How We Vet Bounce House Companies

Rule One. A Five Star Record You Can Check

A company must hold 4.7 stars or more on Google from at least 25 reviews on the day we check. When we say five star, this is what we mean. Google shows many ratings from 4.7 up as five stars, so we print the exact number and the review count on every listing, with a link to the Google profile.

Rule Two. It Rents Bounce Houses and Runs a Real Website

The company must have a live website that shows bounce houses, jumpers, combos or inflatable slides for rent. We read the home page and up to seven more pages, like the FAQ, safety, about and rental terms pages.

Rule Three. We Show What It Says About Cleaning, Insurance and Setup

We do not inspect units in person. So we never say a company meets a standard unless the company says so itself. On each listing we show three things, each with a link to the page where the company says it.

• Insurance stated on its site, yes or not stated
• A cleaning routine stated on its site, yes or not stated
• Setup and safety steps, like staking, sandbags, safety checks or naming ASTM F2374, yes or not stated

A "not stated" does not keep a company off the list. It tells you what to ask when you call.

Why these three. ASTM F2374, Standard Practice for Design, Manufacture, Operation, and Maintenance of Inflatable Amusement Devices is the industry standard for commercial inflatables. It covers design, setup, operation, inspection and training. The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that bounce houses that are not secured can be lifted by wind, and its CPSC safety bulletin on inflatable amusements says most incidents come from poor setup, anchoring and operation. See also the CPSC news release, Don't Get Swept Away, 2019. Makers of commercial inflatables publish care and cleaning guides for their units, like the Cutting Edge Creations, inflatable instruction guides.

Rule Four. No History of Being a Bad Actor

We read up to 80 of each company's lowest rated Google reviews, newest problems first. A company is left off if, in the last three years, two or more one or two star reviews describe the same kind of serious problem. We group them four ways.

• Safety, like injuries, a unit that deflated or was not secured
• Cleanliness, like a dirty, moldy or smelly unit
• No shows, like a unit that never arrived
• Money, like a deposit or refund not returned

A company is also left off if more than 5 percent of its reviews are one or two stars, or if it has a D or F rating on the BBB. We look the company up on the BBB by its phone number and link the profile when one exists.

Rule Five. Found Beyond Google

Before a listing goes live we look for the company in other places online. Its own website and Google profile, plus at least one more public profile such as BBB, Yelp, Facebook or Instagram. A company we cannot find anywhere else is not listed yet.

What California Requires

We found no state permit that a backyard bounce house rental needs. The Cal/OSHA Amusement Ride and Tramway Unit lists inflatable rides among the devices its permanent ride rules do not cover. Cities and park districts set their own rules. Many ask for a certificate of insurance naming the city before a bounce house can go up in a park. For example, see City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks, moon bounce permit information, City of Capitola, park reservation insurance information and City of Lemon Grove, inflatable jumper application. Ask your park office before you book.

How Often We Check

Every listing shows the date it was checked. The first full round ran on November 9, 2026. We plan to rerun each check at least every six months, and sooner when a company asks.

What We Never Do

• We never publish why a company was left out.
• We never let a company pay to skip a rule. Featured listings are labeled and passed the same rules.
• We never mark up Google ratings as our own reviews.