Short-Term Rental Complaints in San Diego: How to Report a Problem Vacation Rental

This guide is for the City of San Diego. If the property is in another city or an unincorporated area, see who to call below.

The City calls a short-term rental a Short-Term Residential Occupancy, or STRO: the occupancy of a dwelling unit or part of one for less than one month. The STRO Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 5, Article 10, Division 1) requires a license for every STRO in the City, and the City says it has been unlawful to operate one without a license since May 1, 2023. Licenses are issued by the Office of the City Treasurer's STRO program; complaints are investigated by the Development Services Department's Building & Land Use Enforcement Division (BLUE).

• Four license tiers. Tier 1 is part-time, 20 days or less a year. Tier 2 is home sharing, where the host lives on site and may be away for up to 90 days a year. Tier 3 is whole-home rental outside Mission Beach, and Tier 4 is whole-home rental in Mission Beach. Tier 3 and Tier 4 rentals require a two-night minimum stay by the same guest.
• One license per host. A host may hold only one license and may not operate more than one dwelling unit as an STRO at a time. Licenses cannot be transferred to another host or address.
• Places that cannot be used. The City says accessory dwelling units (ADUs) cannot be used as short-term rentals, except companion units permitted before October 15, 2017, and that RVs, camper vans and temporary structures such as tents, sheds and tree houses may not be used for an STRO.
• Host operating rules. Under section 510.0107, a host must not let the rental create a public nuisance, must designate a local contact, must post an exterior notice, and must give every guest a Good Neighbor Policy covering the maximum number of occupants, parking rules, trash and recycling rules and City noise limits. The notice may not promote a business, and the home must be used for residential occupancy only.

For noise, trash and other nuisances at a licensed rental, the City asks neighbors to start with the rental's local contact. The ordinance makes that person responsible for actively discouraging and preventing nuisance activity at the property. The City's steps are:

• The exterior notice. Section 510.0107(k) requires the host to post a notice on the outside of the home, visible from the sidewalk or public right-of-way, whichever is closer. It must list the Transient Occupancy Tax certificate number, the STRO license number, and contact information and a phone number for the host or local contact and for the City's Code Enforcement Division. The notice must be 8.5 by 11 inches, in black, bold, all-capital letters of at least 20-point type, and kept in good condition.
• The one-hour rule. Section 510.0107(j) says the host or local contact shall respond to a complainant in person or by telephone within one hour for all reported complaints and shall take action to resolve the matter. Note the time you called; Get It Done asks whether the local contact failed to respond within an hour or responded but did not stop the problem.

The City publishes every active license two ways: the Active STRO License Map and the Active STRO Licenses dataset on its open data portal. Both are the places the City points to for finding a rental's local contact. The license number should also be on the exterior notice, and the ordinance requires hosts to include the TOT certificate number and license number in all advertisements.

If a home is being rented for less than a month at a time and you cannot find a license, you can report it on Get It Done as "Unauthorized / No STRO License." The City says operating without a license will likely result in regulatory action, which may include a Notice of Violation with penalties, and will jeopardize the host's ability to get a license in the future. Keep in mind that a stay of a month or longer is not an STRO, and that the rules and day limits depend on the license tier.

The City's Building & Land Use Enforcement page says STRO complaints "can only be submitted" through the Get It Done STRO Violation form, not through the general code enforcement Request for Investigation. As of October 31, 2026, the form lets you choose from these issues:

• Operating violations: STRO notice not visible or legible; excessive trash on private property; local contact not responding within one hour; local contact responded within one hour but did not actively discourage or prevent the nuisance activity; business operations at the STRO (the City's examples are massage, surfing classes and a wedding venue); or "Other."
• Licensing violations: unauthorized or no STRO license; a non-compliant structure used for the STRO (such as an ADU, JADU, companion unit or guest quarters); or "Other."

• Give your full address. Get It Done says STRO violations are processed by Building & Land Use Enforcement, which cannot open investigations based on anonymous complaints, so a valid reporter address is required.
• Add as much detail as you can. The form asks for as much information as possible in the description and in the optional fields, to help the City review the case.
• Expect it to take time. On October 31, 2026, the form showed an estimated resolution time of 82 days.
• Questions about enforcement go to the BLUE team at 619-533-6489 or dsdstrocomplaint@sandiego.gov. Questions about licenses or the ordinance itself go to STRO Administration at 619-615-6120 or stro@sandiego.gov.

• A loud party in progress. The City's STRO page lists the SDPD non-emergency line, 619-531-2000 or 858-484-3154, for noise and other public nuisances when the local contact does not reply within an hour or the reply is insufficient, alongside a Get It Done report. The Get It Done form also sends urgent matters to 619-531-2000. See our noise complaints guide.
• Guest parking. The Good Neighbor Policy that hosts give guests says vehicles should be parked legally, in spaces authorized for parking. A car blocking your driveway, a red zone or a hydrant is a Police Department matter. See our blocked driveways and illegal parking guide.
• Trash. The City asks you to notify the local contact first and to report on Get It Done if they do not take appropriate action within one hour or the problem continues. Excessive trash on the property is one of the form's options. For collection days and missed pickups, see our trash and recycling pickup guide.
• Not a Request for Investigation. Building & Land Use Enforcement's regular complaint channels (the Request for Investigation online, by mail or at 619-236-5500) do not take STRO complaints; the City routes them to the Get It Done form instead. For other property problems, see our code enforcement guide.

• Regulatory actions. Under Municipal Code section 510.0109, a host is subject to regulatory action for not complying with the ordinance or a license condition, for failing to correct a violation after written notice, or for violating a state or local law tied to the license. The actions are a verbal warning, a written warning, a notice of violation, or revocation of the license. The City chooses among them and does not have to escalate in that order. A host can appeal a notice of violation or a revocation to a hearing officer.
• A third violation. If a third violation of the operating requirements is alleged to have occurred at the dwelling unit or by the host within the previous 12 months, the hearing officer may revoke the license after finding that it occurred.
• Noise citations and police costs. The Good Neighbor Policy form says infractions of the City's noise limits can result in individual administrative citations of up to $1,000 to both the guest and the host, and that guests may have to repay the City for the cost of a police response.
• Unused whole-home licenses. Tier 3 and Tier 4 hosts must use the license at least 90 days a year and file quarterly reports. The City says hosts who do not are at risk of having the license revoked.

For other problems you can report to the City, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.