Salem, OR Short-Term Rentals: Host Presence Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Resident family requirement
- Must reside in unit at least 270 days/year
- Hosted room cap
- Up to 3 guest rooms while family is present
- Non-hosted booking cap
- Whole unit, capped at 95 days/year
- Hosted booking limit
- No annual day cap, multiple bookings allowed
- Non-hosted booking rule
- One booking at a time only
Summary
Salem's accessory short-term rental ordinance treats hosted and non-hosted stays differently rather than banning either. When the resident family stays on site as host, up to three guest rooms may be rented; when the family is away, the whole unit may be rented but only for a capped number of days each year, under SRC 700.006.
(a)Operated as accessory use. An accessory short-term rental shall only be operated as an accessory use to a single family or two family use on the same lot. In order to qualify as an accessory use:(1)The accessory short-term rental must be operated by the resident family who resides in the dwelling unit; and(2)The resident family must reside in the dwelling unit for a minimum of 270 days during each calendar year....(d)Number of guest rooms.(1)Hosted rental. When the resident family is present as a host, the maximum number of guest rooms, including those within a guest house, that may be rented shall not exceed three.(2)Non-hosted rental. When the resident family is not present as a host, the entire dwelling unit, and if applicable guest house, may be rented; there is no maximum limit on the number of guest rooms that may be used.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
006 does not require a host to be physically present for every rental, but it treats hosted and non-hosted stays under separate rules throughout the chapter. Under subsection (a), an accessory short-term rental must be operated by the resident family who lives in the dwelling unit at least 270 days a year, whether that family is the owner or a tenant with no more than five co-tenants. Subsection (d) then splits by whether that resident family is present during a given rental: a hosted rental, where the family stays on site, may rent up to three guest rooms, including any guest house, while a non-hosted rental, where the family is away, may rent the entire dwelling unit and guest house with no cap on the number of rooms used.
Booking limits diverge sharply between the two under subsection (g): a hosted rental has no annual limit on the number of days it may be rented and can even take multiple simultaneous bookings from different guest groups, but a non-hosted rental is capped at 95 days per calendar year and limited to one booking at a time, with simultaneous bookings from separate groups prohibited. 006(e).
Violations & Fines
Booking a non-hosted stretch as though it were hosted, to dodge the 95-day cap or the ten-guest ceiling, breaches SRC 700.006 and the license standards in SRC 30.1005. Violations are enforced as infractions under SRC 30.075 and SRC 30.080, with a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per violation, each day counted separately, under SRC 30.070, and knowing operation after suspension or revocation is a misdemeanor under SRC 30.085.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does someone have to be home during a Salem short-term rental?
What's the tradeoff for renting without the host present in Salem?
Can I rent out individual rooms while I'm away for the weekend?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salem
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