Short-term rental permit rules in Pierce County, WA — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Unincorporated Pierce County allows short-term vacation rentals under Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 without a discretionary permit, as long as the owner files a Vacation Rental Affidavit and meets the guest-room, guest, parking, and neighbor-notice standards. Exceeding those standards triggers a Conditional Use Permit.
PCC 18A.37.040 governs vacation rentals in unincorporated Pierce County outside Tacoma and other cities. A vacation rental is an accommodation of fewer than 30 days in a legally established single-family or accessory dwelling. Rather than a discretionary license, the owner files a Vacation Rental Affidavit with Planning and Public Works and meets fixed standards: up to five guest rooms, no more than ten guests, guest-parking information, adjacent-neighbor notification, and a Good Neighbor brochure. Under subsection C, if those standards are exceeded or cannot be met, the use needs a Conditional Use Permit. Chapter 64.37 RCW also applies statewide, and incorporated cities set their own rules.
Exceeding the five-guest-room or ten-guest limits, or otherwise failing the PCC 18A.37.040 standards, is unpermitted unless a Conditional Use Permit is approved. Renting without filing the Vacation Rental Affidavit is a zoning violation enforced by Planning and Public Works.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Pierce County government sets no county-wide residential watering schedule; outdoor watering rules are set by your water provider — mainly Tacoma Water and l...
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Every Pierce County landowner has an enforceable duty under RCW 17.10.140 to eradicate class A noxious weeds and control listed class B and C weeds. The Pier...
See how Pierce County's permit requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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