Under RCW 64.37, Airbnb, Vrbo, and other booking platforms operating in King County must require operators to attest to insurance, registration, and tax compliance, and must remove listings that fail to meet state and local requirements.
Washington's 2019 short-term rental law assigns shared compliance duties to platforms. Booking platforms must confirm each operator carries at least $1 million liability coverage or that platform-provided coverage applies, must collect and remit state and local lodging taxes (Airbnb has done so countywide since 2015), and must remove listings flagged as noncompliant by King County or city regulators. Seattle additionally requires platforms to verify a current Seattle STR operator license number on every listing. Platform liability is strict liability for tax remittance but compliance-based for license verification, meaning good-faith reliance on operator attestation is generally a defense.
Platforms that fail to remit lodging taxes face state Department of Revenue assessment plus penalties. Failure to delist unlicensed Seattle STRs can lead to municipal fines under SMC 6.600 against the platform.
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, fences 6 feet or less in height may be built on or within property lines without a building permit. Fences over 6 feet require...
King County, WA
Unincorporated King County's marine shoreline along Puget Sound and Vashon-Maury Island is regulated under the Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58), the King...
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, an above-ground pool that can hold water more than 24 inches deep is regulated as a swimming pool under the Washington State R...
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, a one-story detached storage shed of 200 square feet or less, accessory to a residential or agricultural use, is exempt from a...
King County, WA
Unincorporated King County requires private swimming pools to be enclosed by a barrier at least five feet high under K.C.C. 16.70.020, with self-closing/self...
King County, WA
King County Ordinance 18467 (2017) limits county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and Washington's Keep Washington Working Act (RCW 10.93.16...
See how King County's host platform liability rules stack up against other locations.
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