Bellingham imposes one of Washington's stricter primary-residence frameworks under BMC 20.10.037. In residential zones, the dwelling unit hosting the STR (including any accessory dwelling unit) must serve as the primary residence of the owner or long-term renter (with at least a 270-day lease) for at least 270 days per year, and each operator is limited to one STR. Whole-unit rentals are capped at 95 days per year. Detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs) are prohibited as STRs in single-family zones. In commercial and Urban Village zones (Type II and Type III-A permits), the primary-residence requirement does not apply, the per-operator cap does not apply, and non-primary investment STRs are allowed year-round. STRs are entirely prohibited in the Lake Whatcom Watershed Basin One and in shoreline areas regulated under BMC Title 22.
Bellingham's primary-residence framework is the centerpiece of BMC 20.10.037's residential-zone STR rules. The code requires that in residential zones, the dwelling unit (including accessory dwelling units) hosting the STR 'must serve as the primary residence of the owner or long-term renter (with at least a 270-day lease) for at least 270 days/year.' This functionally bars investment-only STR ownership in single-family and multifamily residential zones; the operator must actually live in the home most of the year. The code additionally limits residential-zone operators to a maximum of one STR per operator, preventing portfolio operators from amassing multiple residential-zone STRs. Whole-unit rentals are capped at 95 days per year, and detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs) are prohibited as STRs in single-family zones (only attached / interior ADUs within the primary dwelling can qualify in single-family zones, and even then only if the primary-residence and 95-day rules are satisfied). The framework reflects Bellingham's deliberate housing-supply policy: WWU brings thousands of students each year, the San Juan Islands and Mt. Baker drive tourism overflow into Bellingham proper, and the City Council adopted Ordinance 2018-11-024 (effective May 5, 2019) specifically to prevent conversion of long-term rental stock to short-term rentals. In commercial and Urban Village zones - Downtown, Fairhaven, Old Town, Fountain District, Samish Way, and other commercial/UV designations - the code expressly removes the primary-residence requirement, the 95-day cap, and the one-STR-per-operator cap. Type II permits (commercial / Urban Village, primary or non-primary, up to 5 bedrooms) and Type III-A permits (commercial / Urban Village, non-primary, up to 5 bedrooms) allow year-round investment STR operation. Categorical prohibitions apply citywide: STRs cannot operate on properties within the Lake Whatcom Watershed that drain to Basin One (the city's drinking-water source, identified on BMC Map 16.80.040) or on properties regulated under BMC Title 22 Shoreline Master Program. Units receiving city housing subsidies are also ineligible. Washington's statewide STR Act (RCW Chapter 64.37) does not impose primary-residence restrictions, so Bellingham's 270-day rule is a city-level layer on top of the state framework.
Operating a Type I residential-zone STR without satisfying the 270-day primary-residence requirement, or beyond the one-STR-per-operator cap, is a BMC 20.10.037 permit-condition violation enforceable by Planning and Community Development through civil penalties, denial of biennial renewal, and STR permit revocation under BMC Chapter 21.10. Operating an STR in a detached ADU in a single-family zone is an unpermitted use. Operating an STR on a property within the Lake Whatcom Watershed Basin One or in regulated shoreline areas under BMC Title 22 is an outright prohibited use that cannot be permitted at any fee level and is enforceable through immediate stop-use orders. Falsely claiming primary-residence status on a Type I application (using a vacant or rental property as if it were the operator's home) is material misrepresentation supporting permit revocation, denial of renewal, and possible fraud referral. The City's third-party compliance vendor (Host Compliance / Granicus) scans platforms and cross-references listings, calendar data, and property records to identify primary-residence and one-STR-per-operator violations. Operating multiple residential-zone STRs under different LLC names or family member names to evade the one-STR cap is treated as a circumvention violation supporting revocation of all related permits.
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