You’re considering an Anaheim home, and short-term rental use is part of the purchase decision. The city’s published answer is clear on one point: opening an entirely new short-term rental remains prohibited. An existing rental needs a separate check, especially if you’re counting on continuing that use after buying.
Before relying on rental income, confirm the property’s permit status and the effect of a purchase with the Business License Division in writing.
This article relies on the city’s STR Program page and Program Updates page. Chapter 4.05 itself is where a buyer should check permit terms. This is general information and not legal advice.
Can you open a new short-term rental in Anaheim?
The Anaheim Short-Term Rental Program page says opening entirely new short-term rentals remains prohibited.
The same page describes a policy that allows the majority of STRs to continue operating under strict regulations and good neighbor policies. Those statements address different situations: continuing an existing operation and opening an entirely new one.
For your purchase decision, establish which situation applies to the property. A home being described as a short-term rental does not answer what the city would allow after your purchase. The description of its existing use and the question of your ability to continue that use need separate attention.
The program page does not support either a blanket statement that all STRs are banned or a blanket statement that a buyer can start one. Its wording calls for a closer look at the particular property and permit.
What changed after Anaheim’s 2016 ban and phase-out?
The program page says a June 2019 ordinance reversed the 2016 STR ban and phase-out.
According to that page, the Anaheim City Council adopted an ordinance updating the STR policy in June 2019. It explains that the earlier phase-out proved challenging as STR owners sought decades of continued operation to recoup their investments.
The Anaheim Program Updates page supplies the earlier history. It records a permit moratorium first adopted on September 15, 2015, and later extended. It also describes two ordinances approved at the second reading on July 12, 2016: the STR Regulations and Ban on New STRs Ordinance and the STR Amortization Ordinance.
The amortization ordinance provided an 18-month wind-down beginning August 11, 2016, under which a licensed STR could operate until February 11, 2018. That deadline belongs to the earlier phase-out history and should not be presented as today’s operating deadline.
The updates also describe a proposed home-sharing pilot. They do not establish here that the proposal became an operating program. A proposal in an older update is not enough to establish a purchase option.
How dated are the city’s STR pages?
The program page still mentions the coronavirus and reports 222 permitted short-term rentals “as of mid-2019.” That figure is a historical count, not a verified count of permits today.
The latest dated entry on the Program Updates page is June 21, 2017. Its history covers 2015 through 2017, so it cannot by itself explain the later policy described on the program page.
These dates matter because a city webpage can remain available while describing an earlier period. Finding a number on that page does not make it a present-day count. Likewise, finding an old operating deadline does not establish that the deadline still controls.
Use the dates to understand what each page supports. The program page provides the city’s published statement about entirely new STRs and continued operations. The updates page explains earlier decisions. Neither page alone resolves what happens to a particular permit when a property changes owners.
Does an existing STR permit stay with the home when you buy?
The city’s two pages do not establish whether an STR permit stays with the property or the owner.
Ask the Business License Division whether the particular permit stays with the property or the owner. Get the answer in writing before relying on rental income. The practical uncertainty is narrow but important: an existing operation’s status does not establish your ability to continue it after a purchase.
Keep the question specific. You are trying to establish the property’s permit status and what an ownership change would mean for that permit. A general explanation of Anaheim’s STR policy does not settle those property-specific points.
I spoke with an Anaheim buyer who liked a house partly because he thought he could rent it to Disneyland visitors when he was away. He had seen nearby short-term rentals and assumed a permit would be available after closing. We had to separate what other properties were already allowed to do from what a new owner could actually obtain under Chapter 4.05.
Which office should you contact about a property’s STR status?
The Business License Division is the contact listed on Anaheim’s STR Program page.
The page gives the following contact details:
- Phone: 714-765-5194
- Email: [email protected]
- Counter: City Hall, 200 S Anaheim Boulevard, 1st Floor, Suite 136, Anaheim, CA 92805
Listed counter hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Listed phone hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Keep your inquiry tied to the property and planned purchase so the answer addresses the use you are considering.
How should you use other rental and disclosure guides?
Other guides can help frame separate questions, but another city’s rules cannot establish Anaheim’s requirements.
The Dana Point short-term rental permit transfer guide concerns another city’s transfer question. Likewise, the Hermosa Beach short-term rental coastal zone guide should not be used as authority for Anaheim property use.
For the purchase itself, the California seller disclosure guide is a separate reference. Keep seller disclosures and city permit confirmation as distinct parts of your review. Neither a general article nor a description of an existing rental resolves the unanswered transfer issue.
The short version
Anaheim’s program page prohibits entirely new STRs while describing continued operation for the majority of existing STRs under its revised policy.
The page is dated, and its 222-permit figure belongs to mid-2019. Before relying on rental income, obtain written confirmation from the Business License Division about the property’s permit status and whether the permit stays with the property or the owner.
For a separate look at home value, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Does Anaheim allow entirely new short-term rentals?
The city's STR Program page says opening entirely new STRs remains prohibited. The page mentions the coronavirus and "mid-2019," so buyers should confirm with the Business License Division.
Did Anaheim reverse its 2016 STR ban and phase-out?
Yes. The city's program page says a June 2019 ordinance reversed the 2016 ban and phase-out and allowed the majority of STRs to continue under strict regulations and good neighbor policies.
Does an existing STR permit transfer to a buyer?
Transfer rules were not verified. Ask the Business License Division whether the permit stays with the property or the owner, and get the answer in writing before relying on rental income.
How many permitted STRs does Anaheim have?
The program page reports 222 permitted STRs as of mid-2019. That is a historical figure, not a verified count for today.
Who should buyers contact about an Anaheim STR permit?
Contact the Business License Division at 714-765-5194 or [email protected]. Its counter is at City Hall, 200 S Anaheim Boulevard, 1st Floor, Suite 136.
