California officials ease short-term rental rules to help wildfire survivors
- Feb 4, 2025 | Jennifer Sokolowsky

The state of California and some local communities are temporarily changing rules for short-term rentals (STRs) to make it easier for victims of the recent Los Angeles wildfires to find housing.
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on January 27 that allows wildfire survivors to remain classified as short-term occupants, rather than tenants, when they stay in short-term accommodations such as hotels and STRs beyond 30 days. The order applies through March 8, 2025.
L.A. County
On January 21, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a measure relaxing STR rules. Previously, operators could only rent their primary residence for short terms, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) were barred from being used as STRs, and unhosted stays were limited to 90 days per year.
Until May 31, 2025, STR operators providing stays for wildfire survivors will be allowed to offer ADUs as STRs and offer multiple listings. Unhosted stays will be unlimited rather than capped at 90 days.
Palm Springs and La Quinta
The Palm Springs City Council has lifted the city’s caps on the allowed number of guest stays per year for operators hosting wildfire evacuees. Currently, STRs with permits issued before October 18, 2022, are limited to 36 guest stays (of up to 28 days at a time) per calendar year. Those with permits issued after that date are only allowed to host 26 short-term stays per year.
The new rules treat stays by evacuees as “friends and family” stays, which aren’t covered by the caps. STR operators are required to submit affidavits for evacuee stays. The new rules apply retroactively to January 7, when Newsom declared a state of emergency, through February 28, 2025.
According to the city, the new exceptions have incentivized STR hosts to offer shorter stays than they might under normal circumstances, such as minimum stays of only two nights rather than four, for example.
La Quinta passed a measure January 21 allowing the city manager to temporarily modify STR rules in ways such as allowing longer stays or more guests to stay in an STR at a time.
Airbnb
Airbnb is offering free temporary housing for people who have been displaced by the wildfires, and the company is blocking Airbnb hosts in Los Angeles and Ventura counties from raising their prices more than 10% from pre-January 7 levels.
Operators must continue to follow lodging tax rules
Although California governments are temporarily suspending some STR rules to help wildfire survivors, lodging tax regulations remain unchanged. In California, there is no statewide lodging tax. But state law allows cities and counties to levy transient occupancy tax (TOT) on accommodations that are rented out for 30 days or less.
For example, STR operators in La Quinta, Los Angeles County, and Palm Springs are required to collect TOT from guests and file TOT returns with their respective cities. While STR marketplaces Airbnb and Vrbo collect TOT in some California jurisdictions, they don’t do so in La Quinta, Los Angeles County, or Palm Springs. Hosts whose platforms don’t collect on their behalf are solely responsible for TOT compliance.
Avalara MyLodgeTax can help automate and simplify tax compliance for California short-term rental hosts. For more on lodging taxes in California, see our state vacation rental tax guide. If you have tax questions related to vacation rental properties, drop us a line and we’ll get back to you with answers.

