AB 1953 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Short-term rentals: emergencies and special events.

Summary

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes the Office of Emergency Services and vests the office with responsibility for the state's emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or man-made disasters and emergencies, as specified. Existing law establishes the Office of Tourism within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, and requires the office to establish the California Travel and Tourism Commission for the purpose of increasing the number of persons traveling to and within California. This bill would require both the Office of Emergency Services and the Office of Tourism to establish a public registration system. The bill would require the offices to adopt regulations to administer their respective public registration systems. The bill would provide that registration authorizes the registered party to immediately commence offering an eligible residential dwelling, as defined, as a short-term rental during a declared state of emergency or a special event period, as applicable. The bill would require the Office of Tourism to define specific special event periods, as provided, and to post that information online at least 180 days prior to the event. This bill would prohibit a city, county, city and county, or any other political subdivision of the state from maintaining, enforcing, prescribing, or continuing in effect any law, rule, regulation, requirement, standard, or other provision that prohibits an individual or entity that controls an eligible residential dwelling that has been registered from offering that dwelling as a short-term rental during a declared state of emergency or a special event, as applicable. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 13, 2026 Last action Apr 6, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

02/13/26 - Introduced → 03/19/26 - Amended Assembly · 8 edits · Mar 19, 2026

MODERATE

AB 1953 was dramatically expanded from a purely technical fix to a substantive preemption bill. The amendment adds two entirely new statutory articles requiring state-level registration systems that override local short-term rental restrictions during declared states of emergency and designated special event periods. This effectively preempts local short-term rental caps and bans in those circumstances, with a statewide concern finding ensuring the provisions bind charter cities.

Scope change

The bill expanded from a narrow technical correction to Section 50991 (definitions for the Short-Term Rental Facilitator Act) into a broad preemption measure that creates state-level registration systems overriding local short-term rental restrictions during emergencies and special events, with explicit application to charter cities.

SCOPE

Added Article 9.3 (Sections 8606-8606.3) to the Government Code requiring the Office of Emergency Services to establish a public registration system that authorizes registered parties to immediately offer eligible residential dwellings as short-term rentals during a declared state of emergency, notwithstanding any local law.

Added Chapter 2 (Sections 13996-13996.3) to the Government Code requiring the Office of Tourism to establish a public registration system that authorizes registered parties to offer eligible residential dwellings as short-term rentals during special event periods (7 days before to 5 days after events including the Olympic Games and any other event the office designates).

Added a legislative finding that the prohibition on short-term rental caps is a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair, making the new provisions applicable to all cities including charter cities under Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution.

DEFINITION

Defined 'eligible residential dwelling' as any residential dwelling in the state, excluding income-restricted affordable housing, dwellings withdrawn from rent or lease under Chapter 12.75, and non-standard spaces such as retail/restaurant/banquet space, event centers, shipping containers, outdoor areas including tipis and treehouses, vans/RVs, unpermitted sleeping quarters, and boats.

ENFORCEMENT

Added preemption provisions prohibiting any city, county, or political subdivision from maintaining, enforcing, or prescribing laws that prohibit registered parties from offering eligible dwellings as short-term rentals during emergencies or special events. Carve-out preserves generally applicable laws including taxes, noise, and nuisance regulations.

REQUIREMENT

Required the Office of Tourism to define specific special event periods and post them online at least 180 days prior to the commencement of the event period.

FISCAL

Fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amendment introduces fiscal implications that require fiscal committee review.

TECHNICAL

The original bill's sole substantive change (removing the word 'All' from the opening of Section 50991 definitions) is retained but is now a minor component of a much larger bill.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 6, 2026

Lower · Passed

In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on A.,E.,S., & T.

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on A.,E.,S., & T. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to Coms. on A.,E.,S., & T. and E.M.

lower

Feb 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 16.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors