Bellingham, WA Short-Term Rentals: Permit Requirements (2026)

BMC 20.10.037 establishes Bellingham's STR program with the stated purpose of balancing the economic opportunity created by short-term rentals with the need to maintain the city's housing supply and protect the rights and safety of owners, guests, and neighbors. The code defines an STR as a lodging use, other than a hotel or motel, in which a dwelling unit or portion thereof is provided to guests by an STR operator for a fee for fewer than 30 consecutive nights. Three permit types are issued. Type I permits are reviewed administratively by the Planning Director or designee under the Type I procedures of BMC Chapter 21.10 and require a courtesy notice mailed or delivered to residents and property owners adjacent to the STR; Type I applies in residential zones to primary-residence STRs of no more than two bedrooms, with an application fee of $370. Type II permits are also reviewed administratively under Chapter 21.10 procedures and apply in commercial and Urban Village zones (including primary-residence STRs of up to five bedrooms in those zones); the application fee is $550. Type III-A permits cover non-primary-residence STRs in commercial and Urban Village zones with up to five bedrooms, fee $847. Notice requirements for Type II and Type III-A permits follow BMC Chapter 21.10 noticing procedures. Every applicant must submit a City of Bellingham business license number for the STR with the permit application. STRs are prohibited on properties within the Lake Whatcom Watershed that drain to Basin One (as identified on BMC Map 16.80.040) and on properties regulated under BMC Title 22, Shoreline Master Program. Detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs) are prohibited from operating as STRs in single-family zones. Units receiving city housing subsidies are ineligible. Renewals are due before January 1 of every even-numbered year at a fee of $250. On top of the city framework, statewide RCW Chapter 64.37 (Washington Short-Term Rental Act, enacted 2019) imposes parallel operator duties on every Bellingham STR: 24/7 operator contact (RCW 64.37.020), consumer safety duties including CO alarm compliance under RCW 19.27.530 (RCW 64.37.030), $1,000,000 primary liability insurance (RCW 64.37.050), and remittance of all applicable lodging taxes (RCW 64.37.020). The Permit Center can be reached at (360) 778-8300 or permits@cob.org for application questions.