Bellingham, WA Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)
Key Facts
- Whole-unit rental cap
- 95 days/year, primary-residence rentals
- Residency floor
- 270 days/year owner or long-term tenant occupancy
- Where caps do not apply
- Commercial & urban village areas (Note 1)
- Nonprimary-residence category
- No day limit, but not allowed in residential areas
- Vacancy trigger
- 4%+ citywide vacancy triggers council review
- Permits per operator
- One short-term rental permit citywide (D)(1)
Summary
In residential areas, a Bellingham primary-residence short-term rental can only be rented out as a whole unit up to 95 days a year, and the operator must live there at least 270 days a year, per the process table and Note 1 in BMC 20.10.037(C)(1). The 270/95-day split does not apply to rentals in commercial or urban village areas.
The subject dwelling unit must serve as the primary residence of the applicant (the owner or long-term tenant) for no less than 270 days per year. The whole dwelling unit may be rented for no more than 95 days per year. (1) ... 1In commercial and urban village general use type areas, the requirements for the minimum number of days per year the dwelling unit must serve as the primary residence of the applicant and the maximum number of days per year the dwelling unit may be rented do not apply.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-06-015, passed June 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
037(C)(1)'s permit-type table sets the night cap directly in the rental-type description: both the 2-bedroom-or-fewer and the up-to-5-bedroom primary-residence categories state that "the subject dwelling unit must serve as the primary residence of the applicant (the owner or long-term tenant) for no less than 270 days per year. " The table's third category, nonprimary-residence rentals of up to five bedrooms, carries "no limit on the number of days per year the dwelling unit may be rented," but Note 2 restricts where that category is even allowed: it is "not allowed" in residential general use type areas unless the citywide housing vacancy rate reaches four percent or higher, at which point the city council must review whether to permit it there.
Subsection (B)(6) separately bars all short-term rentals on properties in the Lake Whatcom Watershed draining to Basin One, and in shoreline areas regulated under Title 22 BMC, regardless of night count. Subsection (D)(1) additionally limits an operator to one short-term rental permit citywide, so the 95-night cap cannot be multiplied by holding several permits.
Violations & Fines
Renting a primary-residence unit for more than 95 days a year, or falling below the 270-day residency floor, violates the standards in BMC 20.10.037(B) and (D) and is subject to the penalties in Chapter 20.52 BMC plus permit revocation under (D)(17). Subsection (D)(3) requires an annual-cycle residency affidavit filed with the planning and community development department to document compliance with the 270-day residency threshold; a false or unsupported affidavit is grounds for revocation, which under (D)(17)(c) bars a new permit for two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many nights a year can I rent my whole Bellingham home as a short-term rental?
Does the 95-day cap apply to short-term rentals downtown or in a commercial zone?
Can I rent a home that isn't my primary residence as a short-term rental in Bellingham?
How does the city verify I'm meeting the 270-day residency requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellingham
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