Rental Rules by City / Washington / Bellingham

Bellingham short-term rental rules & tax calculator

Whatcom County, Washington · Verified against official sources Oct 24, 2026

📋 The Basics

Can I rent my place short-term here?: Only in some areas
Do I need a permit?: Yes, with a city STR permit; residential limits.
What taxes do I pay?: Total about 11.2%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

Your 3 steps to be legal

Check your zone.
Get the business license and STR permit.
Track the 95-day whole-unit cap.

⚠️ Biggest risk: Whole-unit renting over 95 days in a residential zone.

Words confusing? See the glossary. Details and official sources are below.

Tax calculator

Nightly rate ($) Nights Cleaning fee ($)

Rates used: WA sales + lodging taxes (Bellingham) 11.2% = 11.2%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. 11.2% combined incl. the 2% special hotel/motel tax (WA DOR Q4 2026 lodging rates, code 3701).

What Airbnb collects: Verify in payouts which taxes your platform remits.

This is the general rule for Bellingham. Does your address qualify?

The free info covers the city as a whole. Your property can still be different: zoning can change from one street to the next, and an HOA or condo ban can stop rentals even where the city allows them.

Your $49 Compliance Check looks at your exact property:

Whether your exact address and zone allow short-term rentals
A check of HOA / condo rental restrictions to look for
Which permits and tax accounts you personally need
What you're missing right now
A personal report with clear next steps and official sources, by email
A refund if we report a rule in error (refund policy)

🔎 How we check: official city, county and state sources, a last-verified date on every page, and nothing guessed. Learn more

Check my address: $49

🔔 Stay notified: $4.99/month

Rules don't change every week, but they do change, and nobody emails you when they do. We'll alert you when city rules, tourist taxes, HOA-related laws, or Airbnb/Vrbo policies change in Bellingham. Cancel anytime.

Stay notified

Need guest waivers and booking tools too? Click here for more info

Why use this instead of a web search?

Instead of scattered, sometimes outdated pages, you get the city, county and state rules on one page, with official sources linked, a last-checked date, and unconfirmed items marked "verify" instead of guessed. How we verify →

Advanced details (laws, fees, sources)

Rules

Permit	City STR permit for stays under 30 nights: Type I $370, Type II $550, Type III-A $847; renew before January 1 of every even-numbered year ($250). City business license required.
Limits	Residential zones: one STR per operator; must be the owner's or long-term renter's primary residence 270+ days/yr; whole unit rented max 95 days/yr. Commercial/urban village zones: no cap.

Items marked "Verify with the city" could not be confirmed from an official source; call the office listed before relying on them.

Sources

Free tools

Free "Is my rental legal?" checklist · Free tourist tax calculator

Rules can change

Bellingham's rules, its tax rates and platform policies can change through a council vote, a new state law or a court ruling, often with little notice to hosts. We re-check this page monthly; subscribers get notified. Stay Compliant for $4.99/mo.

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Get a personalized STR Compliance Check ($49) for your exact address in any US city: the permits, registrations and tax accounts you need, with official sources, delivered by email in 48 business hours. Not legal advice.

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Stay Compliant: $4.99/month

Rules, tax rates and Airbnb/Vrbo policies can change without warning, and hosts who miss a change can be fined. Get alerts when your city, county or state changes, deadline reminders, a pending-bill watch list and a monthly host brief (even in quiet months: "we checked on [date]; no changes"). Compare plans.

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Not legal or tax advice. Last verified Oct 24, 2026. Rules and rates change: confirm with the official sources linked before you rent or file.