Pacifica Short-Term Rental Rules: The 120-Night Coastal Cap, Permit Renewals, and What to Do Before October 31
Pacifica has always been an easy sell to guests — ocean air, surf breaks, and a straight run down Highway 1 from San Francisco. Running one here now runs on a permit system with real limits: a citywide cap on permits, one renewal window each fall, and — new for the November 2026 permit year — a 120-night annual cap on unhosted rentals in the coastal zone. If you own a home in Pacifica, or you’re thinking about buying one, here is how the rules work and what to do before October 31.
A permit is required, and there are only 150 of them
Every short-term rental in Pacifica needs a city STR permit, administered on the city’s behalf by HdL Companies — applications and renewals run through HdL, but the limits are the city’s. The biggest: Pacifica caps STR permits at 150 citywide. Once those are spoken for, a new permit only becomes available when a slot opens, on a fixed calendar (more on the timing below).
The practical effect: a Pacifica permit is not paperwork, it is a scarce position. Holding one is part of protecting the property’s income — treat it the way you’d treat the roof or the plumbing.
New from November 2026: a 120-night cap on unhosted coastal rentals
Starting with the November 2026 permit year, unhosted short-term rentals in Pacifica’s coastal zone are capped at 120 nights per year. Two exemptions matter:
- Hosted stays are exempt. If you host guests while living on site, the cap does not apply to you.
- Stays of 30 nights or more are exempt — they do not count against the 120 nights.
What it means for owners: 120 nights is about a third of the year. An unhosted coastal home can no longer be opened for every weekend a guest wants. The revenue question becomes which 120 nights you sell as short-term stays — peak season, holidays, high-rate weekends — and what fills the rest of the calendar. That is where 30+ night stays earn their place: outside the cap, suited to remote workers and relocations, and earning in off months.
How Marbella Lane handles it. We track each Pacifica property’s night count against the cap, reserve capped nights for the periods that earn the most, and build a monthly-stay calendar around them.
Renewals: one window, October 1–31, and permit holders go first
Pacifica STR permits renew once a year, in a single window: October 1 through October 31, when renewals are processed first. Only after renewals are handled does the city issue new permits — on November 1, and only if slots have opened under the 150-permit cap.
That order of operations is the whole story: renewing on time inside the October window is what keeps a permit holder’s position protected. Miss it, and you leave the renewals-first line — you’re hoping a slot opens in November, in a program capped at 150 permits citywide.
How Marbella Lane handles it. Renewals are calendared and filed inside the October window for every Pacifica property we manage. If you manage your own rental, treat October 31 as a hard date, not a target.
Buying or selling? The permit does not come with the house
Pacifica STR permits are not transferable. When a permitted home sells, the seller’s permit does not pass to the buyer — the buyer must apply fresh for a permit of their own, subject to the citywide cap and the November 1 issuance timing.
For sellers, that means a permit adds no direct transfer value to a deal. For buyers, it means the permit question belongs in due diligence, before you close: could a slot open, and when could you realistically be permitted to rent? An ocean-view home that can’t legally take a short-term booking for months is a different investment than it looks in the listing photos.
How Marbella Lane handles it. We check the permit position on any Pacifica purchase an owner is considering — cap room, timing, and what the first permit year would look like — before the offer, not after escrow.
What to do before October 31
- If you hold a permit, renew inside the October 1–31 window. Renewals are processed first; an on-time renewal is what protects your position under the cap.
- If you’re unhosted in the coastal zone, plan your 120 nights. Decide now which periods they are reserved for, and line up 30+ night stays for the rest of the year.
- If you’re buying, underwrite the permit, not just the property. Assume you will apply fresh, and work the November 1 issuance date into your timeline.
- Put the deadlines on someone’s calendar — ours or yours. A single annual window is easy to miss, and in a capped program, missing it is expensive.
If you own in Pacifica and want a second set of eyes on your permit position, your renewal, or your calendar under the 120-night cap, talk to Marbella Lane’s Pacifica team. Permits, renewals and night-count strategy are all part of our full-service management — one less deadline for you to carry.
This post is a plain-language summary of Pacifica’s short-term rental rules as of October 2026, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm the current requirements for your specific property before buying or listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a short-term rental in Pacifica?
Yes. Pacifica requires an STR permit, administered through HdL Companies, and the city caps permits at 150 citywide — so a permit is a limited position, not a formality.
What is the 120-night cap, and who does it apply to?
From the November 2026 permit year, unhosted short-term rentals in Pacifica’s coastal zone are limited to 120 nights a year. Hosted stays are exempt, and stays of 30 nights or more are exempt — they don’t count toward the 120.
When do Pacifica STR permits renew?
Permits renew every year between October 1 and October 31. Renewals are processed first; new permits are then issued on November 1, only if slots have opened under the 150-permit cap.
Can I take over the seller’s permit if I buy a Pacifica rental home?
No. Pacifica STR permits are not transferable. A buyer must apply fresh for their own permit, subject to the citywide cap and the November issuance timing — which is why the permit belongs in your due diligence before closing.
What happens if I miss the October renewal window?
Renewing on time inside the October window is what keeps your permit protected. Miss it and you lose the renewals-first position: permits then only go out as new permits on November 1, if slots have opened — and with 150 for the whole city, that is not a position worth gambling on.
Does Marbella Lane handle Pacifica permits and renewals for owners?
Yes. Permit renewals filed inside the October window, night-count tracking against the coastal cap, and 30+ night calendar strategy are part of our full-service management, together with pricing, guest communication, housekeeping coordination and owner reporting.