Short-Term Rentals in Cupertino

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On September 15, 2020, City Council adopted an Ordinance with new rules to regulate Short Term Rentals - residential rentals of 30 days or less, such as those conducted through Airbnb or Vrbo. As of January 2021, all short-term rentals (STRs) must be registered with the City, pay a $211 STR Registration fee, and must comply with the rules, such as those listed below.

In the event you have other questions or concerns, we may be reached by calling our 24/7 STR Hotline Number at (408) 404-5341 or via email at str@cupertino.org.

Registration

STR Regulations

All of the regulations can be found in the Ordinance. Some of the new regulations include:

STRs must be an incidental use and operated by a primary resident.
Limited to 60 days for unhosted stays (no host/operator present on site).
Limited to one STR per parcel and one rental agreement per night.
Guest occupancy limited to two times the number of bedrooms within the STR, or two for a studio unit.
Must provide the minimum parking spaces required by the zoning district in which it is located in, and designate at least one on-site parking space for the STR.
Must have a local contact that can respond to any complaint within 60 minutes.
May not be used for commercial purposes or events that are likely to result in violation in traffic, parking, noise, or other standard regulating the residential use and character of the neighborhood. Must comply with quiet hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Must provide a guest manual to the guest upon booking and in a prominent place within the STR. The guest manual must include information on noise, quiet hours, trash collection, vehicle parking and any relevant regulations from the Municipal Code. A sample Guest Manual Template can be found here.
Must maintain a license plate registry of all guest vehicles. A sample vehicle registration log can be found here.
Must retain records documenting compliance for three years.

STR platforms are required to:

Prevent bookings of any STR that does not have a valid registration number with the City
Collect the Transient Occupancy Tax and remit it to the City and
Retain records for three years, in case they are needed to verify compliance. .

To view the staff report and other related materials please click here.

Business License Requirement

All STR operators must obtain a Business License Certification in order to operate. The operator can apply online or download the application for submission to the Department of Administrative Services (10300 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014) in person or by mail:

ATTN: Dept. of Administrative Services
City of Cupertino
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014

The application process includes an STR Acknowledgement Form that is required for approval. For any questions regarding the business license application process, please contact the Department of Administrative Services by calling (408) 777-3220.

Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) Requirement

STR operators must collect TOT (12% of rent charged) from guests and remit the tax to the City, unless the rentals were booked through Airbnb. For STR bookings completed through Airbnb, Airbnb will collect and remit TOT on the operator’s behalf beginning August 2018.

STR operators that do not use Airbnb can complete the transient occupancy tax remittance form and mail it with payment to:

ATTN: Dept. of Administrative Services
City of Cupertino
10300 Torre Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014

For any questions regarding the TOT remittance process, please contact the Department of Administrative Services by calling (408) 777-3220.

Additional Resources