Lakewood, WA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Each residential rental unit, individually
- License cycle
- Calendar year, January 1 to December 31
- Fee
- Set by City fee schedule, LMC 3.20.010
- Owner-occupied exemption
- Yes, owner or owner's parent/child
- Short-term lodging exemption
- Stays under 30 days at hotels/motels
Summary
Every residential rental unit in Lakewood, Pierce County, must carry its own City-issued rental housing license, renewed annually on a calendar-year cycle. Owner-occupied units, hotels renting under 30 days, and government-owned housing are among the exemptions from this registration duty.
Each residential housing unit in the City, as defined herein, shall obtain and maintain in good order a rental housing license issued by the City in accordance with the procedures of this title. ... ... B. Each license issued under the provisions of this chapter shall be valid for the current year of issuance (January 1st to December 31st) and shall expire on December 31st of said issuance year.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 852, passed June 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
010. 020(B)). 025 exempts several categories from the license requirement outright: units occupied by the owner or the owner's parent or child, units unavailable for rent, hotels/motels/resorts renting for fewer than 30 days per stay, retirement and nursing home units, hospital and religious-order housing, government-owned or -operated rentals, and accessory dwelling units where the owner still lives on site. 005, is to protect tenant health, safety and welfare by encouraging proper maintenance, identifying substandard conditions, and preventing blight. 010).
Violations & Fines
Renting out a unit without the required license, or letting a license lapse, exposes an owner to the same license denial, suspension, or revocation process in LMC 5.60.120 that applies to noncompliant units, plus the chapter's own penalty schedule in LMC 5.60.150: an infraction of $150 per day for the first 10 days a violation continues and $500 per day after that, with each day a separate violation that cannot be reduced except on a showing the violation was fixed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do landlords need to register every rental unit with the City of Lakewood?
Is an owner-occupied duplex exempt from Lakewood's rental license?
When does a Lakewood rental housing license expire?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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Rental Registration in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle rental registration.