Short-term rentals
Oxnard requires every lodging business, private home vacation rentals included, to hold a city business license and collect transient occupancy tax, whether the owner, a local manager or a listing site books the guests.
For investors: Guest use in Oxnard runs through the Planning Division for the short-term rental permit and through Billing and Licensing for the license and tax account. Line up all three before the first booking, because each annual renewal asks for proof of tax and license compliance.
Source: City of Oxnard, Coastal Short Term Rental (STR) Regulations, Oct 2026
Oxnard caps vacation rental permits at 5% of homes per General Plan neighborhood and 10% in the R-BF beachfront zone, keeps them 200 feet apart (100 in R-BF), and waitlists applicants once a cap fills.
For investors: A coastal Oxnard purchase priced on vacation income needs proof that the address can still get a permit, since a filled cap means joining the waiting list. Measure distances to nearby permitted rentals before writing an offer.
Source: California Coastal Commission staff report, LCP-4-OXN-20-0008-1 (Short Term Rentals), Suggested Modifications 1 and 2, Jun 2020
Oxnard's grandfathering, which let rentals exceed caps and spacing rules, covered only owners paying occupancy tax since January 1, 2019 who applied by March 11, 2021; later applicants meet every cap and spacing rule.
For investors: Grandfathered eligibility belonged to the owners who met those 2019 to 2021 conditions, and a revoked permit falls back under the cap. Do not assume a seller's grandfathered Oxnard rental will keep operating for a buyer; get the city's answer before closing.
Source: City of Oxnard, Coastal Short Term Rental (STR) Regulations, Oct 2026
Oxnard's FY 2026-27 master fee schedule keeps short-term rental fees at $280 for pre-qualification, $1,315 for permit issuance, $283 for the business license and $810 for each annual renewal.
For investors: The three listed fees total $1,878 before the $810 renewal, and the city's regulations add $20 per bedroom above three to the license plus a fee for the required 300-foot owner mailing list. Weigh those costs and the required liability policy against a long-term lease.
Source: City of Oxnard Resolution No. 16,070, Master Fee Schedule FY 2026/2027, Jun 2026
Oxnard's renewal certification bars any LLC, partnership or corporation from owning even part of the property, caps unrelated owners at six, and requires $1,000,000 per occurrence liability coverage.
For investors: Many investors vest rentals in an LLC, and that alone rules an Oxnard property out of a short-term permit. Decide at purchase whether guest income or entity vesting matters more, because the permit also expires at any sale or transfer.
Source: City of Oxnard, Short Term Rental Permit Renewal Certifications, Oct 2026
Oxnard permit holders certify a limit of 100 rental days per permit year, one group at a time, two guests per bedroom plus two up to 10, and three-night minimums in R-BF.
For investors: A 100-day ceiling caps Oxnard vacation income at roughly a summer season plus some weekends, never year-round occupancy. Furnished stays of 30 days or longer sit outside the short-term rules and can fill the months the permit leaves open.
Source: City of Oxnard, Short Term Rental Permit Renewal Certifications, Oct 2026
The Coastal Commission's record of Oxnard's certified rules lists ADUs, affordable and farmworker units, mobile homes, and homes in the Colony at Mandalay Beach and Harbour Island as ineligible for vacation rental use.
For investors: Before paying a premium for a home in those Oxnard coastal communities, plan on long-term leasing only. An Oxnard ADU is also excluded from vacation rental use, so a back unit adds monthly rent and qualifying income rather than nightly revenue.
Source: California Coastal Commission, Commission LCP Actions on Short-Term Rentals (V3, March 27, 2026), Mar 2026
About 1,400 of Oxnard Shores' 2,051 units are in the Mandalay Shores Community Association, whose 2016 short-term rental ban fell when a 2018 appeals ruling held that the city and Coastal Commission decide.
For investors: In Oxnard Shores the city permit and its caps, not the association, decide whether guest stays can operate, so confirm permit availability with the city first. Still read the CC&Rs in the resale package for parking and conduct rules that apply to every occupant.
Source: California Coastal Commission staff report, LCP-4-OXN-20-0008-1 (Short Term Rentals), Jun 2020