Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 does not limit vacation rentals to a host's primary residence. It permits rentals in any legally established single-family or accessory dwelling, so whole-home and non-owner-occupied vacation rentals are allowed once the owner files the affidavit and meets the guest-room, guest, and neighbor-notice standards.
Pierce County imposes no primary-residence or owner-occupancy requirement on vacation rentals. PCC 18A.37.040(B) defines a vacation rental as an accommodation within a legally established single-family or accessory dwelling and allows it whenever the guest-room, guest, parking, neighbor-notice, affidavit, and brochure standards are met, without conditioning eligibility on the owner living on-site. The affidavit refers to the owner's intent to use their residence as a vacation rental, but the code does not require the owner to occupy the property. This contrasts with subsection A, the bed-and-breakfast standard, which requires the proprietor to reside on the parcel. As a result, investor-owned whole-home vacation rentals are permitted. Incorporated cities may impose primary-residence limits, so hosts inside a city should verify the local rule.
Because there is no primary-residence requirement, renting a non-owner-occupied home is not itself a violation in unincorporated Pierce County. The operative failures are not filing the affidavit, exceeding the room or guest limits, or skipping the neighbor notice.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
pierce-county-wa
Backyard residential composting is allowed and encouraged in Pierce County with no permit, but a compost pile that creates odor, attracts vermin, or otherwis...
pierce-county-wa
Pierce County has no ordinance specifically prohibiting or permitting synthetic/artificial turf on residential lots. Installation must still meet general zon...
pierce-county-wa
Pierce County encourages native and drought-tolerant plantings and requires native-vegetation retention on many development sites, but homeowners are free to...
pierce-county-wa
Rooftop rainwater collection is broadly allowed in Washington, and Pierce County has no ordinance prohibiting residential rain barrels or cisterns; larger sy...
pierce-county-wa
Pierce County government sets no county-wide residential watering schedule; outdoor watering rules are set by your water provider — mainly Tacoma Water and l...
pierce-county-wa
Every Pierce County landowner has an enforceable duty under RCW 17.10.140 to eradicate class A noxious weeds and control listed class B and C weeds. The Pier...
See how Pierce County's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.