Bonner County, ID Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

Section 12-484 of the Bonner County Revised Code requires the owner of a vacation rental to designate a "local representative" before the Planning Director issues the permit; the application itself must list the representative's name and telephone number. The representative must be the owner, or another individual person who resides permanently within ninety (90) minutes of the property, or a legally operating resort, bed and breakfast establishment, or property management company. The test is designation and distance, not physical presence on the property during a stay.

The owner can change the representative during the term of the permit by filing a written notice that includes the name, address and telephone number of the new representative. Failure to notify the County within thirty (30) days of a change constitutes a violation and is grounds for a penalty under the section.

The representative has real duties. The owner must authorize the representative to respond to questions or concerns from occupants or neighbors, and the representative serves as the initial contact person for questions or complaints about how the property operates as a vacation rental. Complaints must be answered within seven (7) business days. The representative's name and telephone number also go on the permit that is posted within five feet (5') of the front door, inside the unit.

The permit itself is issued for one (1) year, is issued to a specific owner, and expires immediately if the property is sold. Renewal requests are submitted no sooner than sixty (60) days before expiration. Because the designation is a condition of the permit, an owner who stops meeting it risks the violation and revocation process in subsection E of the same section. The County also notifies owners and residents within three hundred feet (300') of the property when the permit issues, so the representative is the person those neighbors are directed to call.