Short-term rentals in Riverside, California: rules for owners

Riverside is an inland market, and that shapes its demand. Guests are more often visiting family, attending events at UC Riverside or California Baptist University, working at nearby logistics and medical employers, or using the city as a cheaper base for Disneyland, Los Angeles and the Temecula wine country. The Mission Inn and the downtown holiday lights bring a winter bump. Single-family homes with parking and a yard are the most common rental type.

The city's framework

The City of Riverside does not issue a separate zoning permit for short-term rentals. Instead, Chapter 5.55 of the Municipal Code, adopted by Ordinance No. 7678 in 2024 and updated by Ordinance No. 7757 in 2026, requires a business tax certificate before a unit is advertised or rented. The main operating rules published for this chapter are:

• occupancy of two guests per bedroom plus one additional person per unit;
• a local contact able to reach the property within 30 minutes;
• contact information posted inside the unit in large bold type;
• a signed acknowledgment of the rules from each renter, and records kept for three years.

Transient occupancy tax

Riverside's TOT applies to stays of 30 days or less. Published guidance indicates that the major platforms do not collect it for city properties, so the host registers and files a monthly return, even for months without bookings. That monthly rhythm is where many new owners fall behind.

Riverside County is a different story

Addresses outside city limits follow the county ordinance, which requires its own short-term rental certificate and restricts rentals in certain mountain and rural areas. Neighboring cities such as Corona, Moreno Valley and Jurupa Valley have their own rules. A "Riverside" postal address is not proof of the jurisdiction.

Associations

Many newer subdivisions in the Inland Empire are governed by HOAs, and some prohibit stays of less than 30 days. Check the CC&Rs before relying on the city's lighter regime.

The tax nobody collects for you

Riverside is where platform convenience stops: published guidance indicates that the major services do not collect the city’s transient occupancy tax here, so registering, collecting and filing fall to the host. Add the record-keeping the chapter requires — each renter’s signed acknowledgment of the rules, kept for three years — and the administrative weight of this inland market is closer to a coastal one than the nightly rate suggests. Price that bookkeeping into the plan, or delegate it to someone who does it monthly.

Our advice

Riverside works best with a flexible model: short stays for event weekends and holidays, mid-term furnished stays for traveling nurses, students' families and relocating employees. Set up the business tax certificate and TOT account first, and keep a clear guest log. We study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.