Short-Term Rentals in Kennewick, WA

If you live in Kennewick or are thinking about moving there, short-term rentals are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Kennewick has 2 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of short-term rentals, and some of them might surprise you.

Insurance Requirements

RCW 64.37.040, part of the statewide Washington Short-Term Rental Operations Act enacted in 2019, requires every short-term rental operator in the state, including those operating in Kennewick, to maintain primary liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence covering the short-term rental, or to operate exclusively through a booking platform that provides equivalent coverage. The requirement attaches to every transient rental of fewer than 30 nights. Kennewick has not layered any additional local insurance requirement on top of the statewide minimum.

Key details: Statutory Source: RCW 64.37.040 (SHB 1798, 2019). Minimum Liability Amount: $1,000,000 per occurrence (primary). Compliance Path 1: Operator-purchased primary coverage. Compliance Path 2: Booking through a platform that provides equivalent coverage. Kennewick Local Layer: None codified above statewide minimum.

Failure to maintain the RCW 64.37.040 minimum $1 million primary liability insurance, or to operate exclusively through a platform that provides equivalent coverage, exposes the operator to enforcement under RCW 64.37.050, which authorizes civil enforcement. Where a guest is injured at an STR that lacks the required insurance, the operator faces both the underlying tort liability without coverage and a separate statutory violation. Failure to disclose coverage to a guest under RCW 64.37.020 is also enforceable under RCW 64.37.050. Operating a short-term rental in violation of an underlying homeowner's policy exclusion can result in policy rescission and denial of an unrelated claim; that consequence is contractual rather than statutory but is a routine practical risk where operators fail to convert to commercial coverage.

Compared to other cities, Kennewick takes a harder line on insurance requirements. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Short-Term Rental Permits

Kennewick has not codified a dedicated short-term rental licensing chapter in the Kennewick Municipal Code. STR operators are subject to the statewide Washington Short-Term Rental Operations Act, RCW Chapter 64.37 (enacted 2019), which requires platform-collected operator contact information, posted safety information, and a primary contact reachable during a stay, plus the standard Kennewick business license required of any business operating within city limits. Zoning use must be confirmed under KMC Title 18.

Key details: Statewide STR Act: RCW Chapter 64.37 (SHB 1798, 2019). Kennewick STR Chapter: None codified as of May 2026. Operator Posting Duty: RCW 64.37.020 (address, contact, emergency number, floor plan). Minimum Liability Insurance: $1 million primary (RCW 64.37.040). Business License: Required via WA Business Licensing Service (state Master License System).

Failure to satisfy the RCW 64.37.020 operator-posting duties, the RCW 64.37.030 platform-information duties, or the RCW 64.37.040 $1 million primary-liability-insurance requirement is enforceable under the statewide chapter; RCW 64.37.050 authorizes civil enforcement. Operating any business within Kennewick without a current Washington Business License (which the city participates in through the state Master License System) is enforceable by the city as a business-license violation with administrative penalties and back-payment of license fees. Operating a use not permitted in the underlying base zone is a KMC Title 18 violation enforceable by Kennewick Code Enforcement under the city's standard civil-infraction process.

The Bottom Line

Kennewick's short-term rentals rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Kennewick is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Kennewick's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.