The Municipal Council meeting on November 14, 2025, adopted new rules to regulate tourist accommodations, presented the 2026 budget guidelines, and approved the creation of a third medical center. It was a busy session marked by structural decisions affecting housing, local finances, and access to healthcare.
The Municipal Council adopted a strengthened regulation for the change of use for tourist accommodations. The goal is to limit the increase in the number of apartments dedicated to short-term rentals. This market has grown significantly in recent years. Many housing units have been removed from the private rental market. This phenomenon increases tensions on housing access, particularly for low-income households, students, and the middle class.
The “Le Meur” law, passed in November 2024, gives municipalities new legal tools. Nice will take advantage of these tools to adapt and tighten its regulations. The mayor recalled the conclusions from the impact study conducted before this vote: “The impact study we commissioned in Nice, prior to the vote on the ‘Le Meur’ law in November 2024, highlighted the need to tighten our change of use regulation. Being the second-largest city after Paris in terms of listings (nearly 14,000 in 2022), it was imperative to implement more restrictive measures to preserve a supply of permanent housing accessible to residents and also to address the nuisances related to this type of rental (1,750 complaints received by the City between 2021 and mid-2025). Now, among other measures, quotas will be established in four of the City’s most strained areas (Vieux-Nice/Downtown/Riquier-Port-Mont-Boron/West) so that each resident of Nice can live decently. The maximum share is set at 1.5% of the total number of primary residences in these 4 sectors, amounting to a maximum of 671 that can receive a temporary change of use authorization for tourist accommodations.”
This new regulation clarifies the principles applicable to the change of use. The goals focus on social diversity, local needs, and the preservation of the housing stock. Several measures have been announced.
The main provisions are as follows:
– Introduction of quotas in four sectors identified as the most affected.
– Limitation of temporary authorizations to three years, non-renewable.
– Maintenance of a compensation obligation for certain owners and professionals.
– Development of a mixed rental system, also beneficial for students.
– Reduction to 90 days for the number of days authorized for seasonal rentals of primary residences.
– Requirement to provide a compliant Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
– Obligation for owners to produce a sworn statement regarding the co-ownership regulations.
These adjustments aim to curb the growth of tourist accommodations in the most sought-after areas and preserve permanent housing options.
Jean Moucheboeuf (Retrouver Nice) suggested leveraging additional mechanisms to increase family housing availability and secure landlords, asking: “Can residents of Nice still live, buy, and pass on property in Nice?” Among his additional proposals to those of the majority: “For developers, for example, let’s direct production towards T3, T4 rather than studios or T2, which are more profitable but unsuitable for family life. For owners, provide concrete help against unpaid rents and squatting. Otherwise, they will not return to annual rentals. We all have in mind too many examples of owners who have found their apartments vandalized after years of eviction proceedings and still had to pay loans, charges, and insurance.”
The city councilor proposed several initiatives, such as creating a municipal support unit to assist landlords in addition to the anti-squatting brigade. The first deputy, Anthony Borré, responded on this last point by mentioning that the squat unit of the municipal police has dismantled over 1,500 squats since its creation.
Budget guidelines marked by rigor and stability
The Municipal Council also presented the 2026 budget guidelines. These are set against a national backdrop marked by strong constraints. The document highlights a commitment to maintaining strict management while supporting public investment.
The city announced stable local tax rates and unchanged municipal charges with the aim of protecting the purchasing power of Nice residents. The outlook is based on several elements outlined in a report. Operating expenses are expected to remain close to 2024 levels, despite the effects of the draft 2026 finance bill, which could result in a revenue decrease of approximately 15 million euros.
The city projects gross savings of 68 million euros. Debt should continue to decrease, with an estimated reduction of 14 million euros by the end of 2026. The debt reduction ratio would thus be 7.5 years.
According to this report, investments will remain focused on several priorities: security, quality of life, social cohesion, family support, cultural facilities, and territorial attractiveness.
These budget choices rely on a balance between maintaining public services, management efforts, and continuity of ongoing projects.
In this debate, Valérie Delpech (Retrouver Nice) emphasized what she considers the “major absentees” from the municipality’s priorities: commerce. The city councilor criticized the vacancy of commercial premises, leading to a decrease in consumption. “It is high time to finally take up the challenge of defending local businesses.”
Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux criticized the debt, saying it “appears sustainable because local taxes have skyrocketed.” The candidate for the upcoming March election mentioned the creation of the metropolitan tax in 2018, the 23% increase in the garbage collection tax in 2023, and the following year’s 19% increase in municipal taxes meant for investments whose figures remain below forecasts. “The accounts are balanced on the backs of the people of Nice.”
A third medical center to strengthen healthcare access
The session also approved the establishment regulations for Nice’s third medical center. It will be located at 17 Rue d’Italie. The opening is planned for early 2026. The aim is to improve access to local care with a range of services including prevention, diagnosis, and follow-up.
The mayor emphasized this issue: “Health is our most precious asset and remains at the heart of everyone’s concerns. Medical centers meet the essential need for each person to be able to take care of their health close to home. With this third medical center, we strengthen our approach which combines local medicine, prevention, and environmental health. It is a concrete response to a major public health issue.”
Two similar structures are already operational. The first opened on Bellet Road in 2024. The second, on Rue du Professeur-Delvalle, has been operational since June 2025.
The downtown medical center will offer:
– Generalist consultations,
– Paramedical care,
– Advanced consultations in partnership with CHU, Côte d’Azur University, and CPAM,
– Several prevention paths, including men’s health, women’s health, children and adolescents, or specific needs.
It will also host a Sport-Health House. The offerings will include fitness assessments, adapted physical activities, screening sessions, health education workshops, and social support for isolated seniors. The goal is to link care and prevention in a single location.
