Hillsboro, OR Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

Section 12.40.230(B) splits short-term rental approval into two tracks. Partial-dwelling STRs, defined in Section 12.01.500 as rentals where 'the owner or operator remains on site,' need approval under Section 12.80.126; full-dwelling STRs, where the owner does not remain on site, need approval under Section 12.80.040. Section 12.80.126 lays out the partial-dwelling process in detail: applications go through the Type I procedure under Section 12.70.030, and at minimum must include a signed application form, payment of the fee set by the City's fee schedule in effect on the submittal date, a scaled plot plan and floor plan of the dwelling, a narrative addressing the approval criteria and special-use standards in Section 12.40.230, and proof of property ownership.

The Review Authority approves the application only after finding both that the zoning of the property lists short-term rentals as an allowed use and that the proposal complies with the partial-dwelling standards. Approval is site-specific: under Subsection I, if the approved applicant moves, the permit becomes invalid and the new owner must apply again. Beyond the land-use permit, Subsection C.5 makes clear the host 'must maintain a valid business license from the City of Hillsboro' for a partial-dwelling STR, and Subsection D.4 imposes the identical business-license duty on full-dwelling STR owners.

Full-dwelling operators also face an ownership cap: Subsection D.1 limits any owner to holding interest in no more than 2 full-dwelling STRs within Hillsboro city limits, verified against tax records. Both STR types are barred from event or party use under Subsections C.3 and D.2, limited to one rental transaction at a time on the property under C.4 and D.3, and barred from renting tents, trailers, RVs or yurts as the STR unit under C.6 and D.5.