Short-Term Rental Program

Hosted Short-Term Rental License

A Hosted STR License allows a homeowner to rent out a habitable portion (i.e. rooms) of their main dwelling unit/house while the homeowner occupies the STR property as their principle residence. Hosted STR Licenses are not subject to any cap or density limits. Additionally, Hosted STR Licenses do not authorize the use of affordable housing units and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU's) to be used for hosted Short-Term Rentals.

The City of Seaside will begin accepting applications for new Hosted Short-Term Rental Licenses on Friday, March 3, 2023, staring at 8:30am. Applications must be submitted in person at City Hall by applicant. 

The process for application submittal will be as follows:

Step 1: Download and complete the attached application form. Please be advised that the applicant for a hosted STR license can only be the property owner and not a tenant even if authorized by the property owner. The property owner must occupy the property as their principal residence. Please also note that the Building Inspection checklist must be completed by a licensed general contractor.

• Hosted STR License Application

Step 2: Deliver your complete application packet, supporting residency documents, and a check (payable to City of Seaside) in the amount of $141.33, on the date and time specified above. The fee amount includes a prorated STR license fee of $83.33, business license application fee of 17, business operations tax of 37, and CASp fee of $4. 

Non-Hosted Short-Term Rental License

A Non-Hosted STR License allows non-owner occupied entire home rentals. Non-Hosted STR Licenses are subject to following limits:

1. License Cap: Non-Hosted STR Licenses are limited to 90 City-wide.
2. Density Limits: Non-Hosted STR licenses are subject to a one-per-parcel and 55' zone of exclusion limits. The zone of exclusion is the distance of fifty-five (55) lineal feet from an existing STR parcel boundary. Please contact program staff to determine eligibility of your property based on these limits.
3. Occupancy Limits: Two adults (aged 18 or older) per bedroom plus one additional adult per site, up to a maximum of
   9 adults for homes with 4+ bedrooms.
4. Vehicle Limits: Maximum number of vehicles allowed at a Short-term Rental (both on- and off-street) cannot exceed the total number of bedrooms included in the rental.

The City of Seaside will begin accepting applications for new Non-Hosted Short-Term Rental Licenses on Friday, March 3, 2023, staring at 8:30am. Applications must be submitted in person at City Hall by applicant or their representative. Applications will be received and processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

The process for application submittal will be as follows:

Step 1: Download and complete the attached application form. Please do NOT complete the inspection checklist until after your property is deemed eligible for a Non-Hosted STR license by City staff. You will be required to submit a completed Building Inspection Report once your property is determined eligible for a Non-Hosted STR license.

• Non-Hosted STR License Application

Step 2: Deliver your complete application packet along with a check (payable to City of Seaside) in the amount of $141.33, on the date and time specified above. The fee amount includes a prorated STR license fee of $83.33, business license application fee of 17, business operations tax of 37, and CASp fee of $4. Submitting a check at the time of application is optional. You will be required to pay required fees via check or credit card payment online once your property is determined eligible for a Non-Hosted STR license.

Step 3: On Friday, March 3, 2023, please do not arrive earlier than 8:00am as the City Hall will be closed. Upon arrival at City Hall, please proceed to the Permit Service Counter, and check in using a visitor log. If you intend to arrive early, please form an orderly queue outside. Please do not block entrances, stairs, or access ramps while you wait. Please use good judgment, and be courteous to other applicants while you wait.

Step 4: Staff will begin application intake at 8:30AM in order of application arrival based on the visitor log. City Staff will stamp each application with a Date and Receipt Number. The Receipt number and the Visitor Log will be used to verify the order in which applications were received. Applications will be reviewed in the following days in the order of receipt. Applicants will be contacted regarding approval or denial within 3 business days. City Staff will provide direction to Approved Applicants regarding the next steps.

The STR License Renewal window for FY22/23 is now closed. 

