Renton, WA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)

RMC 4-4-055(B)(1) is short and direct: owners of property used as a short-term rental must obtain a City of Renton Business License. The section applies once a dwelling unit, or part of one, is advertised for overnight stays of less than thirty (30) continuous days under the definition in RMC 4-4-055(A); that advertising trigger, not the number of nights actually booked, is what pulls a property into the licensing requirement. The business license sits alongside the section's other conditions rather than replacing them: an owner-occupancy rule when multiple parties rent at once, the two-guests-per-bedroom occupancy cap, off-street parking obligations, and safety and property-maintenance compliance under the International Fire Code (RMC 4-5-070) and International Property Maintenance Code (RMC 4-5-130), including a safety sign or map in each bedroom showing fire extinguisher, gas shut-off, and exit locations.

Because the requirement runs through the standard City of Renton business license rather than a specialized short-term rental permit, an owner who already operates other licensed businesses in the city still needs a distinct license covering the rental use itself; the section does not carve out an exemption for occasional or part-time hosts.