King County does not impose a hosted-only rule for short-term rentals in unincorporated areas. Hosts may rent entire dwellings without being on-site, subject to King County Code and Washington state STR transparency requirements under RCW 64.37.
Unincorporated King County permits whole-home short-term rentals; the host need not occupy the property during guest stays. Cities within the county set their own rules: Seattle requires a primary-residence operator's license tied to either the host's primary home or one additional unit, while Bellevue, Kent, and Redmond have lighter regimes. Statewide, RCW 64.37 requires every operator (hosted or unhosted) to maintain $1 million liability coverage and post a 24-hour contact. King County Sheriff responds to nuisance calls in unincorporated zones; chronic nuisance code applies if multiple verified complaints arise within a year.
Operating an unhosted STR is legal in unincorporated King County, but failure to provide 24-hour contact information or maintain insurance under RCW 64.37 may trigger state enforcement and platform delisting.
Auburn, WA
Auburn applies WAC 173-60 EDNA limits through ACC 8.28. Residential: 55 dBA day, 45 dBA night. Industrial receiving: 60 dBA day, 50 dBA night. Measured at th...
Auburn, WA
Industrial sources into residential zones are capped at 60 dBA day and 50 dBA night under WAC 173-60 via ACC 8.28. The Boeing Auburn plant and Valley warehou...
Auburn, WA
Federal law preempts local aircraft noise. Auburn Municipal Airport follows FAA Part 150 and Sea-Tac overflights are under FAA and Port of Seattle. ACC 8.28 ...
Auburn, WA
Outdoor concerts and festivals must meet ACC 8.28 limits and often need a special event permit. Downtown Auburn and Les Gove Park events follow a written noi...
Auburn, WA
Auburn restricts RV, trailer, and boat parking on public streets to 72 hours and sets additional limits on driveway and front-yard storage of recreational ve...
Auburn, WA
EV charging in Auburn follows the Washington State Energy Code, which requires EV-ready capacity in new multifamily and commercial parking and protects publi...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in King County.
See how Auburn's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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