Palm Springs and Joshua Tree are about an hour apart but run under completely different rulebooks. Palm Springs is a city with one of the most detailed vacation rental ordinances in California, including annual caps on how many bookings you can take. Joshua Tree is unincorporated San Bernardino County, where the county issues permits. Both share desert conditions that matter for cleaners: dust, hard water, pools and extreme summer heat.
In Palm Springs, as of 2026, every vacation rental needs a city registration and must follow Chapter 5.25 of the municipal code. The city limits the number of rental contracts per year. Homes permitted under the 2022 ordinance are capped at 26 contracts a year, while older legacy permits keep a 36-contract allowance after the City Council voted in late 2025 not to reduce it. The ordinance also caps the share of homes in each neighborhood that can hold a permit, so new permits may not be available where you want to buy. The city's transient occupancy tax is 11.5%, and its code requires short-term rental platforms to report activity and support tax collection.
In Joshua Tree and the rest of the unincorporated mountain and desert areas, San Bernardino County requires an annual short-term rental permit for stays of 30 days or less, a code enforcement inspection that checks parking and safety, a 24-hour contact number for complaints and a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate. County voters rejected a 2024 measure to raise the TOT, so it remains 7% as of 2026. The county runs a 24/7 complaint line, so neighbors can and do report problems.
We did not find a published local price survey, so compare written quotes. Pool and spa homes are the norm in Palm Springs, and many Joshua Tree rentals have hot tubs, cowboy tubs or fire pits. Fine desert dust coats patios and windowsills after any wind, and hard water leaves spots on glass and fixtures. In Joshua Tree, long drives between remote properties add travel time, which some cleaners price in.
Palm Springs peaks from roughly January through April, with Modernism Week in February and the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals in nearby Indio in April. Summer is slow because of extreme heat. Joshua Tree is busiest in spring and fall when the national park is most comfortable, with holiday weekends also strong. Book cleaners for festival weekends early, and plan deep cleans and repairs for summer.
As of 2026, newer permits are capped at 26 contracts per year and legacy permits at 36. Verify your permit's cap with the city.
Unincorporated San Bernardino County charges a 7% transient occupancy tax, since voters rejected an increase in 2024.
Yes. San Bernardino County requires an annual short-term rental permit and inspection for rentals of 30 days or less.
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