Port Townsend, WA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Port Townsend, WA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Annual application fee
- $25.00
- License term
- 1 year
- Land use permit
- Required before licensing
- Governing chapter
- PTMC 5.45
Summary
Port Townsend requires a business license for every short-term rental, plus a land use permit application before the rental can operate.
The purpose of this chapter is to regulate the business of operating two types of short term rentals: bed and breakfast inns and tourist homes. (Ord. 3172 § 4 (Exh. C), 2017).
5.45.020 Application process.
A. Except as specified in this chapter, the application process in Chapter 5.08 PTMC applies.
B. The application fee shall be $25.00 per year.
C. The applicant must certify that the property is not in a building or subdivision subject to covenants, conditions, or restrictions or must provide written proof that the property owner’s association has received notification of the application for this license.
D. The applicant must certify that an application for a land use permit to use the property as a short term rental has been submitted to the city. (Ord. 3172 § 4 (Exh. C), 2017).
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
PTMC 5.45 regulates short-term rentals operating as bed and breakfast inns or tourist homes, the city's only two lawful short-term rental types. Applicants pay a $25 annual application fee, must certify the property isn't restricted by covenants against rentals (or that the HOA was notified), and must certify a land use permit application for short-term rental use has been submitted to the city. Every short-term rental is also independently subject to the city's general business license requirements under PTMC 17.57.030.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the license or required land use permit exposes the business license to suspension or revocation under PTMC 5.45.050, on top of code enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any house be a short-term rental in Port Townsend?
Is HOA notice required?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
How Port Townsend compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Port Townsend to another location·View the Washington short-term rentals overview
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