Chelan County, WA Short-Term Rentals: Repeat Violator Strikes (2026)
Key Facts
- Standard trigger
- 2 unabated violations in 6 months
- Qualified-contact trigger
- 2nd violation in 12 months
- Covers
- noise, parking, trespass, qualified contact
- Abatement window per incident
- 60 minutes
- Escalation authority
- Chapter 16.20, § 16.20.040
Summary
Chelan County built a repeat-violation trigger into its short-term rental ordinance: two verified violations of the same standard, each left unabated within the required sixty-minute window, within six months of each other at the same property, expose the owner to added penalties under Chapter 16.20, including permit revocation under Section 16.20.040.
(iii) Repeat Violations. Two verified public disturbance noise violations unabated within sixty minutes as provided in subsection (3)(E)(ii) of this section within six months of on the same property may also be subject to additional penalties under Chapter 16.20, up to and including revocation of the short-term rental land use permits under Section 16.20.040.
Full Breakdown
040. 20 revocation exposure. A separate, harsher-clocked strike applies to the qualified local contact requirement: under subsection (3)(J)(iii), a second violation within twelve months of failing to keep a qualified person available, or failing to respond once notified by the sheriff, county staff, or a monitoring service, is itself grounds for revocation, without needing a repeat inside six months. Revocation proceedings run through Title 16, and a property that loses its permit this way also loses any legally nonconforming status it may have been relying on, per subsection (2)(E)(ii)(b).
Violations & Fines
A first unabated violation of noise, parking, or trespass standards draws civil penalties under Section 16.20.030 and joint liability with the renter or guest. A second verified, unabated violation of the same standard within six months, or for a missing qualified contact within twelve months, escalates the case to Chapter 16.20's revocation track, and Community Development can pull the short-term rental land use permit under Section 16.20.040.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many violations before Chelan County revokes a short-term rental permit?
Does the qualified local contact requirement have its own strike rule?
What happens to nonconforming status if a permit is revoked for repeat violations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelan County
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