Lakewood, WA Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Response window
- 1 hour, in person or by phone
- Who it covers
- permittee or a named designee
- Contact info
- posted in the STR's main living space
- Good neighbor policy
- must also be posted
- Max penalty
- $500 Class 2 civil infraction
Summary
Lakewood, Washington requires every short-term rental to have a live point of contact: LMC 18A.40.090(B)(2)(i)(iii) requires the STR permittee or a designee to 'always be available and able to respond in person, or by telephone, within one (1) hour' to complaints, guest concerns and inquiries.
iii. STR permittee, or their designee, shall always be available and able to respond in person, or by telephone, within one (1) hour to complaints, guest concerns, and inquiries. ... iv. Contact information for the STR permittee, or their designee, shall be clearly posted in a visible location within the main living space of the STR.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 852, passed June 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
090(B)(2)(i). The text requires that the 'STR permittee, or their designee, shall always be available and able to respond in person, or by telephone, within one (1) hour to complaints, guest concerns, and inquiries,' meaning an out-of-town owner has to designate a local contact person if they cannot personally guarantee that response window at all hours the unit is rented. 090(B)(2)(i)(iv) backs up that duty with a posting requirement: contact information for the permittee or designee has to be 'clearly posted in a visible location within the main living space of the STR,' so a guest, a neighbor or a code enforcement officer can find the number without hunting for it.
The same subsection requires a 'good neighbor policy' form, provided by the City, to be posted alongside that contact information, and it is the host's responsibility to see that guests follow it. 105(C) in addition to a straight civil infraction.
Violations & Fines
Failing to respond within the required one hour, or failing to post the required contact information under LMC 18A.40.090(B)(2)(i)(iv), violates the STR's general operating regulations. LMC 18A.20.105(B) makes a Title 18A violation a Class 2 civil infraction under LMC 1.48.010, up to $500.00 per day, and repeated failures can trigger the permit revocation process at LMC 18A.20.105(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast must a Lakewood STR host respond to a guest complaint?
Can someone other than the owner handle complaint response for a Lakewood STR?
What happens if a Lakewood STR host repeatedly misses the one-hour response window?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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Host Presence Rule in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle host presence rule.