Rental Rules by City / Washington / Seattle

Seattle short-term rental rules & tax calculator

King 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. You need a business license and a yearly STR operator license for each unit.
What taxes do I pay?: Total about 15.7%. Check your Airbnb payout report to see which ones Airbnb collects; you pay the rest yourself.

Your 3 steps to be legal

Get a Seattle business license tax certificate.
Register a non-primary unit with RRIO.
Apply for the STR operator license and post its number.

⚠️ Biggest risk: Running more than two units, which is mostly not allowed.

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

Tax calculator

Nightly rate ($) Nights Cleaning fee ($)

Rates used: Combined lodging tax (WA DOR, Seattle STR) 15.7% = 15.7%. Mandatory cleaning fees are included in the taxable total. 15.70% per WA Department of Revenue lodging rates (includes 7% convention center tax). No separate city STR tax.

What Airbnb collects: Confirm in payouts that Airbnb collects Washington lodging and sales taxes; direct bookings you report to WA DOR.

This is the general rule for Seattle. 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. The penalties Seattle lists are on the Seattle page.

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

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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 Seattle. Cancel anytime.

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Instead of scattered, sometimes outdated pages, you get the city, county and state rules on one page, with official sources linked, a last-checked date, and unconfirmed items marked "verify" instead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

Licenses	A Seattle business license tax certificate plus an annual STR operator license ($75 per unit).
Limit	Most operators may run two units: their primary residence plus one more (legacy exceptions for pre-Sept 2017 operators).
RRIO	A dedicated unit that is not your primary residence must be registered under the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance.
Listings	Post the license number (STR-OPLI-##-######) on every listing.
Penalties	$500 first violation, $1,000 after.
Not allowed	Renters (outside a downtown legacy exception), RVs, tents, boats, houseboats and some shoreline areas.

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

Seattle'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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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.