Project Summary
The Planning and Building Department’s workplan includes proposing amendments to the City’s business license requirements for short-term rentals and bed and breakfasts.The intent is to improve business license compliance and enforcement; clarify code language, simplify administration, and propose policy changes that could increase opportunities to host short-term rentals.
Project
Short-term rentals are residential uses (for example, a home, accessory dwelling unit (ADU), or apartment) in which a unit, or portion of a dwelling unit, is rented for 30 days or less. Kirkland’s code also defines bed and breakfasts similarly under the home occupation regulations. The current municipal code requires significant oversight to verify compliance. Code amendments could simplify business licensing administration while improving enforceability.
Currently, the short-term rental code requires an owner-occupant and limits the number of nights a unit may be rented per year based on how many nights the owner occupies the unit. Additionally, if a property manager is used, the manager must live within fifteen miles of the rental unit. The current short-term rental and bed and breakfasts regulations also contain overlapping definitions. The goals of the code update are to refine the definitions, eliminate redundancy; improve enforceability, and consider policy changes that could increase opportunities for short-term rental hosts.
Potential code updates for Council consideration include:
- Requiring UBI numbers to be included on all short-term rental advertisements.