Is short-term rental legal in Anaheim, CA?
Anaheim closed the door in 2016: new STR permits are prohibited in residential zones, and the legacy permits were amortized out (with hardship extensions into the early 2020s). In residential Anaheim today, STR is not a licensing problem — it is a ban.
Rules checked October 2026
Run the Anaheim verdict on your facts
| What counts as a short-term rental | Anaheim closed the door in 2016: new STR permits are prohibited in residential zones, and the legacy permits were amortized out (with hardship extensions into the early 2020s). In residential Anaheim today, STR is not a licensing problem — it is a ban. |
|---|---|
| Permit / license | — no new permits exist — |
| Fee | — |
| Renewal | — |
| Primary-residence rule | No residency fact reopens the category in residential zones. |
| Whole-home rental | Rentals under 30 days are prohibited in residential zones; the legacy permit class was phased out by the 2016 ordinance's amortization schedule. |
| Night cap | — |
| Guests / occupancy | — |
| Minimum stay | 30 days in residential zones |
| Zoning | Residential zones: prohibited. The Anaheim Resort area follows hotel rules, not STR rules. |
| Density / scarcity | No density cap found in the current rules |
| Fines | Illegal STR operation draws code-enforcement fines per day and the city enforces around the resort district actively |
| Taxes | TOT applies to lawful transient lodging (hotels); there is no STR tax registration because there is no lawful STR. |
| Platform duties | Listings for residential Anaheim addresses are enforcement leads. |
| State layer | No state preemption — California is the most locally regulated STR state in the country. Coastal-zone rules can add a Coastal Commission layer in some cities. |
What trips hosts in Anaheim
- Anaheim is our clearest NOT LEGAL market: a total residential ban next door to Disneyland, surviving every challenge since 2016.
The private layer still applies
These are the city's rules. Your HOA, condo board, lease or mortgage can say no on top of them — that layer is printed as a warning in the checker, never merged into the city's verdict.
Sources: Anaheim Mun. Code § 18.92 et seq. (Ord. 6368, 2016 STR prohibition/amortization) · City of Anaheim STR program. Rules checked October 2026.