Short-term rental permit rules in Tualatin, OR β also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration β list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
As of May 2026, the City of Tualatin has not codified a short-term-rental-specific licensing chapter in the Tualatin Municipal Code (TMC) or the Tualatin Development Code (TDC). Vacation rentals, Airbnb listings, and other dwellings rented to non-owner occupants are treated as 'residential rental units' under TMC Chapter 6-13 (Rental Housing Maintenance Standards), which requires every owner or operator of a rental dwelling unit to obtain an annual Rental Housing License from the City Finance Department at $10.00 per unit. Operators must also obtain a City of Tualatin Business License and confirm that transient lodging use is permitted in the underlying TDC zoning district. The state Transient Lodging Tax registration with the Oregon Department of Revenue is separately required.
Tualatin's regulatory stack for short-term rentals has three layers, none of which is an STR-specific permit. First, TMC Chapter 6-13 (Rental Housing Maintenance Standards) requires every person who owns or operates a residential rental unit within the city to obtain a Rental Housing License before the unit is offered for occupancy. The license costs $10.00 per dwelling unit annually, runs on a fixed cycle from April 1 through March 31, is non-refundable, and applies to all buildings or portions of buildings legally used for human habitation under a rental agreement (including manufactured dwelling units). The license is administered by the Tualatin Finance Department. Second, every business operating in the city - including a short-term rental held out as a commercial lodging service - must hold a current City of Tualatin Business License; the home occupation standards in TDC Chapter 34 expressly require a City business license for any home-based business use. Third, TDC zoning controls whether transient lodging is an allowed use at the specific address; Tualatin's residential zones (e.g., RL Low Density Residential under TDC Chapter 40) permit dwellings as a principal use, and home occupations are conditionally allowed under TDC Chapter 34, but the TDC does not designate 'short-term rental' or 'transient lodging' as a separately listed permitted residential use, so operators should confirm with the Tualatin Planning Division before listing a whole-home rental of fewer than 30 days. There is no city ordinance imposing a hard occupancy cap, a hosted-versus-unhosted distinction, or a primary-residence requirement specific to STRs. Operators must additionally register with the Oregon Department of Revenue for the 1.5% state Transient Lodging Tax under ORS 320.305 and remit the 2.5% city Transient Lodging Tax codified at TMC Chapter 9-9 (adopted by Ordinance 1408-18, effective 2018).
Operating a residential rental unit in Tualatin without a current Rental Housing License is a violation of TMC Chapter 6-13. TMC Chapter 1-6 governs general municipal code enforcement and authorizes the City to issue civil citations, abatement orders, and accrue penalties for continuing violations. Operating a business without a City of Tualatin Business License is independently citable under the business license chapter of the TMC. If the underlying use is not permitted in the TDC zoning district that applies to the property, the Tualatin Planning Division can issue zoning-violation notices and pursue abatement; repeated unpermitted lodging activity in a residential zone can lead to escalating civil penalties and an order to cease the use. Failure to remit the 2.5% city Transient Lodging Tax under TMC Chapter 9-9 or the 1.5% state Transient Lodging Tax under ORS Chapter 320 is enforceable by the City Finance Department and the Oregon Department of Revenue respectively, with interest and penalties on unpaid amounts.
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