Whatcom County, WA Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Whatcom County, WA, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- State definition
- Rental under 30 consecutive nights, fee
- Overlay district rule
- CUP required in Lake Whatcom Overlay
- Elsewhere in county
- Permitted accessory use
- First violation penalty
- Warning letter only
- Repeat violation
- Class 2 civil infraction
- Required posting
- Address, exits, occupancy, contact
Summary
Washington's short-term rental law, RCW 64.37.010, defines what counts as a short-term rental and sets baseline safety and tax duties for every operator in the state, while Whatcom County handles the actual permit question through zoning: vacation rentals are a permitted accessory use countywide except inside the Lake Whatcom Watershed Overlay District, where they need a hearing-examiner conditional use permit.
(9)(a) "Short-term rental" means a lodging use, that is not a hotel or motel or bed and breakfast, in which a dwelling unit, or portion thereof, that is offered or provided to a guest by a short-term rental operator for a fee for fewer than thirty consecutive nights. (b) "Short-term rental" does not include any of the following: (i) A dwelling unit that is occupied by the owner for at least six months during the calendar year and in which fewer than three rooms are rented at any time; (ii) A dwelling unit, or portion thereof, that is used by the same person for thirty or more consecutive nights; or (iii) A dwelling unit, or portion thereof, that is operated by an organization or government entity that is registered as a charitable organization with the secretary of state, state of Washington, or is classified by the federal internal revenue service as a public charity or a private foundation, and provides temporary housing to individuals who are being treated for trauma, injury, or disease, or their family members.
Full Breakdown
37 RCW, supplies the definitions Whatcom County's own permit track for vacation rentals runs on. 010(9) defines a short-term rental as a lodging use, not a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast, in which a dwelling unit is offered to a guest for a fee for fewer than 30 consecutive nights, and carves out an owner-occupied home renting fewer than three rooms while the owner lives there at least six months a year, a stay of 30 or more consecutive nights, and housing operated by a registered charity for people being treated for trauma, injury or disease.
075) reclassifies vacation rental units as a conditional use requiring hearing-examiner approval. 530. 020 separately requires operators to remit all applicable local, state and federal lodging, occupancy and sales taxes, either directly or through the booking platform.
Violations & Fines
RCW 64.37.030(3) sets the penalty for the consumer-safety duties directly: on a first violation the city or county attorney must send the owner a warning letter, and an owner who violates the section again after that warning is guilty of a class 2 civil infraction under chapter 7.80 RCW. Operating a vacation rental in the Lake Whatcom Watershed Overlay District without the conditional use permit required by WCC § 20.51.070(.075) is a separate zoning violation subject to county code enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a short-term rental under Washington law?
Does a Whatcom County vacation rental need a conditional use permit?
What must a short-term rental operator post inside the unit?
What happens the first time a short-term rental violates the state safety law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Whatcom County
How Whatcom County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·Compare Whatcom County to another location·View the Washington short-term rentals overview
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