The City of San Leandro has adopted two ordinances to regulate the short-term rental of housing or dwelling units in the City. Short-term rentals (STR) are defined as rental of part or all of a residential dwelling unit to paying occupants for less than 30 days. The types of STRs permitted in San Leandro include the rental of a single family home, apartment unit, or a bedroom in a home. However, the City prohibits the use of accessory dwelling units (i.e., in-law units, secondary dwelling units) for STRs. STRs are typically advertised and booked through online platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO.
Find a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the STR ordinances and related procedures.
TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX (TOT) OF 14% OF ACTUAL GROSS RENTAL INCOME IS DUE MONTHLY AND CAN BE FOUND AT www.sanleandro.org/depts/finance/licenses/default.asp.
On May 20, 2019, the City Council adopted an ordinance (Title 4, Chapter 4-41 of the San Leandro Municipal Code), which became effective on June 19, 2019, prohibiting non-hosted STRs in the City. In a non-hosted STR, the primary occupant of the dwelling unit within which the rental takes place is absent from the dwelling for some or all of the rental period. A person who operates a non-hosted short-term rental may be subject to fines of $1,000 per violation and legal action by the City, including criminal prosecution. To view the non-hosted STR Ordinance, click here.
On June 3, 2019, the City Council adopted an ordinance (Title 4, Chapter 4-40 of the San Leandro Municipal Code), which became effective on July 3, 2019, allowing and regulating hosted STRs in the City. In a hosted STR, the primary occupant of the dwelling unit within which the rental takes place occupies the dwelling during the entire rental period. To view the hosted STR Ordinance, click here.
To legally operate a hosted STR, an applicant must first obtain a City business license and a STR permit, and be subject to the transient-occupancy tax (TOT).
Applying for Your Business License
The first step is to register for a business license, which you may do online. The business license application may be submitted online pending approval of the Hosted STR Application and Permit. This form must be completed and submitted directly to the Finance department. To learn more about applying for a business license, go to https://sanleandro.hdlgov.com. If you have questions on the business license application process, you may also call 510-809-3133 or 510-577-3378.
Applying for a Hosted Short-Term Rental Permit
The second step is to complete and submit a hosted STR permit application to the City Finance Department either in person, by email to BLMessage@sanleandro.org or by mail to:
City of San Leandro Finance Department
ATTN: BUSINESS LICENSE
835 East 14th Street, Suite 215
San Leandro, CA 94577
The approval of the permit application by the City shall constitute approval of the hosted STR permit. A business license will not be issued until the hosted STR application permit is approved. Upon approval of the business license and STR permit, the Community Development Department will notify the adjacent property owners of the permittee’s approved business license and permit. For questions regarding the hosted STR permitting process, please contact 510-577-3378. If the hosted STR application permit is not approved, and the operator is unable to comply with the regulations, then the business license will not be issued.
Renewing Your Hosted Short-Term Rental
In addition to renewing the business license annually, a hosted STR permit which has not been surrendered, suspended, or revoked may be renewed annually for subsequent periods upon the following conditions:
For questions on the business license renewal process, please contact 510-809-3133 or 510-577-3378. For questions on the hosted STR permit renewal process, please contact 510-577-3378.
Below are additional resources to assist hosted STR operators to comply with the “good neighbor policy” requirement under Section 4-40-130(e ) and (h) of the Hosted STR ordinance (Title 4 of the Municipal Code):