10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in Snohomish County, Washington.
Verified from official government sources
In unincorporated Snohomish County there is no standalone "Airbnb" license. Guest lodging in a home is regulated as a bed-and-breakfast under the Unified Development Code (SCC 30.28.020), requiring an administrative conditional use permit or building permit plus a certificate of occupancy before guests arrive.
SCC 30.28.020(4)
A certificate of occupancy, to ensure compliance with applicable codes, shall be obtained from the department prior to allowing guests at the establishment. The certificate of occupancy shall be subject to an annual inspection and renewal pursuant to SCC 30.53A.361.
Snohomish County has no STR-specific noise cap, but SCC 30.28.020(3)(e) requires a bed-and-breakfast to be run so as not to disturb neighbors' peaceful occupancy. General county noise limits under SCC Title 10 and Washington's WAC 173-60 environmental noise standards also apply to the property.
SCC 30.28.020(3)(e)
The bed and breakfast establishment shall be conducted in such a manner as to give no outward appearance nor manifest any characteristics of a business, except as to the sign as allowed above, that would be incompatible with the ability of the neighboring residents to enjoy peaceful occupancy of their properties.
Lodging rented for less than one month in Snohomish County is subject to two stacked 2% county lodging excise taxes (SCC 4.40.010 and 4.41.010), a combined 4% hotel-motel tax, in addition to state and local retail sales taxes collected through the Washington Department of Revenue.
SCC 4.41.010
There is hereby levied a special excise tax of two percent on the sale of or charge made for the furnishing of lodging... This tax shall be in addition to the two percent tax levied by SCC 4.40.010.
Unincorporated Snohomish County requires a bed-and-breakfast (STR) to provide 2 off-street parking spaces plus 1 per guest room, per SCC Table 30.26.030(1). No on-street parking is allowed for the establishment, and the site plan must show the parking layout.
SCC 30.28.020(3)(a)
Parking requirements shall be in accordance with SCC Table 30.26.030(1). No on-street parking shall be allowed.
Occupancy in unincorporated Snohomish County is limited by guest rooms, not headcount. A bed-and-breakfast guesthouse may offer up to 3 guest rooms; a bed-and-breakfast inn up to 6. At 3+ rooms state transient-accommodation rules apply; at 6 rooms full hotel building-code standards apply.
SCC 30.91B.050
"Bed and breakfast inn" means a facility in which one kitchen, a shared dining area, and not more than a total of six guest rooms are available within a single family residence and as many as three outbuildings providing lodging for paying guests.
The county's bed-and-breakfast code sets no specific liability-insurance requirement for STRs. It instead requires compliance with fire, health and building codes, and at three or more guest rooms compliance with state transient-accommodation regulations under the Washington Department of Health.
SCC 30.28.020(3)(i)
If three or more guest rooms are proposed, the applicant shall also meet state regulations pertaining to transient accommodation;
Unincorporated Snohomish County imposes no cap on rental nights. SCC 30.28.020(3)(f) states there is no limit on the number of days a guest may stay at the establishment. However, occupancy of one month or more is treated as a lease and falls outside the transient lodging tax.
SCC 30.28.020(3)(f)
There is no limit on the number of days a guest may stay at the establishment;
Rather than an online registry, unincorporated Snohomish County requires each bed-and-breakfast (STR) to obtain a certificate of occupancy before hosting and to renew it annually. The county also registers the use through the land-use permit issued under SCC 30.28.020.
SCC 30.28.020(4)
The certificate of occupancy shall be subject to an annual inspection and renewal pursuant to SCC 30.53A.361.
Snohomish County's bed-and-breakfast rules require a host to be present: SCC 30.28.020(3)(c) directs that the owner operate the facility and reside on the premises. Meal service is limited to overnight guests and no separate kitchens are allowed in guest rooms, reinforcing a hosted model.
SCC 30.28.020(3)(b)-(c)
Meal service shall be limited to overnight guests of the establishment. Kitchens shall not be allowed in individual guest rooms; ... The owner shall operate the facility and reside on the premises;
Unincorporated Snohomish County effectively requires an owner-occupied STR: SCC 30.28.020(3)(c) states the owner shall operate the facility and reside on the premises. The lodging must be within the owner's single-family residence, so absentee whole-house short-term rentals are not permitted as bed-and-breakfasts.
SCC 30.28.020(3)(c)
The owner shall operate the facility and reside on the premises.
4 cities in Snohomish County have their own short-term rentals rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Snohomish County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Snohomish County Ordinance Hub →