Lakewood, WA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Application requirement
- disclose off-street spaces for guests
- Operating condition
- all required off-street parking must serve guests
- Substitution
- no on-street parking substitute allowed
- Related standard
- shoreline/zoning performance standards also apply
- Max penalty
- $500 Class 2 civil infraction
Summary
Lakewood, Washington requires a short-term rental applicant to disclose its off-street parking under LMC 18A.40.090(B)(2)(f)(v), and once permitted, LMC 18A.40.090(B)(2)(i)(vi) requires 'all off-street parking required for the primary use of the site' to actually be made available to the guests renting the STR.
v. Number of off-street parking spaces provided at the location, or that are proposed to be dedicated for use by guests of the STR. vi. ... All off-street parking required for the primary use of the site shall be made available to guests.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 852, passed June 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
An STR permit application in Lakewood is incomplete without a parking disclosure. 090(B)(2)(f)(v) requires the applicant to state the 'number of off-street parking spaces provided at the location, or that are proposed to be dedicated for use by guests of the STR,' so the City evaluates parking capacity before approving the permit rather than leaving it to be worked out after guests arrive. ' In practice, a host cannot rent out the driveway or garage to a third party, or otherwise take the dwelling's required parking off the market, while the unit is listed as a short-term rental; the spaces the underlying residential use needed to meet Lakewood's off-street parking standards have to stay open to STR guests.
090(B)(2)(i)(xi), which requires the STR to maintain all applicable performance standards for its zoning district or shoreline environment designation, so a lakefront STR near American Lake or Gravelly Lake must also keep any shoreline-related parking or access conditions intact.
Violations & Fines
Diverting an STR's required off-street parking away from guests, or applying for the permit without disclosing the parking under LMC 18A.40.090(B)(2)(f)(v), violates the general regulations in LMC 18A.40.090(B)(2)(i). LMC 18A.20.105(B) makes a Title 18A violation a Class 2 civil infraction under LMC 1.48.010, punishable by up to $500.00, and the permit itself can be invalidated for noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Lakewood STR host rent the driveway to someone else while renting the house short-term?
What parking information does a Lakewood STR permit application need?
Do lakefront Lakewood STRs face extra parking conditions?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
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