City STR regulations or lack there of…..

[Shaival Patel]

I am located in Cypress, CA (north OC area). I have been exploring different markets for my first STR. Initial preference…. stay close to Orange County area/self manage. But each city in OC has different restrictions. Most baffling of issues is some cities have no STR mention in their codes but they claim that omission of STR is implied prohibitive in the city. Other cities require owner on premise to host, others have limited permits which are waitlisted. As you see, its all over the spectrum.
So is there legal way to get around STR restrictions on SFR? I have come across listings in all the cities where STR is restricted, and/or prohibited. What does that legal framework look like? And how risky it is to pursue one of these locals knowing city's take on STRs?