Edmonds, WA Short-Term Rentals: Occupancy Limits (2026)

Edmonds regulates transient lodging through Edmonds Community Development Code (ECDC) Title 17 (Zoning) and ECDC Chapter 20.23 (Bed and Breakfasts). Edmonds has not adopted a city-specific per-bedroom occupancy cap for short-term rentals, so the operative limits come from three sources. First, by definition a short-term rental is a stay of fewer than 30 consecutive nights; longer stays become regular tenancies under Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (RCW 59.18). Second, ECDC 20.23 - applied to detached single-family transient lodging and the closest analog to STRs - prohibits guests from staying more than 30 consecutive calendar days and prohibits kitchens in individual guest rooms, which in practice limits STRs to whole-unit or single-kitchen configurations. Third, Washington's STR Operations Act (RCW 64.37.020, effective 2019) requires every operator to give guests written information that includes the maximum occupancy of the unit, emergency contacts, and a 24/7 responder reachable within two hours. The Washington State Building Code (IRC/IBC adopted via WAC 51-50/51-51) sets minimum bedroom egress and habitable-space sizes that effectively cap how many sleeping rooms a dwelling can offer. Edmonds further requires a Washington State business license endorsement for the city, collection of state and local sales/lodging taxes, and compliance with carbon-monoxide alarm rules. Confirm any unit-specific occupancy figure with Edmonds Planning & Development at 425-771-0220.