SHORT TERM RENTALS - As of this writing on July 12th, 2025 you are NOT suppose to rent your ADU’s as Short Term Rentals. HOWEVER and this is a big one.
The original house in the front generally a 2 bedroom 1 bath or 3 bedroom 2 bath is NOT considered an ADU according to the City of San Diego and can be rented out as a Short Term Rental. Just the garage may have been converted into an ADU or JADU and all the “boxes they cram into the backyard supposedly cannot.
But guess how Jared Basler “strategic advisor to Mr. Christian Spicer of SDRE and Vertical MVMT construction and the person who coined the term "Ninja Density" says you can get around it.
If your city prohibits short-term vacation rentals in ADUs, consider listing your unit for mid-term or long-term rentals meaning 31 days to 11 months on platforms like Airbnb (using its “Monthly Stays” option), Furnished Finder, or Zillow Rentals.
If the developer or new owner is doing this make sure they are following the
RULES the City of San Diego has set up for Short Term Rentals at the link below.
https://www.sandiego.gov/treasurer/short-term-residential-occupancy
MAP City's Short-term Rental
start here to find information on licensed short-term rentals near you.
Zoom in on your street, click on the DOTS and contact information will appear on the left side of the screen.
(Be aware you may not get immediate satisfaction to any reports to the City
but you MUST send in and they MUST document your complaints and concerns)
We also suggest you contact your City Council Person
NOISE COMPLAINT SHORT TERM RENTALS
Go to https://www.sandiego.gov/get-it-done
Click on - Short Term Residential Occupancies and follow instructions.
Notify owner first.
You can find Active licenses at
You will need to DOWNLOAD the license database from here.
https://data.sandiego.gov/datasets/stro-licenses/
If there is no license listed than report it to the Get It Done App at
https://getitdone.sandiego.gov/TSWNewReport?type=STRO%20Violation
If no response from owner within 1 hour- please wait that long then go to
https://getitdone.sandiego.gov/TSWNewReport?type=STRO%20Violation
If you are getting no help from the City's GET IT DONE APP call (619) 533-6489 or email dsdstrocomplaint@sandiego.gov
And call San Diego Police Departments non-emergency line at 619-531-2000 or 858-484-3154.
Keep documentation of
1. Date & Time you contacted the owner of Short Term Rental
2. Date & Time you entered your complaint into San Diego’s Get It Done website
3. Date & Time you called SDPD non-emergency line and name of person you spoke with.
IMPORTANT - This will probably not be resolved immediately but repeated calls and complaints from ALL your neighbors and documenting this WILL eventually get results or a pulling of the Short Term Rental license.
People can submit complaints for licensing and operating violations specified in the STRO Ordinance. For information related to STRO noise violation or other “public nuisances” please refer to this FAQ article.
Operating Violations
Operating violations are incidents related to an occurrence at an appropriately licensed rental. In a Get It Done Report, residents can report the following operating issues:
STRO Notice Not Visible or Legible
Excessive trash in private property
Local contact not responding within 1 hour
Local contact responded within 1 hour but did not actively discourage or prevent the nuisance activity
Business operations at STRO (massage, surfing classes, wedding venue, etc.)
Other operating violations can still be reported as “Other”.
Licensing Violations
Licensing violations are incidents related to the operator’s license itself. In a Get It Done Report, residents can report the following licensing issues:
Unauthorized / No STRO License
Non-compliant structure used for STRO (ADUs, JADUs, Companion Unit, Guest Quarters, etc.)
Other licensing violations can still be reported as “Other”.
Please note that license requirements vary based on the tier of license the operator obtained.
Why are there Short Term Rental Tiers
What are Short-Term Residential Occupancy (STRO) Tiers, why do they matter?
License requirements are not the same for all operators and depend on the tier of license the operator obtained.
There are four potential tiers a STRO can fall under, and this information can be found on the license itself or by searching the City’s database of active licenses:
Tier 1 specific requirements
A Tier One License is required for home share or whole home short-term residential occupancy for an aggregate total of 20 days or less per calendar year
The host does not need to reside onsite with a Tier 1 license
Tier 2 specific requirements
A Tier Two License is required for home share short-term residential occupancy for an aggregate total of more than 20 days per calendar year
Home share with a Tier Two License is only allowed in the host’s primary residence
The host must occupy the host’s primary residence for no less than 275 days of the calendar year in which the primary residence is rented as a home share
Tier 3 specific requirements
A Tier Three License is required for whole home short-term residential occupancy outside the Mission Beach Community Planning Area as for an aggregate total of more than 20 days per calendar year
There is a two consecutive night minimum stay by the same guest requirement
Tier 4 specific requirements
A Tier Four License is required for whole home short-term residential occupancy within the Mission Beach Community Planning Area for an aggregate total of more than 20 days per calendar year
The same guest must meet two consecutive night minimum