Short-term rental renewal fees rise in Chelan County

CHELAN COUNTY —Short-term rentals will see about a 20 percent increase in fees during this year’s renewal period, which runs Sept. 1 through Oct. 31. Additionally, filings will be subject to late fees if they are submitted after the application window.

The changes are part of a new fee schedule adopted by the Board of County Commissioners last year following several board workshops with Community Development and a public hearing. At the time, the fees had been stagnant for 14 years and were not keeping pace with annual CPI increases or increases in labor costs, according to the county. The county said the fees did not allow Community Development to follow a cost-recovery model for permit processing; in 2024, $300,000 from the general fund was used to balance those costs.

The annual fee increases started August 2025 and will continue through August 2028. Starting in 2029, the building and permitting fees will increase at a rate of 4 percent a year.

This year, annual or renewal permit fees for Tier 1 and 2 short-term rentals are $728, up from $600 last year. Tier 3 permit fees are increasing from $900 to $1,092.

Short-term rentals will see another increase next year as fees for Tiers 1 and 2 increase to $832, while the Tier 3 fee increases to $1,248. 

As part of its review of the short-term rental code last year, the Board of County Commissioners adopted late fees for filings submitted after the Oct. 31 deadline.

Applications filed in November face a late fee equal to twice the permit fee in addition to the renewal fee. December filings will incur a late fee equal to three times the permit fee in addition to the renewal fee. 

Those looking to start a renewal application ahead of the window can download a form from the Community Development website. However, the online portal will not be open until Sept. 1.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media