Nice Airbnb Quota 2026: 691 Authorizations, Four Zones, and What It Means If You Own or Plan to Buy

TL;DR

Since 1 September 2026, Nice limits new short term rental authorizations for second homes to 691 across four central zones. Files are processed in order of arrival and incomplete files are rejected with no second chance. An authorization lasts 5 years, cannot be renewed, belongs to the owner and does not pass to a buyer. The official notice sets the 2026 filing deadline at 21 December. If you are buying in central Nice to rent to tourists, this regulation now matters more than the price per square meter.

What changed on 1 September 2026

Nice first adopted a quota system in December 2025. The administrative court of Nice suspended it on 29 January 2026. The Métropole voted a new regulation on 22 June 2026, and that text has applied since 1 September 2026.

The principle is simple. Renting a second home to tourists in Nice requires a changement d'usage authorization from the first night. In four zones, the number of new authorizations is now capped. The cap for 2026 is 0.9% of housing units in those zones, which gives 691 authorizations.

Your primary residence is a different case. You can rent it for up to 120 days per year without this authorization. Registration and tourist tax still apply.

The four quota zones

The boundaries run street by street and sometimes by building number. Rue de France, for example, sits in zone 3 up to number 117 and in zone 4 after that. Annex 3 of the regulation lists every street. Check the exact address before you assume anything.

Areas north of the railway line, such as Libération, Borriglione and Cimiez, are outside the quota zones. Authorization is still required there. Files can be submitted all year, the review takes up to 4 months, and no answer after 4 months means refusal.

How the application works

Six rules decide who gets one of the 691 places.

• Order of arrival. Files are time stamped by the online platform at changementdusage.fr/nice. No other filing method is accepted in quota zones.
• Complete or rejected. A missing or unreadable document means rejection. The regulation allows no completion afterwards and keeps no waiting list.
• One file per owner. One apartment, one zone, one application per filing period. A second file is rejected.
• One authorization per tax household. The owner declares that nobody in the same foyer fiscal already holds one.
• You must hold title. The full title deed in your name is a required document. A signed compromis is not enough.
• DPE between A and E. The energy certificate must be valid and issued after 30 June 2021. From 2034 the minimum becomes D.

In a copropriété, you also declare on your honor that the building rules allow the activity. The city grants the authorization subject to the rights of third parties, so a restrictive règlement de copropriété can still block you.

The deadline. 21 or 31 December?

The regulation states that the filing period runs from 1 September to 31 December 2026. The official public notice dated 15 August 2026 states 21 December 2026. Treat 21 December as the deadline.

The calendar date is not the real constraint. Files are served in order of arrival, so a zone closes on the day its quota fills. Vieux Nice has 47 places. Waiting until December is a strategy only if you are comfortable losing.

Five years, then the rules change again

This is the point most owners miss. The authorization is:

• Valid for 5 years
• Not renewable
• Personal to the owner and not attached to the apartment
• Not transferable to another property or another person

After 5 years, the only ways to continue are compensation or the mixed rental scheme. Compensation means converting commercial space elsewhere in Nice into housing of at least the same surface. For a single apartment owner, that is rarely realistic.

The mixed rental scheme is more accessible. You rent to a student who receives CAF housing aid for 5 to 6 months at a capped rent, then rent to tourists for three summer months. It sits outside the quota and is open to owners of several apartments and to companies.

What this means if you are buying

An "Airbnb ready" listing transfers nothing. The seller's authorization ends with the seller. You start from zero, in the queue, under the rules in force on the day you file.

Timing of the deed matters. You can only apply once you hold title. A purchase that completes in January 2027 falls under the next filing period. The Métropole has announced a recalculated quota and a new regulation for January 2027, so next year's numbers are not yet known.

Underwrite on 5 years, not forever. A short term rental business plan in a quota zone now has a fixed horizon. Run the numbers a second time with long term or mid term rent from year 6. If the purchase only works with tourist income, the price is too high.

Company structure changes the answer. Companies whose main business is renting property must compensate from the first apartment. A family SCI is generally treated like an individual owner, but confirm your case in writing with the city's Mission Protection des Logements.

The DPE is now a rental permit question. An F or G rating closes the door on authorization. Read our rental yield guide alongside the energy report, not after it.

If you already hold an authorization

Older authorizations follow transition rules.

A renewal filed more than 2 months before expiry is rejected. Put the date in your calendar. Renewals do not count against the quota.

The cost of ignoring it

Renting without authorization exposes the owner to a civil fine of up to €100,000 per apartment. A court can also order a return to residential use, with a penalty of up to €1,000 per day and per square meter. Sworn city agents carry out inspections.

Conclusion

The quota does not end short term rental in Nice. It turns it into a time limited right that goes to prepared owners. The winners are those who file early, file complete, and already know what the apartment will do in year 6.

Velmira Living prepares and files authorization requests for owners, and manages the rental afterwards. If you want a quick check of your address, your DPE and your building rules, start with our owner page or the full guide on renting legally to tourists in Nice.

Sources: Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur, regulation of 22 June 2026 · Public notice of 15 August 2026 · Administrative court of Nice, order of 29 January 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice.