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.
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