Council advances overhaul of short-term rental rules; first reading approved, occupancy capped and enforcement tightened

The Long Beach City Council conducted first reading of an amended short-term rental ordinance on Feb. 4 and laid the measure over to the council’s next regular meeting for final reading. The council also directed staff to submit the ordinance amendment to the California Coastal Commission for a conformity finding.

Staff said the proposed changes focus on enforcement and public-safety concerns rather than wholesale changes to hosting policy. Key technical updates in the draft ordinance include requiring safety inspections for every new registration, increasing application fees to fund enforcement and adding an additional inspector, and setting stricter citation rules. The draft reduces maximum occupancy for short‑term rentals from 10 guests to 8, raises the time window for counting repeat violations from 12 to 18 months, and provides that citations involving violence trigger…