Lewis County, WA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

LCC § 17.105.050 lists what an applicant for a Lewis County short-term rental permit must demonstrate under the county's Chapter 17.105 short-term rental program (Ord. 1367, 2025). Subsection (2)(f) requires valid liability insurance of $1,000,000 or more that covers use of the short-term rental unit, expressly tying the local requirement to the state minimum set by RCW 64.37.050. This insurance proof sits alongside the other permit conditions in § 17.105.050(2): compliance with the § 17.105.040 operating standards (occupancy, parking, waste, burn-restriction disclosure), a certificate of occupancy or recent inspection for the structure, a permitted and functioning wastewater system, an approved potable water source, and proof of paid property taxes and fees.

The permit is processed as a Type I application by the Department of Community Development, and once issued must be renewed annually; failing to renew within a year of the deadline triggers automatic revocation under § 17.105.050(3). Beginning July 1, 2026, operating a short-term rental without a valid permit, which requires the insurance showing at (2)(f), is treated as a code violation under Chapter 1.20 LCC rather than only a basis to deny the application.