Rental Rules by City / California / Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree short-term rental rules & tax calculator

San Bernardino County, California · Verified against official sources Oct 24, 2026

📋 The Basics

Can I rent my place short-term here?: Yes, with a permit
Do I need a permit?: Yes. You need a yearly San Bernardino County STR permit.
What taxes do I pay?: Total about 7%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

Your 3 steps to be legal

Confirm the home is a legal dwelling (no RVs, tents or yurts).
Apply for the county permit online (about $1,144 new).
Register for the 7% county TOT if your platform does not collect it.

⚠️ Biggest risk: Operating without a permit: $1,000 a day.

Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.

Tax calculator

Nightly rate ($) Nights Cleaning fee ($)

Rates used: San Bernardino County TOT (unincorporated) 7% = 7%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. 7% uniform TOT (County Code 14.0203); the 2024 increase measure failed. Filed quarterly with the Treasurer-Tax Collector.

What Airbnb collects: Confirm in payouts whether Airbnb remits the 7% county TOT; otherwise register with the Treasurer-Tax Collector.

This is the general rule for Joshua Tree. Does your address qualify?

The free info covers the city as a whole. Your property can still be different: zoning can change from one street to the next, and an HOA or condo ban can stop rentals even where the city allows them. The penalties Joshua Tree lists are on the Joshua Tree page.

Your $49 Compliance Check looks at your exact property:

Whether your exact address and zone allow short-term rentals
A check of HOA / condo rental restrictions to look for
Which permits and tax accounts you personally need
What you're missing right now
A personal report with clear next steps and official sources, by email
A refund if we report a rule in error (refund policy)

🔎 How we check: official city, county and state sources, a last-verified date on every page, and nothing guessed. Learn more

Check my address: $49

🔔 Stay notified: $4.99/month

Rules don't change every week, but they do change, and nobody emails you when they do. We'll alert you when city rules, tourist taxes, HOA-related laws, or Airbnb/Vrbo policies change in Joshua Tree. Cancel anytime.

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Need guest waivers and booking tools too? Click here for more info

Why use this instead of a web search?

Instead of scattered, sometimes outdated pages, you get the city, county and state rules on one page, with official sources linked, a last-checked date, and unconfirmed items marked "verify" instead of guessed. How we verify →

Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)

Rules

Permit	Joshua Tree is unincorporated: a county STR permit is required to advertise or rent for 30 days or less.
Limits	One permit per parcel under 2 acres (two on 2+ acres); no RVs, tents or yurts; apartments not eligible.
Fees	New application $1,144 (effective July 1, 2026); renewal with no changes $550; renew yearly.
Penalties	$1,000 per day for operating without a permit; citations $1,000 / $2,000 / $5,000.
Neighbors	Surrounding owners are notified and may appeal an approval within 30 days.

Items marked "Verify with the city" could not be confirmed from an official source; call the office listed before relying on them.

Sources

Free tools

Free "Is my rental legal?" checklist · Free tourist tax calculator

Rules can change

Joshua Tree's rules, its tax rates and platform policies can change through a council vote, a new state law or a court ruling, often with little notice to hosts. We re-check this page monthly; subscribers get notified. Stay Compliant for $4.99/mo.

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Get a personalized STR Compliance Check ($49) for your exact address in any US city: the permits, registrations and tax accounts you need, with official sources, delivered by email in 48 business hours. Not legal advice.

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Rules, tax rates and Airbnb/Vrbo policies can change without warning, and hosts who miss a change can be fined. Get alerts when your city, county or state changes, deadline reminders, a pending-bill watch list and a monthly host brief (even in quiet months: "we checked on [date]; no changes"). Compare plans.

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Not legal or tax advice. Last verified Oct 24, 2026. Rules and rates change: confirm with the official sources linked before you rent or file.