Running vacation rentals in Big Bear Lake, where the city tests the people who answer the phone
If you manage or clean vacation rentals in Big Bear Lake, each home in the city's ZIP code, 92315, needs a city license that is renewed every year and is only issued after an inspection. The check-in agents, the 24/7 responders and the management company staff all pass a 25-question city exam every year, and they need a perfect score. The city collects 13% of gross rent each month: a 10% transient occupancy tax and a 3% tourism assessment. Upbridge's AI operations assistant, Cleo, works over WhatsApp with vacation rental operators and cleaning companies and organizes the cleanings and the inventory for each place.
The rules here
The city runs its program under Vacation Rental Ordinance 2023-518. We read the city's pages and documents on October 24, 2026.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| License | Homes in ZIP 92315 apply online with proof of ownership, the papers of any trust or LLC behind it, and proof of liability insurance. The license runs one year from the first payment, the holder has 60 days to renew, and the city sends a notice 60 days before it expires. Homes outside that ZIP register with San Bernardino County. | In force | Ordinance 2023-518 | City of Big Bear Lake |
| Fee | The program page asks for a registration fee of $635 at the end of the application. The master fee schedule effective October 12, 2025 lists $605 per year per property, $72 to transfer a vacation rental and $200 for home sharing. | In force | October 12, 2025 | City of Big Bear Lake, fee schedule |
| Inspection and exam | After the application comes an inspection, and registration and inspection can take four to six weeks, during which the home may not be rented. Check-in agents, 24/7 responders, management staff and most owners are certified every year by a 25-question exam that has to be passed with 100%. | In force | Exam based on the ordinance of August 16, 2021 | City of Big Bear Lake |
| Posting | The license is printed and posted in the rental, and it has to stay current whenever the home is advertised or rented short term. | In force | Ordinance 2023-518 | City of Big Bear Lake |
| Tax | Transient occupancy tax applies to stays under 28 days and rose from 8% to 9% on January 1, 2024 and to 10% on January 1, 2025, after voters approved Measure P in November 2022. Vacation rentals also pay a 3% tourism business improvement assessment. A report is due every month, even with zero income, by the last day of the following month. | In force | January 1, 2025 | City of Big Bear Lake, impartial analysis |
The city adopted Ordinance 2026-528 on May 13, 2026, amending its transient occupancy tax chapter, and its page does not say what changed. This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.
How it works on the ground
The exam is the rule that touches staff. Anyone who checks guests in or answers the 24/7 line has to be certified, so a new hire in December cannot take the night phone until they have passed it with a perfect score. New staff are best hired and certified before the ski season starts.
KTLA reported on December 2, 2025 that the 2025-26 ski season opened that Thursday at Bear Mountain and the next day at Snow Summit, after snowmaking crews ran around the clock. A home still waiting on its inspection in late November cannot take opening-week bookings.
Airbnb and the tourism assessment have not always matched up. The city's TOT page keeps separate instructions for Airbnb hosts on the assessment, so check what each platform remits before filing the monthly report.
Where Upbridge fits
A mountain cabin after a snowy weekend needs the entry mats, the boot area and the hot tub checked as carefully as the bedrooms. Upbridge turns each checkout from Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify, Uplisting or an iCal link into a cleaning task with a room-by-room photo checklist, and the posted license can be one of the photos.
Inventory per property subtracts what each group used, from firewood to dish soap, so the cabin is stocked for the next arrival. Guests get the guest guide on their phone with the route up the mountain, where to park in snow and the door code.
If you run a cleaning company in Big Bear Lake
Winter weekends bring Sunday checkouts across the valley at once. The cleaning company account lists each manager's cabins on one calendar by date, so Sunday's crews are set by Friday, and the managers stay your clients.
Questions about vacation rentals in Big Bear Lake
Do I need a license for a vacation rental in Big Bear Lake?
Yes, if the home is in the City of Big Bear Lake, ZIP 92315. The license follows an online application and an inspection, and it is renewed every year. Homes outside that ZIP register with San Bernardino County.
What tax does a Big Bear Lake vacation rental collect?
13% of gross receipts: a 10% transient occupancy tax since January 1, 2025 and a 3% tourism business improvement assessment, reported to the city every month.
Who has to take the Big Bear Lake vacation rental exam?
Check-in agents, 24/7 responders and management company staff, plus owners who rent the home themselves. It is a 25-question exam taken every year, and only a perfect score passes.
More questions
How long does it take to get a Big Bear Lake vacation rental license?
The city says registration and inspection can take four to six weeks, and the home cannot be rented during that time.
Sources
Checked on October 24, 2026
- City of Big Bear Lake, “Vacation Rental Program”, undated, read October 24, 2026.
- City of Big Bear Lake, “Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) & BBLTBID”, undated, read October 24, 2026.
- City of Big Bear Lake, master fee schedule, year 1, effective October 12, 2025.
- City Attorney's impartial analysis of the transient occupancy tax measure, San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, August 5, 2022.
- KTLA, “Big Bear winter ski season to open this week”, December 2, 2025.