Short-term rentals in Nice is more regulated today than in any other city in France, apart from Paris. For 2026, the metropolis will only issue 691 authorizations, and applications can be submitted until December 31st. Here is what a property owner in Nice needs to know before listing their accommodation online, and the order in which to go about it.
Key takeaways
- Only 691 authorizations for 2026, distributed across four sectors: Old Nice, Riquier-Port-Mont-Boron, City Center, and West.
- The deposit is made online only, from September 1 to December 31, 2026, and applications are processed in the order in which they are received.
- Your primary residence is exempt from authorization as long as you do not exceed 120 days per year rental.
- Beyond that, a change of use authorization is required, often accompanied by a compensation.
- Subletting without authorization exposes one to a civil fine of up to 50,000 € per housing unit.
Short-term rentals in Nice: what the change of use requires
A change of use is the act of transforming residential premises into something else. An office, a business, or a furnished tourist rental. In the eyes of the law, renting out your apartment by the night all year round is no longer habitation: it is an activity, and it removes a housing unit from the residential stock.
This is exactly what Nice is seeking to limit. The city is among those with the tightest housing pressure in the country, and the municipality has chosen to make it a political issue. Hence regulations that go further than the national average.
Two situations to distinguish, because everything stems from this. If the accommodation is your primary residence, the one you live in for at least eight months a year, you do not need authorization as long as you stay under the 120-day rental limit. If it is a secondary residence or an investment property, authorization is mandatory from the very first night.
691 authorizations for 2026, and a window closing on December 31
This is the most urgent point of this article. For the year 2026, the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis has set a cap of 691 first authorizations, distributed across four sectors: Vieux-Nice, Riquier-Port-Mont-Boron, the City Center, and the West.
Applications are submitted exclusively online, on the metropolis online service, and only between September 1 and December 31, 2026. They are processed in chronological order of receipt until the sector's quota is reached. In other words: first come, first served, and once the quota is exhausted, you have to wait until the following year.
If you plan to rent out your property in Nice in 2027, the application must be submitted now, not next spring. An incomplete application submitted at the end of December has every chance of being processed after a complete application submitted in October.
The 120 Days of the Principal Residence
If you rent out your own home during your absences, you remain within a simple framework. No authorization for change of use is required as long as the cumulative rental period does not exceed 120 days a year.
This limit is not indicative. Platforms transmit the breakdown of nights to the municipalities, and Nice is one of the cities that actually uses this data. Once the threshold is exceeded, the rental must stop for the calendar year, or switch to the authorization regime.
Be careful not to confuse this with the declaration at the town hall, which remains mandatory in all cases and provides the registration number to be displayed on the listing. We detail this procedure in our article on how to declare a seasonal rental.
Compensation, the sticking point for most cases
Getting a permit is not always enough. Depending on your situation, the city may require a compensation : convert another non-residential space in Nice, such as an office or a business, into residential housing. Failing that, you must buy offset certificates from a third party who has carried out this conversion.
This is the most burdensome provision of the scheme, and the one that in practice discourages most purely rental projects. The premises used for compensation must meet specific conditions, particularly regarding their past use.
Our advice above all else: check the exact sector of your accommodation and your situation regarding compensation before to incur furnishing or photography costs. This is the meaning of’free estimate what we are doing for Nice property owners, where the regulatory aspect is handled first.
What you risk if you rent without authorization
The planned penalties are out of all proportion to a season's revenue:
- a Civil fine of up to €50,000 by irregularly transformed locality; ;
- in the event of false declaration, up to one year in prison and a fine of 80,000 € ;
- a penalties of up to €1,000 per day until the premises are returned to the owner.
To this is added a more discreet but frequent risk: an ad without a valid registration number may be removed by the platform, overnight, in the middle of the season.
What we do for the properties we manage in Nice
We follow the regulatory calendar for the metropolitan area for owners who entrust us with their property. Specifically: inspection of the area and the condition of the property, preparation of the change of use application, submission within the appropriate window, and follow-up until a decision is reached. Then, filing the declaration with the town hall, registration number, and its display on each platform in accordance with regulations.
The rest follows: announcement, price, travelers, cleaning and laundry. See our page Airbnb concierge in Nice for the detail by commune, and our complete management as far as the covered expenses are concerned.
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Complete management
Listing, price, travelers, housekeeping, linen and regulatory compliance. You take care of the details; we take care of the rest. Starting at 20 % HT of revenue.
Frequently asked questions
How many permits will Nice issue in 2026?
A maximum of 691 first authorisations, divided between four sectors: Vieux-Nice, Riquier-Port-Mont-Boron, the City Centre and the West. The applications are processed in the order of arrival until the quota for the relevant sector is exhausted.
Until when can I submit my application?
From September 1st to December 31st 2026, online only, on the Nice Côte d’Azur Métropole’s online service. Outside this window, filing is not possible for areas subject to a quota.
Do I need a permit to rent my main residence?
No, as long as the cumulative rental period does not exceed 120 days per year. The declaration at the town hall and the registration number remain mandatory in all cases.
What is compensation?
The obligation to convert elsewhere in Nice a premises that was not a residence, office, or commercial space into a residential dwelling, or to purchase compensation securities from a third party. This is the most stringent requirement of the Nice scheme.
What are the risks of renting without permission?
A civil fine of up to €50,000 per dwelling, a penalty of up to €1,000 per day for restoration work, and up to one year in prison with an additional fine of €80,000 in the event of false declaration.
Sources and updates
Article verified on September 26, 2026, from the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolis, Official page of tourist furnished accommodation. Applications are submitted online at changementdusage.fr/nice. The quotas and conditions are revised every year: please check the official page before taking any action.
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