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.
Kent, WA
Kent decibel limits follow WAC 173-60 and KCC 8.05 using EDNA zones. Residential receiving limit is 55 dBA day and 45 dBA night. Commercial sources are cappe...
Kent, WA
Kent industrial sources are capped at 70 dBA day and 65 dBA night at another industrial property, but only 60 dBA day and 50 dBA night when received at a res...
Kent, WA
Commercial trucks over 10,000 pounds GVWR generally cannot park on Kent residential streets except for active loading. Warehouse districts and truck routes h...
Kent, WA
Kent follows Washington State Building Code EV-ready requirements for new multifamily and commercial buildings. Public chargers exist at Kent Station and sev...
Kent, WA
Kent driveway aprons require Public Works approval under KCC Title 6. New or widened driveways need a right-of-way construction permit, and vehicles must not...
Kent, WA
Kent has no city requirement to split shared fence costs with a neighbor. Washington common law controls boundary fences. Survey the property line before bui...
See how Kent's host platform liability rules stack up against other locations.
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