I've done this a number of times for several cities. The fastest way to find local laws is google-ing some variation of
"{city-name} short term rental ordinance"
or
"{city-name} short term rental law"
or try swapping in other similar words like "regulations" or "vacation rental"... Google does a better job at feeding you the page you want. Only look at the results from the city's url. Doing this for San Diego took me to this page: https://www.sandiego.gov/treas... which has additional links for STR Occupancy Licenses, STR Occupancy Tax, and STR Business Tax.
You will need to read the legal text, which will either be a straight-forward read or you will re-need a couple times before it starts to make sense. Grab a coffee!.. Sometimes the law's text is misleading too, like in the case of Austin TX or Anaheim CA, where it looks like you will be eligible based on the text, however the city still won't issue you a permit due to permit caps or something similar. For the word-of-mouth on getting permits, I like to read through the BP forums. When in doubt, you can always call the city and try to get the right person/department on the phone.
