overnight. The ordinance does not create a short term rental path for accessory dwelling units or rent restricted properties, so an investment unit that is not your home is not what this program is designed for.

When does this actually start in Marina del Rey?

There is no firm start date I can hand you, and I will not invent one. The County rule is approved, but Marina del Rey waits on the California Coastal Commission to enact its own rules first. The date to watch is a Commission action, and until that happens the County cap is on hold for the coast.

Last verified: July 25, 2026. Regulations and enforcement timelines change, and coastal rules in particular are still developing. This is general information for property owners, not legal advice. Confirm your specific situation and any registration or filing requirements with a licensed professional before you act.

Kellie

Schofield Properties

323 Richmond Street, El Segundo, CA 90245

Topics: market, marina-del-rey, westside, short-term-rental, regulation

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