Vacation Rentals Information and Application


Ordinance 10-2025 - Vacation Rentals in Eastsound & Lopez Urban Growth Areas (UGA)

All pre-existing vacation rentals in Eastsound village and Lopez village are required to complete a provisional use permit with the San Juan County prior by June 25, 2026. Ordinance 10-2025 provides that all provisional use permit fees will be waived for these pre-existing vacation rentals. Pre-existing vacation rentals that do not submit an application by this date may not be able to continue to operate after June 26,2026. Please contact San Juan County Community Development for additional information. 

 Please select the following link to download the provisional use permit application.  San Juan County Provisional Use Application

Application may be hand delivered to 135 Rhone St. Friday Harbor, WA. or mailed to San Juan County DCD P.O. Box 947 Friday Harbor, WA. 98250

New Vacation Rentals 

No new vacation rental applications are currently being accepted except as allowed by Section 5 of Ordinance 10-2025 which states: "Owners of properties within Eastsound Village Commercial and Lopez Village Commercial with vacation rentals in operation prior to the effective date of the ordinance (June 25, 2025) must apply for a provisional use permit through DCD within one year (June 25, 2026) from the effective date of the ordinance to continue operation of the vacation rental."

On May 17, 2022, the San Juan County Council voted unanimously (3-0) to limit the number of vacation rental permits on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Island, as well as on outer islands. Read the ordinance here.

  • Vacation rental permits are limited per island as follows: 

  • San Juan Island: 337 vacation rental permits
  • Orcas Island: 211 vacation rental permits 
  • Lopez Island: 135 vacation rental permits
  • Outer islands: 10 vacation rental permits, except for Shaw and Waldron which have existing ordinances that do not allow short-term vacation rentals. 

Since 2019, the Council and the County Planning Commission have collectively held seven public hearings on the vacation rental issue and have compiled extensive public comments. The final limits reflect the individual island communities and balance the economic benefits of vacation rentals, their impact on island neighborhoods, and the stability of housing availability in the County. 

The new limits will take effect on June 2 - ten working days after the ordinance was adopted. What this means moving forward: 

  • The new caps do not take away existing active or inactive permits that are fully compliant with County regulatory requirements and fees. 
  • If the number of permits on a given island is above the cap, no new permits will be issued until the number of permits has fallen below the cap through abandonment, revocation, or other voluntary attrition. 
  • New permits will be issued using a lottery system that will be determined at a future meeting. 
  • The permit limits do not apply to homes located on properties with master planned resort zoning, including those within Roche Harbor Resort. For more information about vacation rentals and permitting, please visit: https://www.sanjuanco.com/1836/Vacation-Rental-Compliance-Enforcement

A vacation rental permit is required in order to rent a single-family residence or accessory dwelling unit for periods of less than 30 days in San Juan County.  Properties located in the Eastsound Village Commercial land use designation do not require a permit but are required to comply with the vacation rental requirements.  San Juan County has required vacation rental permits since 1997.  In 2018, the County updated its regulations to require existing permit holders to annually certify compliance with their conditions of permit approval.  

San Juan County actively enforces the vacation rental permit requirements by reviewing online advertising. Any advertisement for a vacation rental must include the San Juan County vacation rental permit number or compliance number.  The penalty for advertising or operating an unpermitted vacation rental is $2,300.  

The vacation rental requirements are found in the San Juan County Code Section 18.40.275.  

Vacation Rental Permit Application Forms

  1. San Juan County Sample Vacation Rental Rules of Conduct
  2. Vacation Rental Application (PDF)

Vacation  Rental Certificate of Compliance for Existing Permit Holders

Every year vacation rental permit holders are required to submit a Vacation Rental Certificate of Compliance to the Department of Community Development. You must do this each year even if your permit is not active. Certificates are submitted between October and December 31 of each year.  You can apply to renew your Vacation Rental Certificates of Compliance online through the County's Online Permit Center.  In order to submit online, you will need the following information for the vacation rental:

  • Address
  • Parcel number 
  • Vacation Rental Permit Number
  • Uniform Business Identifier (UBI) Number- if you are active, this is required. If you are inactive, just enter Not Applicable
  • Name of On-Island Property Manager
  • Address of On-Island Property Manager
  • 24 Hour Emergency Contact Number
  • Number of Bedrooms granted by the Vacation Rental Permit 
  • A  scanned copy of your Rules of Conduct (ROC) if you made any changes in the last year. If you have not changed your ROC in the last year, you do not need to upload a copy.


Renew your Certificate of Compliance online at the SJC Permit Center

You do not need to fill out the paper form to submit online, but you will need the same information as on the form available when you submit. You will need to create an account if you haven't previously. Once you have verified your account through a link sent to your e-mail (check junk mail) you must log off and log back in again. When you are logged in, you will be able to apply for a permit. Select the "Land Use" from drop down category box, and then "Vacation Rental Certificate of Compliance" from the type drop down box.  

Find A Vacation Rental Permit 

We have updated our open source data and map showing the location of vacation rental permits. The data is current through March 31, 2019.  San Juan County GIS Vacation Rental Data

This data shows permits that may have been abandoned, and does not reflect current status of permits as valid permits.

  1. Certificate of Compliance FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much does a vacation rental permit cost?

Answer: The land use and shoreline designation where the vacation rental is located determines if a vacation rental is allowed and whether it is a conditional use or a provisional use.  The fee for a conditional use permit is $2,300. The fee for a provisional use permit is $1,000. 

Q.  Are vacation rentals allowed everywhere in San Juan County?

Answer: No. Vacation rentals are not allowed in the following areas and structures: 

  • Natural shoreline designation
  • Conservancy shoreline designation
  • Agricultural Resource land use designation 
  • Forest Resource land use designation 
  • Shaw Island
  • Waldron Island
  • Owner-Builder Exempt structures
  • Parcels connected to the Town of Friday Harbor water system (this is a Town requirement, not a County requirement)
  • Structures other than a single-family residence or accessory dwelling
  • Boats, tents, vehicles or unpermitted structures

Q. Can I rent out my detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)? 

Answer: Only if the ADU was constructed with a permit prior to June 29, 2007, or is located in an Urban Growth Area (UGA).  A detached ADU constructed after this date may not be a vacation rental unless it is located in a UGA.

Q. Can I have a vacation rental if I am located on a private road?

Answer: Yes. The county does not enforce private road agreements, but your homeowner's association may.

Q. How do I find the properties within 300 feet of my property? 

Answer: Use the San Juan County Polaris web mapping application. It has a measurement tool and you can use the information button to get the names and addresses of property owners on those properties.

Q. What do I do if my vacation rental is located in Eastsound Village or Lopez Village Commercial?

Answer: Per Ordinance 10-2025 - Owners of properties within Eastsound Village Commercial and Lopez Village Commercial with vacation rentals in operation prior to the effective date of the ordinance (June 25, 2025) must apply for a provisional use permit through DCD within one year (June 25, 2026) from the effective date of the ordinance to continue operation of the vacation rental.

Q. I bought a property with a vacation rental permit. Do I need to reapply for a new permit?

Answer: In most cases, no. Vacation rental permits run with the land. In some limited cases, the permit was granted to a specific landowner. You can find this in the conditions of approval for your permit.  You will need to certify compliance with the conditions of your permit within 90 days of the transfer of title. See Certificate of Compliance FAQ on the next tab. 

Q.  Certificate of Compliance FAQs are accessed by toggling the tab to the right of this tab