San Diego Rescinds Short-Lived Short-Term Rental Regulations

You could have rented a house on Airbnb for longer than the city of San Diego's new short-term rental regulations lasted. Now the city has to go back to the drawing board.

1 minute read

October 23, 2018, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


San Diego

Nan Palmero / Flickr

Lori Weisberg reports:

Faced with a referendum seeking to repeal San Diego’s new restrictions on short-term rentals, the City Council did just that on Monday, but left open the question of how it will regulate home sharing in the future.

The repealed regulations were adopted over the summer. The short-lived regulations "barred the short-term rental of second homes but would have permitted the use of primary residences for short term stays six months out of the year," according to Wiesberg.

Another article by Lisa Halverstadt picks up on the ongoing dilemma, exacerbated by the council's action this week, of how the city should regulated short-term rentals.

“We don’t want to be in limbo for two years,” said City Council Pro Tem Barbara Bry, who earlier this year led the effort to enact the controversial rules.

The rescission is the latest setback in a years-long debate that’s paralyzed city leaders.

Now they’ll have a new challenge: City Attorney Mara Elliott’s office says any new rules introduced within the next year must be “essentially different” than the rules enacted in July, meaning the City Council can’t just make a few tweaks and move forward.

Short-term rentals aren't the only controversial aspect of the city's housing policy currently challenging San Diego officials. Local progressives are also calling on the City Council to rewrite the city's inclusionary zoning policy.

Monday, October 22, 2018 in The San Diego Union-Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

1 hour ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

2 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

3 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press