Short-Term Rental Ordinance

Project Status

Last Updated 01/07/21

New Short-Term Rental Permit Program (Enforcement Ordinance) Effective January 15, 2021

On September 29, 2020, the City Council voted to adopt Ordinance No. 468 (Enforcement Ordinance), which creates a new STR Permit system to regulate the short-term rental of residential property. 

Advertising or operating residential property as a short-term rental without a permit as of January 15, 2021 will be considered a violation of Ordinance No. 468 and Malibu Municipal Code Chapter 17.55. The short-term rental of property or the advertisement, offer, or facilitation, of such rental without a valid short-term rental permit shall be subject to a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per day or violation, or twice the advertised short-term rental’s daily rental rate per day or violation, whichever is higher.

Property owners are encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible as it takes time to review and process each application.

Online Application Submittal

The City offers an online application hosted by its STR administration consultant, Host Compliance. As part of the online application, property owners will need to:

  • Provide proof of ownership by uploading a copy of their Grant Deed, and operating agreement if applicable, into the online application
  • Print, sign, and initial the attestation page and upload it into the online application
  • Mail the original signed and initialed attestation page to: the City of Malibu Short-Term Rental Permit Program (23825 Stuart Ranch Road, Malibu, CA 90265)
  • Pay by credit card

Mail-In Application Submittal

To submit the application by mail, owners should complete the following:

  • Enter information in the mail-in Application Form 
  • Print out the completed application, sign and initial as required
  • Mail the application to the City of Malibu Short-Term Rental Permit Program (23825 Stuart Ranch Road, Malibu, CA 90265) along with the following:
    • Proof of ownership (a copy of the Grant Deed and, if applicable, a copy of the operating agreement) 
    • Check in the amount of $294 payable to the City of Malibu

For questions or assistance filling out your application, contact STRSupport@malibucity.org or call the City’s STR support line at 310-456-2489, ext. 381.

SHORT-TERM RENTAL CODE OF CONDUCT

As part of Ordinance No. 468, property owners must post the City of Malibu’s Short-Term Rental Code of Conduct on the inside of the main entrance door to the dwelling unit or directly adjacent. 

HOSTED ORDINANCE (In Progress)

On November 23, 2020, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 472 (Hosted STR Ordinance) to establish provisions to regulate short-term rental of property citywide which include, but are not limited to, requiring the presence of an onsite host during short-term rentals, primary residency requirements and multifamily restrictions. On November 5, Council conducted the first reading of the Hosted Ordinance and adopted Resolution No. 20-51, amending Local Coastal Program (LCP) Land Use Plan (LUP) Chapter 5 accordingly. See the November 23 staff report and November 5 staff report for more information on the Hosted STR Ordinance.

The Hosted STR Ordinance involves an LCP amendment (LCPA) and Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) to the Malibu Municipal Code. The Hosted Ordinance regulations cannot go into effect until the LCPA is certified by the California Coastal Commission.

TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX RATE INCREASE

As part of the General Municipal Election on November 3, 2020, Malibu voters were asked to vote on a local ballot measure, Measure T, to decide whether the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) paid by hotel and other lodging guests should be increased from 12% to 15%. Measure T required a majority of votes cast (50%+1) in order to pass. According to the certified results from  the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, Measure T was approved by Malibu voters, receiving 56.18% of the votes in favor of the measure. On December 14, 2020, the Los Angeles County election results were formally received by the City Council. City staff will next initiate a public information campaign to notify the community of the rate increase.

For questions regarding the City's Transient Occupancy Tax program, contact the Finance Division at 310-456-2489.

REPORT A NUISANCE

Residents may report nuisances related to short-term rentals in their neighborhood either by calling the STR Hotline at 310-456-2489, ext. 308 or emailing STR@malibucity.org. Nuisance reports should include the rental address, the nature of the nuisance, and any other pertinent details. Code Enforcement staff will respond to the calls the next business day. If more immediate response is required, call the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at 310-456-6652. As always, in an emergency, residents should call 911.

Community Meetings & Public Input 

A detailed history of the project, which began in 2019, is provided in the Short-Term Rental Ordinance Staff Memorandum. The following documents also provide additional information: