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

Walla Walla County's permitted-use table in WWCC 17.16.014 sets the permit path for every bed and breakfast subtype by zone. Under the table's key, a P means the use is permitted outright subject to the county's general review procedures, while a C means the use is only allowed through the conditional use review process spelled out in Chapter 17.40. In the county's residential land use table, Bed & Breakfast Type I, hosted inside the primary dwelling, is marked P across most residential and agricultural zones, meaning it needs only a standard building and zoning permit.

Bed & Breakfast Type II, which uses one or more accessory buildings, is marked C with a footnoted condition 9: any lot with a Type II bed and breakfast is capped at three residential buildings total, counting the primary dwelling and any accessory building holding guest rooms or farmworker dwellings. Because Type II carries the C designation, an applicant must go through Chapter 17.40's conditional use process, where the county decides whether the use endangers public health or safety, generates nuisance conditions such as noise or dust, and is compatible with the surrounding area, per WWCC 17.40.020.

A conditional use permit approval must be acted on within one year, or it expires under 17.40.025, though the director can grant a one-year extension. Bed & Breakfast Type III, the largest scale with event and dining capacity, carries a C designation only in the Primary Agriculture zone, reflecting its added scrutiny.