Sammamish, WA Short-Term Rentals: Registration Rules (2026)

Sammamish does not publish a standalone short-term rental registry in its municipal code. The registration that does apply has two layers. First, the city participates in Washington's joint Business Licensing Service: businesses engaged in activity within Sammamish, including home-based and rental activities, generally obtain a city business license endorsement administered through the Washington State Department of Revenue's Business Licensing Service (BLS), with the city's annual business license fee set at $15.00 (SMC Chapter 5.05). Operators apply through the state BLS rather than a separate STR portal. Second, at the state level, RCW 64.37.040 requires that a short-term rental platform must register with the Department of Revenue; that obligation falls on the booking platform (such as the marketplace facilitator) rather than the individual host. The same section requires platforms to inform operators of their tax responsibilities, of the state's safety requirements, and that a personal insurance policy may not cover STR use. There is no Sammamish-issued STR permit number or local registry to display. Operators should treat the business license endorsement and platform registration as the operative registration steps and confirm thresholds with BLS and the city.