Airbnb in Nice: back to 120 days, and the 2026 quotas

Since 1 September 2026, a main home in Nice can once again be let for 120 days a year, instead of 90. A new change-of-use regulation took effect the same day: five-year temporary authorisations, and at most 691 authorisations across the four quota districts, to be filed by 31 December 2026. The filing freeze imposed at the start of the year is therefore over.

News article, updated 13 October 2026. For the underlying rules — registration, main home, change of use, co-ownership, penalties — see our guide to Airbnb rules in Nice in 2026.

What changed on 1 September 2026

• Main home: 120 days a year instead of 90, by city council decision of 19 June 2026.
• Second home: a five-year temporary authorisation instead of three, non-renewable, and only one per owner.
• Quotas recalculated in the four districts: 691 authorisations for 2026, i.e. 0.9 % of all homes in those districts.
• Energy rating required for every change-of-use application: a DPE between A and E.
• Lighter paperwork: fewer supporting documents, and renewals of earlier authorisations no longer annual.

The return to 120 days, in practice

The national cap on letting a main home is 120 days; the November 2024 law lets municipalities lower it to 90. Nice did so by council decision on 23 May 2025. On 19 June 2026 the city council voted to return to 120 days, applied from 1 September 2026.

Three points to remember:

• The cap is still annual. It is assessed over the calendar year: for 2026, nights let since January count towards the total.
• It only covers a genuine main home, lived in at least eight months a year. A second home has no day cap: it needs an authorisation.
• It does not replace registration. The registration number is still required on every listing.

For an owner letting their main home, that is thirty more nights a year — the equivalent of an extra summer month, ideally placed on the most expensive weeks.

The four quota districts and their 2026 figures

• Zone 1 — Vieux-Nice: 47 authorisations. Saleya-Château, Sainte-Réparate, Visitation. Our Airbnb management in Vieux-Nice follows this district closely.
• Zone 2 — Riquier, Port, Mont-Boron: 204 authorisations. Including Garibaldi, the Port, Cassini, Bonaparte, République, Riquier and Mont-Boron — the area of our Airbnb management at the Port.
• Zone 3 — City centre: 324 authorisations. Including Jean-Médecin, Notre-Dame, the Musiciens, Thiers, Victor-Hugo, France-Negresco and the Paillon — around our Airbnb management in Jean-Médecin.
• Zone 4 — West: 116 authorisations. Carlone, Lenval, Magnan, Baumettes, La Californie, Carras.

These are the names of the statistical blocks used by the regulation, not neighbourhoods as people name them. Only the official street list annexed to the regulation is authoritative for a given address. Outside these four districts, change-of-use applications can be filed all year round, with no quota.

Filing before 31 December 2026

The filing window in quota districts runs from 1 September to 31 December 2026. The rules are strict:

• Online filing only, through the Métropole's online service, which time-stamps every application.
• First come, first served: complete files are processed in order of arrival. An incomplete file is rejected, not completed.
• One file per owner per window, across all districts.
• No waiting list: a refused application must be filed again at the next opening.
• Four months to decide; silence at the end of that period counts as refusal.

Not counted against the quotas: renewals of earlier authorisations, mixed student and tourist letting, and permanent changes of use with compensation.

The litigation: why filing was frozen

The regulation adopted on 5 December 2025 provided for 671 authorisations a year in these four districts. On 29 January 2026 the interim relief judge of the Nice administrative court suspended part of it: the quota calculation counted only main homes. Filing in quota districts was then frozen until 31 August 2026.

The new regulation, adopted by the Métropole on 22 June 2026, widens the calculation base to all homes: that is where the figure of 691 comes from. The district figures published earlier in the year (38, 277, 298 and 108) no longer apply.

And in 2027?

The current framework is explicitly transitional. The regulation provides for the quotas to be recalculated by the end of 2026, for a new regulation in early 2027; the city has asked the Métropole to prepare it for 1 January 2027. Volumes, districts and filing dates may therefore still move.

On the national side, registration of tourist rentals is due to move to a single national online service, with a new registration number format; it has been announced for the fourth quarter of 2026. Until then, registration follows the local procedure.

What to do now

1. Check the exact district of your address on the official street list, not from the neighbourhood name.
2. Confirm the status of the property: a main home needs no authorisation up to 120 days a year.
3. Read your co-ownership rules: a residential-use clause would make the process pointless.
4. Get a new energy rating if the label is not between A and E, or if the certificate has expired.
5. File a complete application before 31 December if your property is in a quota district: order of arrival matters.

Frequently asked questions

Since when can you let 120 days a year in Nice?

Since 1 September 2026, for a main home. The city council voted the increase from 90 to 120 days on 19 June 2026.

How many authorisations are there in quota districts for 2026?

691 in total: 47 in Vieux-Nice, 204 for Riquier, Port and Mont-Boron, 324 in the city centre and 116 in the West.

Until when can you apply in a quota district?

Until 31 December 2026, online, in order of arrival and within the quotas. Outside quota districts, applications can be filed all year round.

Does my three-year authorisation from 2026 become five years?

A three-year authorisation filed between 1 January and 31 August 2026 can be renewed for two more years, without exceeding five years in total. The request must be made in the two months before it expires.

Reviewing your property

At Yellow we follow this case for the owners we work with in Nice, district by district. If you are not sure which district your address falls into, or what your property actually allows before 31 December, get in touch and we will look at it together.

Sources: Nice city council decision no. 5.2 of 19 June 2026; change-of-use regulation adopted by Métropole council decision no. 2.1 of 22 June 2026; order of the interim relief judge of the Nice administrative court, 29 January 2026; Métropole Nice Côte d'Azur pages on furnished tourist rentals; Direction générale des entreprises, "L'API meublés" page; consulted on 13 October 2026.