Chelan County, WA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)

290(2)(A) sorts short-term rentals into three tiers, and Tier 1 status turns on the owner's physical presence. Under subsection (2)(A)(i), a rental qualifies as Tier 1 only if either rooms are rented while the owner, defined to include title holders, corporate officers, and contract purchasers, is personally present at the dwelling during the rental period, or the short-term rental sits on the same parcel as the owner's principal residence and the owner is personally present during the rental. 1363. This host-presence structure distinguishes Tier 1 rentals, which face no housing-stock percentage cap under subsection (2)(B)(i), from Tier 2 rentals at non-owner-occupied dwellings and Tier 3 rentals exceeding Tier 1/2 occupancy limits, both of which are capped by zip code and urban growth area under the percentage table in subsection (2)(B)(ii).

Because Tier 1 status depends on continuous host presence during the rental, a listing that stops being personally hosted converts to Tier 2 or Tier 3 for permitting and cap purposes, exposing the operator to the housing-stock cap and land use permit requirements applying to non-owner-occupied rentals. Community Development reviews the tier claimed on the short-term rental land use permit application, and proof of occupancy, such as government identification, voter registration, or utility bills, is required elsewhere in the section for the related primary-residence standard.