Which California cities require insurance for a short-term rental?

Each city or county decides whether its short-term rental permit needs insurance, and how much.

State law adds a warning, not a minimum. Business and Professions Code section 22592 makes every booking site tell hosts to "review any restrictions on coverage" in their homeowners or renters policy.

So the answer turns on where the home sits. The table below gives the rule in each place listed, from its own code or permit pages, as read on October 29, 2026 (Escondido's on October 30). If your town is not listed, read its own short-term rental permit page or application before you apply.

Every minimum in the table is a liability limit: the most the policy pays when someone says you caused an injury or damage. The amounts are $500,000 or $1,000,000.

Cities count that limit in different ways. Palm Springs and Coachella set theirs "per occurrence," meaning for each incident. San Francisco, Long Beach and Indio count "in the aggregate," the most the policy pays for all claims combined.

Desert Hot Springs, Dana Point and Twentynine Palms ask for a "combined single limit," one limit for injuries and property damage together. Coachella also wants coverage at least as broad as a standard commercial liability policy.

Booking-site coverage is where the rules split. San Francisco, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Indio, Berkeley and El Segundo let a booking site's equal or greater coverage stand in. Desert Hot Springs says "insurance provided by home-share platforms such as Airbnb does not meet this requirement."

If you plan to lean on a booking site's coverage, read what AirCover covers and leaves out first.

Usually your declarations page, the summary at the front of the policy that shows its limits and dates. Big Bear Lake asks for just that, "insurance declaration pages," with each application.

The proof must be current. Big Bear Lake, Palm Springs, Indio and Dana Point ask for it again at each yearly renewal, and Palm Springs wants proof "showing policy is current."

Palm Springs adds that the city does not need to be named on your policy as an additional insured.

Not always. San Francisco wants insurance "appropriate to cover the Short-Term Residential Rental Use." Yucca Valley wants a certificate showing coverage "for the structure as a short-term vacation rental."

A policy written for a home you live in may limit coverage once guests pay to stay, and the state's notice tells hosts to check for exactly that. What a homeowners policy says about paying guests walks through the usual wording.

Laguna Beach accepts "homeowners or rental property insurance." Palm Springs accepts "a short-term rental insurance policy or personal liability policy."

Then the permit will not ask for proof, but the risk is still yours. The state's notice tells hosts to check their coverage for "an injury or loss for which you are responsible."

Riverside County and Los Angeles County have owners or hosts sign an indemnity agreement instead. The signer agrees to cover the county's costs if a claim comes from the rental.

See the area guides for Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead, Riverside County and South Lake Tahoe.

Get these answers in writing before you file for the permit:

• Can you confirm in writing that my policy covers short-term rental use?
• What is my liability limit per occurrence, and in the aggregate?
• Does that limit meet my city's minimum, counted the way the city counts it?
• Will my declarations page show that limit, and will you send a new one at each renewal?