Bonner County, ID Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)

The only night count in Bonner County's vacation rental ordinance is the unpermitted allowance in § 12-484(C)(1)(e): any residential dwelling in the County can be rented without a permit for no more than fourteen (14) days per calendar year, where those fourteen (14) days are divided into no more than two (2) stays. A third stay, or any day beyond the fourteen, takes the dwelling out of that allowance, and § 12-484(B) then requires an approved vacation rental permit before the structure is used as a vacation rental.

Once permitted, the section sets no annual night cap. Instead it limits time in other ways. The vacation rental permit is issued for one (1) year, and the definition in § 12-822 describes a vacation rental as a dwelling unit rented for periods of up to one month per visit. Occupancy is capped per stay by § 12-484(C)(3) rather than by nights per year.

Renewal is the yearly checkpoint. The holder submits a county form with the renewal fee no sooner than sixty (60) days before the permit expires. A permit with no timely renewal application automatically expires, and an expired permit requires a new application. Every current standard of § 12-484, as it exists on the submission date of the renewal application, must be met to obtain the renewal.

The permit also ends early in several cases. It expires immediately if the property is sold, it is suspended while a septic system fails as identified by Panhandle Health District, and the Planning Director can revoke it after three (3) violations in a twelve (12) month period. Advertising for any vacation rental has to carry the County permit number, the maximum occupancy and the maximum number of vehicles.