Salem, OR Short-Term Rentals: Primary-Residence-Only Rule (2026)
Key Facts
- Residency minimum
- 270 days per calendar year in the unit
- Eligible operator
- Owner or tenant with 5 or fewer co-tenants
- Disqualified structures
- ADUs, RVs, tents, motor vehicles
- Same-lot restriction
- Cannot combine STR with an ADU on one lot
Summary
Salem only allows an accessory short-term rental where the resident family, whether owner or tenant, actually lives in the home at least 270 days each calendar year. A property used purely as an investment rental, with no one living there most of the year, does not qualify under SRC 700.006(a).
(a)Operated as accessory use. An accessory short-term rental shall only be operated as an accessory use to a single family or two family use on the same lot. In order to qualify as an accessory use:(1)The accessory short-term rental must be operated by the resident family who resides in the dwelling unit; and(2)The resident family must reside in the dwelling unit for a minimum of 270 days during each calendar year.(3)For purposes of this subsection, the resident family must be:(A)The owner of the dwelling unit; or(B)A tenant of the dwelling unit, provided there are no more than five existing tenants within the dwelling unit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
006(a) makes Salem's accessory short-term rental a genuinely owner-occupied or tenant-occupied use, not an investment-property category. To qualify as an accessory use, the rental must be operated by the resident family who resides in the dwelling unit, and that family must actually live there for a minimum of 270 days during each calendar year, roughly nine out of twelve months. 006(a)(3)(B) caps the arrangement to units with no more than five existing tenants, so it cannot be used to convert a large shared house into a de facto hotel.
The residency test applies on top of the structure-type limits in subsection (b): the rental must be inside a lawfully built single-family or two-family dwelling, or a guest house, and cannot be run out of an accessory dwelling unit, a tent or other temporary shelter, a recreational vehicle, a motor vehicle, or any structure not meant for ongoing occupancy. Subsection (c) reinforces the primary-residence concept by barring a lot from running both an accessory short-term rental and an accessory dwelling unit at the same time, since stacking those two accessory uses would let an owner turn a property into more short-term lodging than the residency requirement contemplates.
Violations & Fines
A rental that fails the 270-day residency test, or is run from a non-qualifying structure such as an ADU, RV, or tent, does not qualify as an accessory short-term rental, and operating it as one is grounds for license denial or revocation under SRC 30.1000, plus a civil penalty of up to $2,000 per violation under SRC 30.070; operating without a valid license is a separate infraction under SRC 30.075.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a short-term rental in Salem without living there?
Does a tenant, not the owner, need permission to run a Salem STR?
Can I have both an ADU and a short-term rental on the same property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salem
Compare Salem to another location·View the Oregon short-term rentals overview
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