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.
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