Coachella Valley · Projection
Five cities, five rulebooks.
Two homes ten minutes apart can face completely different answers. One city has stopped issuing new permits, another sets a 29-night minimum, a third charges $1,633 a year for the permit. A Coachella Valley projection starts with the city line.
City by city
What each city decides before the math starts.
Read across your city's row. Whatever it says comes before any rate, occupancy or cost assumption.
| City | Can a new rental get a permit? | Stay length and tax | What it means for a projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Quinta | New General and Primary permits are permanently banned (Code 3.25.055), except in a few exempt areas. Homeshare (owner lives on site) and Council-approved lots of 25,000 sq ft or more are exempt. | Set by permit type. | Confirm the exempt-area status first. If the home does not qualify, a short-term projection is not the right starting point. |
| Indian Wells | Yes, with a new license and permit. | 29-night minimum all year, except a 7-night minimum from one week before the tennis tournament to three days after. TOT 12.25%, filed quarterly. | Model monthly and seasonal stays, plus the tournament window. If your HOA has opted out of the minimum stay, the license and tax still apply. |
| Palm Desert | Whole-home rentals only in the RE, R-3, DEO, DE and D zones, and in HPR and PR communities with a functioning HOA - not R-1 or R-2. HPR issues no new whole-home permits, and existing ones must stop by December 31, 2026. An HOA approval letter is renewed every year. | Short-term means 27 consecutive nights or less. 11% TOT plus a 1% tourism district assessment, 12% total. | Check the zone before anything else. In HPR, whole-home rentals end after December 31, 2026. Price at no more than two overnight guests per bedroom, the City's limit. |
| Indio | Yes. Business license and permit are one document since June 2017. | Permit $1,633 a year since February 2022, plus the business license fee and TOT registration. | Festival weeks need no separate permit, so they are priced inside the same permit and the same house rules. |
| Coachella | Yes, with an active City permit before you advertise. An application is not a permit, and permits do not transfer on sale. | The City's page states both 13% and 14% TOT. Ask the City in writing. | Use the rate the City confirms in writing, and budget for TOT and tourism district reporting every period, booked or not. |
Outside the five cities
Bermuda Dunes, Rancho Mirage and beyond.
Unincorporated areas such as Bermuda Dunes follow Riverside County's short-term rental program, which bans event use without the right permit. Its updated ordinance took effect in September 2026: three notices bring a six-month suspension, five bring revocation, and citations run $1,500, $3,000 and $5,000. Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City each have their own rules. Confirm the jurisdiction from the parcel before anything is modelled.
Casago's Coachella Valley team manages about 160 homes across La Quinta, Palm Desert, Indio, Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, Indian Wells and Bermuda Dunes. Your projection is built for your address, with every assumption labeled so you can change it.
Sources, checked October 27, 2026
- City of La Quinta, Short-Term Vacation Rentals
- City of Indian Wells, Short Term Residential Rentals
- City of Palm Desert, Short-Term Rentals
- Palm Desert Municipal Code, Chapter 5.10 Short-Term Rentals
- Riverside County Ordinance No. 927.3
- City of Indio, Short Term Rentals
- City of Coachella, Short Term Rentals
- County of Riverside, Short-Term Rentals
Educational, not legal or tax advice. Confirm the rules for your address with your city or the County.
Coachella Valley projection questions
Can I still get a new short-term rental permit in La Quinta?
Only in a few exempt areas, or under a Homeshare permit where you live on site, or with a Council-approved large-lot exemption for a parcel of 25,000 square feet or more. Ask the City to confirm your address.
Why does an Indian Wells projection look so different?
New licenses carry a 29-night minimum for most of the year, so the projection is built on monthly and seasonal stays, with a shorter 7-night window around the tennis tournament.
Is there a festival permit in Indio?
No separate one. Festival weeks run under the same annual permit, so occupancy and house rules apply as usual.
Coachella Valley
Start with your city line.
Tell us your address and your local Coachella Valley team will confirm the rules that apply and come back with a property-specific evaluation. Prefer to talk? Call (442) 282-6667.
Acme House Company is a DBA of Acme CA, Inc., operating as Casago Coachella Valley. California DRE #02420145. Michael E. Flannery, Designated Broker.