STR License renewals for FY23/24 (i.e. July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023) will begin in May 2023. All existing STR owners will receive notices which will include license renewal instructions. In general, STR License renewal process will be as follow:

General Guidelines:

• Early submissions are highly encouraged although an application can be submitted on the last day of the STR license renewal period (i.e. June 30th).
• The City will not be responsible for late receipt of any mailed application. All STR License Renewal applications must be received by no later than 4:30 p.m. on June 30th.
• Applications can be submitted online via the iWorQ portal or by completing PDF forms and emailing or mailing them to the City.

Each STR license renewal packet must include all of the following items:

1. STR License Renewal Form (Type or print; all sections must be filled out completely). Please note the following:

• A STR owner is (while the licensed STR unit is rented) farther than 30 minutes away by car from the STR unit must appoint a Site Manager;
• A STR owner must provide contact information for the placard which will be posted on the exterior of the STR Unit in a location visible at the front entrance. Any contact number(s) provided for the placard must be reachable 24/7.
• If different than owner and/or site manager, the STR must provide name, phone, and email of the person(s) managing bookings and responsible for collection and remittance of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)

2. Signed affidavit affirming appropriate smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are installed and fire extinguisher(s) are in accessible locations.

3. Building Inspection Report obtained through a certified third-party general contractor or building inspector. All existing STR license holders will be required to submit a completed Building Inspection Report during the May-June 2023 renewal.

4. Signed Owner Acknowledgement Form

5. Signed Owner Indemnification Agreement

6.. List of hyperlinks for each online listing for the STR unit. All online listings must include the City-issued STR license number in the main title or property description areas of online listings. Online listing ID numbers and/or URLs must be submitted prior to your application submittal via email to str@ci.seaside.ca.us.

6. Proof of TOT payment to demonstrate that the licensed STR unit has been rented for a minimum of:

• 1 documented stay during the preceding 90 days – this applies to those STR license holders who obtained their license during the preceding 1-3 months;
• 3 documented stays during the preceding 180 days – this applies to those STR license holders who obtained their license during the preceding 4-6 month; and
• 6 documented stays in the year prior to the STR License renewal application – this applies to those STR license holders who have held a STR license for a whole year.

Acceptable proof of payment documentation include copies of filed TOT returns, deposited checks, and/or Airbnb receipts confirming that your TOT return was filed and processed. 

7) Check (amount to be determined)

Upon full satisfaction of all STR license renewal application requirements, a STR license may be renewed. The City will send renewed STR license and placard via email. Upon receipt of the renewed STR license, owners are required to replace the old license with the renewed license and prominently display the new license in plain view within the unit. The owner is also required to post the placard at the front entrance of the STR unit.

Grounds for nonrenewal of a STR License:

1. Incomplete application.
2. Failure to demonstrate the STR license number is displayed in all the online listings or failure to provide hyperlinks of each online listing to the City.
3. Failure to remit payment to the City at the time the STR license renewal application is submitted. 
4. The STR unit fails the Building Inspection, or the Building Inspection Report identifies an unsafe condition.
5. Nonhosted Short-Term Rental License holder fails to provide evidence of at least one documented Short-Term Rental stay during the preceding 90 days, or 3 documented stays during the preceding 180 days, or 6 documented stays in the year prior to the Short-Term Rental renewal application.
6. Evidence of two or more verified violations of the City Code during the preceding 12 months.
7. Failure to demonstrate all TOT owed to the City has been paid prior to the date of the STR renewal application.

Filing a complaint: 

Call 9-1-1 if it is an emergency (such as fire, medical emergency, suspicious activity, etc.).
 
To file a complaint regarding excessive noise or a loud party, illegal parking, improper and excessive trash disposal, too many overnight guests, or any other disruptive behavior at a STR unit, please follow these steps:
 
Step 1: Contact the Local Contact Person – anytime (24/7): Local Contact information can be found on the STR placard (sample STR placard) posted on each STR unit or through the STR Database.

