Short-Term Rental Program

**IMPORTANT UPDATE**

The City has reached its cap of 90 Non-Hosted Short-Term Rental (STR) licenses. Therefore, the City is no longer accepting new applications for Non-Hosted STR Licenses. Please check the Waiting List Information tab below for more information.

Owners of Short-Term Rentals (STRs), also known as Vacation Rentals, are required to obtain a Short-Term Rental License per Chapter 17.52.251 of the Seaside Municipal Code. This code apply to all properties (including rooms and guest houses whether or not detached) rented for 30 or fewer consecutive days. 

The City administers the following two types of Short-term Rental licenses: 

1) Hosted Short-Term Rental License: A Hosted STR license allows a Seaside property owner to rent out a portion their main dwelling on a short-term basis (i.e. owner-occupied hosted room rentals). The property owner must occupy the dwelling unit as their principal residence and must be present during the occupancy of the hosted Short-Term Rental. 

2) Non-Hosted Short-Term Rental License: A Non-Hosted STR License allows a Seaside property owner to rent out their entire dwelling unit on a short-term basis (i.e. non-owner occupied entire home rentals). 

Each type of license is subject to a discrete set of requirements including an initial application, annual renewal, property inspection, and payment of associated fees. Please read the information below to determine your eligibility for each type of license along with the application requirements.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Haroon Noori
(831) 899-6726 hnoori@ci.seaside.ca.us

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  1. Non-Hosted STR License Waiting List

The City has reached its cap of 90 Non-Hosted Short-Term Rental (STR) licenses. At this time, the City is accepting Waiting List requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. To be considered for the STR waiting list, the following conditions must be met:

  1. The property must comply with the City's 55-foot density requirement (i.e. the property is not located within 55 feet radius of existing non-hosted STR units). Please contact STR program staff at hnoori@ci.seaside.ca.us to verify compliance with this requirement.

  2. The property must be safe to inhabit (properties under construction or yet to be constructed/vacant land will not be considered for the waiting list)

  3. The person submitting the waiting list request form must be the legal property owner who possesses fee title to the property.

Waiting List Application Process

Please use the link below to submit your Waiting List request. 

Once you submit your waitlist request, your position is timestamped and your place is held until STR program staff researches your property to see if it's viable to join the waitlist. You will then receive an email with further instruction on how to pay the $250 non-refundable fee which will be due immediately following review and approval of your waiting list request.

Waitlist Application Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Will I have to reapply for the waitlist every year or will my spot remain?
    • You do not need to reapply each year. Once your waitlist application is submitted and approved, you will remain in the waitlist queue until a Non-Hosted STR License becomes available.
  • How will I be notified if it is my turn to register my STR?
    • The Town will send you an email notification when it is your turn to register. The complete registration application must be completed within 30 days of that notification.
  • Will I get my $250 back or will it be used to offset my license fees?
    • The $250 is a non-refundable deposit that will go towards your full registration fee once it is your turn to obtain the license.
  • What if I don’t want to be on the waitlist anymore?
    • Please notify our office and we can remove you from the waitlist.
  • How will you know the order of applicants?
    • Each application is timestamped at submittal. City Staff will process applications in the order that they are received.
  • I see that I am toward the top of the waitlist. When can I start advertising my property as a short-term rental?
    • Advertising without a short-term rental license is in violation of the short-term rental ordinance.  You can only begin advertising/renting once your short-term rental license is issued.
  • Are Wait List requests are nontransferable?
    • Wait List requests are nontransferable. Change of ownership or change of site address will render the Wait List request null and void.
  • How long is the wait time to obtain a non-hosted STR license?
    • It is unknown as to how long it will take in order for you to be able to obtain a license. There is no guarantee whatsoever as to when and if a Non-Hosted STR license will ever become available.
  1. NEW / FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS - Non-Hosted STR License
  1. NEW / FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS - Hosted STR License
  1. EXISTING SHORT-TERM RENTAL LICENSE HOLDERS
  1. COMPLAINTS/ENFORCEMENT
  1. Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)
  1. Change of Contact Information