Short-Term Rentals in Kennewick, WA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

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 6 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of short-term rentals, and some of them might surprise you.

Permit Requirements

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.

Noise Rules

Kennewick has not codified short-term-rental-specific quiet hours or party-house provisions. STR guests are subject to the city's general public-disturbance noise rules in the Kennewick Municipal Code and to the statewide Washington noise standards in RCW Chapter 70.107 and WAC Chapter 173-60. Nighttime maximum environmental noise levels in residential zones drop by 10 dBA between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under WAC 173-60-040. Active disturbances are handled by Kennewick Police; pattern complaints by Code Enforcement.

Key details: STR-Specific Quiet Hours: None codified. City Framework: Kennewick Municipal Code public-disturbance noise provisions. Statewide Standards: RCW 70.107 + WAC Chapter 173-60. Nighttime Reduction: 10 dBA lower from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. (WAC 173-60-040). Daytime Limit at Residential Receiver: 55 dBA (Class A source) per WAC 173-60-040.

Public-disturbance-noise violations are civil infractions enforced by Kennewick Police (active disturbances) and Kennewick Code Enforcement (pattern complaints), with administrative penalties per occurrence under the city's civil infraction schedule. WAC 173-60 exceedances may be investigated by the Washington Department of Ecology or by local jurisdictions that have adopted the state standards, with notice-and-correction procedures and civil penalties under RCW Chapter 70.107. There is no STR-specific license-revocation tied to a noise threshold because Kennewick has not codified an STR license. The underlying business license can be enforced independently if it is out of compliance.

Taxes & Fees

Short-term rentals in Kennewick collect the combined Washington state and local sales tax on lodging under RCW 82.08.0291 (the standard retail sales tax applies to stays of fewer than 30 nights), plus the Benton County hotel/motel tax authorized by RCW 67.28.180. The Washington Department of Revenue administers both the state and local-option components through the Combined Excise Tax Return. Stays of 30 or more continuous nights are exempt as non-transient under WAC 458-20-166.

Key details: State Sales Tax on Lodging: RCW 82.08.0291 (retail sales tax applies to stays under 30 days). State Sales Tax Rate: 6.5% (RCW 82.08.020). Benton County Hotel/Motel Tax: 2% basic county tax under RCW 67.28.180 (credited against state share). Non-Transient Exemption: 30+ continuous days same person (WAC 458-20-166). Reporting: WA DOR Combined Excise Tax Return.

Failure to register a business with the Washington Department of Revenue, to collect retail sales tax on lodging, or to remit the Benton County hotel/motel tax authorized under RCW 67.28.180, is enforced by the Department of Revenue under the standard excise-tax assessment process, including interest, late-filing penalties, and unpaid-tax penalties of up to 29 percent for tax not paid by the date of a tax warrant. Marketplace-facilitator collection by Airbnb or Vrbo under RCW 82.08.0531 does not cover off-platform bookings; operators with direct-booked guests retain independent registration and remittance obligations. The city of Kennewick does not separately administer or audit lodging-tax compliance; enforcement runs through the state.

Parking Rules

Kennewick has not codified a short-term-rental-specific parking standard. Off-street parking for a residential dwelling used as an STR is governed by the base-zone parking standards in the Kennewick Municipal Code Title 18 (Zoning). On-street parking is subject to the general parking rules in KMC Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic), including standard restrictions on parking against traffic flow, blocking driveways, and posted time limits in commercial areas. Recreational-vehicle and oversize-vehicle parking limits in KMC Title 10 also apply.

Key details: Codified STR Parking Standard: None. Off-Street Parking: Base-zone standard under KMC Title 18 (Zoning). On-Street Parking: KMC Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic). RV / Oversize Vehicles: Subject to KMC Title 10 RV and oversize-vehicle provisions. STR Guest-Vehicle Cap: None codified.

On-street parking violations are civil infractions enforced by Kennewick Police and Parking Enforcement under KMC Title 10 and Title 12, with fines set in the city's bail schedule. Off-street parking deficiencies that reduce a dwelling below its base-zone minimum required spaces are KMC Title 18 violations enforceable by Kennewick Code Enforcement through the city's standard civil-infraction process. RV, trailer, or oversize-vehicle parking that exceeds the duration or location limits in KMC Title 10 can be cited and the vehicle may be tagged for abatement. Because no STR-specific parking standard is codified, no STR-specific overcrowding-of-vehicles citation exists beyond these general remedies.

Kennewick is more permissive than most cities when it comes to parking rules. That said, there are still limits.

Occupancy Limits

Kennewick has not codified a short-term-rental-specific occupancy cap. Occupancy is governed by the Washington State Building Code, which adopts the International Residential Code (IRC) under WAC Chapter 51-51 and the International Property Maintenance Code provisions through WAC Chapter 51-50. Standard area-per-occupant rules apply: every habitable room must contain at least 70 square feet for one occupant and 50 square feet for each additional occupant. KMC Title 18 base-zone use classifications also apply.

Key details: Codified STR Headcount Cap: None. Governing Standard: Washington State Building Code (IRC via WAC 51-51, IBC via WAC 51-50). Habitable Room Minimum: 70 sq. ft. for one occupant; +50 sq. ft. each additional. Egress Window: Required per IRC R310 in sleeping rooms. Owner-Occupancy Requirement: Not codified by Kennewick.

Overcrowding beyond the Washington State Building Code area limits may be cited under the city's adopted property-maintenance enforcement provisions and addressed through Kennewick Code Enforcement under the city's standard civil-infraction process. Where transient occupancy exceeds the base-zone use classification in KMC Title 18 (for example, by operating as group living or commercial lodging in a zone that permits only single-family dwellings), the city may pursue a Title 18 use-classification violation. Failure to post the RCW 64.37.020 floor plan or smoke-alarm information is enforceable under RCW 64.37.050. Because no STR-specific occupancy cap is codified, no STR-specific overcrowding penalty exists beyond these general remedies.

Kennewick is more permissive than most cities when it comes to occupancy limits. That said, there are still limits.

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.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Kennewick gives residents more room on short-term rentals. 2 of the 6 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

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.