• If the STR Local Contact person responds, please describe your complaint and ask that your complaint be resolved immediately or within no more than 60 minutes of your request as required by the Ordinance. You may elect to provide your name and contact information to the STR  Local Contact person so they can follow up with you on your complaint.
  • If your complaint is resolved within 60 minutes from the time you notified the STR Local Contact, then the City will deem this as complete. You may notify the City of such complaint(s) via the online complaint form or via email at STR@ci.seaside.ca.us. The City will track each incident against a STR and take all incidents into account at the time of license renewal.
• If STR Local Contact person does not respond, then go to step 2. If your complaint is not resolved within 60 minutes from the time you notified the STR Local Contact, leave a voice message for the Local Contact describing your concern(s), and provide your name and contact information to the STR Local Contact so they can follow up with you on your complaint.

Step 2: Contact the Police Department at (831) 394-6811 if you are calling after business hours. If you are filing a complaint during business hours, you may call the City Hall directly at (831) 899-6729 or (831) 899-6735. When calling the Police Department and/or City Hall, please provide the STR address, a description of the nature of the activity, and any other relevant information. Complaints may be filed anonymously, however, you may wish to provide your contact information so that our code compliance staff can contact you to discuss your complaint in detail.
 
Note: If the nature of a complaint is non-emergency and cannot be resolved within 60 minutes (e.g. a tree needs pruning, a garage being used for living, or any other pre-existing condition at the STR unit that concerns you but is a non-emergency) report the situation to the Code Compliance office at (831) 899-6729 or str@ci.seaside.ca.us.
 
Reporting Illegal Short-term Rentals: Suspected illegal Short-term Rentals can be reported to the City via the following methods:

• (831) 899-6729 or (831) 899-6735
• str@ci.seaside.ca.us

Fines and Penalties for Illegal Short-term Rental Hosting
 
Violations of the City’s short-term rental ordinance are subject to administrative penalties as set forth in Chapter 2.58 and Section 17.80.050, including administrative penalties imposed by a Hearing Officer for violation of any provisions of this code in an amount not to exceed a maximum of $2,500 per day for each continuing violation, exclusive of administrative costs, interest and restitution for compliance reinspections, for any related series of violations, and/or forfeiture of all rents received during the period transient use was allowed without a Transient Use License , whichever amount is greater. 

Penalties begin on day one of illegal short-term rental activity and continue to accrue until the violation is fully abated. Repeat violations may be subject to escalated penalties including referral to the City Attorney’s Office for additional assessment (i.e. lien) on the subject property. 

The Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) rate is 12% and is payable to the City on a monthly basis. Payments are due by the end of day of the following month. For example, taxes collected for the first time started in January; those taxes collected are due no later than February 28th.

TOT returns can be filed online through the STR portal or by mail. To file TOT returns by mail, complete and mail the TOT return form along with your payment to the following address:

• Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Return

City of Seaside
STR TOT
440 Harcourt Ave
Seaside, CA 93955

Additional Instructions:

For those of you who are hosting short-term rentals through Airbnb (exclusively or otherwise), you may already know that Airbnb is collecting and remitting TOT for all bookings/reservations, and you are not required to pay TOT to the City separately.

However, please also note that the City does not have TOT collection and remittance agreements with any other hosting platform (including VRBO, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, Flipkey, vacationrentals.com, etc.). Therefore, it is your responsibility to pay TOT on all income earned through the aforementioned hosting platforms.

If the owner and/or street address of the STR have changed, you MUST submit a new application. If other application information (such as phone number, email, mailing address, etc.) has changed, owners/owner representatives MUST immediately supply the information to the City, without having to submit a new application. The information can be submitted to the by email at str@ci.seaside.ca.us or by phone at (831) 899-6735

If your Local Contact has changed, you MUST appoint a new Local Contact person as soon as possible. You must submit a written request and a statement with signature from your local contact person to the City.