Renton, WA Short-Term Rentals: Taxes & Fees (2026)
Key Facts
- Tax rate
- 1% special excise tax on lodging charges
- Governing section
- RMC 5-18-2
- Collecting agency
- Washington State Department of Revenue
- Exempt stays
- 30+ continuous days presumed a lease, not taxed
- Fund use
- Tourism promotion and tourism-related facilities only
- Violation classification
- Misdemeanor under RMC 5-18-6
Summary
Renton levies a 1% special excise tax on short-term lodging charges under RMC 5-18-2, on top of state sales tax, collected by the Washington Department of Revenue as the city's agent.
There is hereby levied a special excise tax of one percent (1%) on the sale of or charge made for the furnishing of lodging that is subject to tax under Chapter 82.08 RCW. The tax imposed applies to the sale of or charge for the furnishing of lodging by a hotel, rooming house, tourist court, motel, or trailer camp, and the granting of any similar license to use real property, as distinguished from the renting or leasing of real property. It shall be presumed that the occupancy of real property for a continuous period of one month or more constitutes a rental or lease of real property and not a mere license to use and enjoy the same.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 6197, passed August 10, 2026).
Full Breakdown
08 RCW, the state retail sales tax. RMC 5-18-2 names the covered lodging types as a hotel, rooming house, tourist court, motel, or trailer camp, and any similar license to use real property, which is the category short-term rental hosts fall into. The code draws a line based on length of stay: RMC 5-18-2 presumes that occupying real property for a continuous period of one month or more is a rental or lease of real property rather than a taxable license to use, meaning stays of 30 days or longer are treated as exempt long-term tenancies rather than taxed lodging.
RMC 5-18-3 makes clear this lodging tax stacks on top of any other license fee or tax the city already imposes, so it does not replace the city's business and occupation tax or state retail sales tax obligations. 28 RCW. RMC 5-18-5 designates the Washington State Department of Revenue as the City's collection and administration agent for this tax, adopting the Department's own forms and rules by reference, so operators remit the local lodging tax alongside their state excise tax filings rather than to a separate city office. 080, both incorporated by reference into RMC 5-18-1.
Violations & Fines
RMC 5-18-6 makes it unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to violate or fail to comply with any provision of Chapter 5-18, and classifies the violation as a misdemeanor. Every person convicted faces penalties set under RMC 1-3-1, Renton's general penalty section for misdemeanor code violations, in addition to any tax, penalty, and interest assessed by the Department of Revenue for late or unpaid excise tax.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do short-term rental hosts in Renton have to collect this lodging tax?
Is a 30-day rental exempt from Renton's lodging tax?
Who administers and collects Renton's lodging tax?
What happens if an operator does not pay the lodging tax?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Renton
How Renton compares: Cities with the Highest Short-Term Rental Taxes·Compare Renton to another location·View the Washington short-term rentals overview
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