STR rules · verified 1mo ago
Short-term rental rules in Hood River, OR
Hood River regulates STRs under HRMC Ch. 5.10 (Short-Term Rental Operating License) and HRMC 17.04.115 (zoning). Two categories: Hosted Homeshare (owner present during the stay) and Vacation Home Rental (no owner present, but with neighbor notice and assisted garbage service). The load-bearing rule is Ordinance 2026's residency requirement: STR license holders in residential zones must EITHER reside on the property as their primary residence OR have a designated lessee who does. A 7-year grace period ended October 2023, and absentee-owner licenses are no longer renewable. The city imposed a ~50-license cap in commercial/downtown zones. A 2025 federal court (Panabaker v. City of Hood River) UPHELD the residency requirement against a Dormant Commerce Clause challenge. Occupancy = 2 per bedroom + 2 additional. Events (weddings, parties, corporate retreats) are explicitly prohibited.
What's behind the sign-in
- Registration fees — initial + annual renewal cost, per permit type
- Permit caps + waitlists — exact cap values, current waitlist counts
- Owner-occupancy rules — days/year requirement, permit-class splits
- Zoning carve-outs — which districts allow / disallow STR
- Tax stack — TOT, hotel, county + state layers
- Stay limits — min/max nightly, max nights/year
- Operational requirements — parking, insurance, fire inspection, neighbor notice
- Penalties — per-night fines, revocation thresholds
- City-specific gotchas — HOA carve-outs, pending legislation, recent court rulings
- Refresh on demand — re-run the agentic pipeline against the city's current ordinance
Frequently asked
Are short-term rentals legal in Hood River, OR?
Hood River is currently restricted for short-term rentals. Permitted but with material constraints — caps, owner-occupancy rules, zoning carve-outs, or active ordinance review. For the actual fees, caps, owner-occupancy rules, and city-specific gotchas, sign in.
Do I need a permit to run an Airbnb in Hood River?
Almost certainly yes — almost every U.S. city now requires a short-term rental permit, vacation rental permit, or transient lodging permit before you can legally list. The specifics for Hood River (cost, renewal cycle, required documents) are behind sign-in. You can also read the source ordinance directly: https://hoodriver.municipal.codes/HRMC/5.10.
What happens if I rent without a permit in Hood River?
Most cities charge per-night fines (a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per violation), escalating to cease-and-desist letters and platform delisting on repeat. Airbnb and Vrbo now share permit-validation feeds with most major cities, so unpermitted listings get blocked at the platform level. Sign in to see the specific penalty schedule for Hood River.
How current is this data for Hood River?
This record was verified 1mo ago against the city's published ordinance (.gov or the city's official municipal-code publisher). Cached cities re-verify on a cadence — daily for cities under active legislation, weekly otherwise. Signed-in users can hit Refresh on any city to force a fresh pull. If you're underwriting a deal, always confirm against the city's code-enforcement office before closing.
Can my HOA or condo association ban STRs even if Hood River allows them?
Yes. City permits authorize you under municipal law, but your HOA, condo association, or co-op board sets contractual rules that override the city for your unit. Many HOAs adopted blanket STR bans between 2018 and 2024 in response to neighbor complaints. Read the CC&Rs, bylaws, and rental addendums before you buy with an STR plan — the city saying yes does not mean your building says yes.