Short-Term Rental Management in San Juan Islands
San Juan County is not accepting new vacation rental applications. Hard per-island caps have been in place since May 2022, and Shaw and Waldron prohibit vacation rentals entirely.
- Permitting authority
- San Juan County
- From our office
- ferry-dependent; a full day from Kennewick
- Managed by
- Brendan Burke, licensed WA broker
What San Juan County actually requires
- Island caps: 337 permits on San Juan Island, 211 on Orcas, 135 on Lopez, and 10 across the outer islands combined.
- Shaw and Waldron do not permit vacation rentals at all.
- The only current application path is for properties inside Eastsound Village Commercial or Lopez Village Commercial that were operating before 25 June 2025, via a provisional use permit.
- Every permit holder must file an annual certificate of compliance with the Department of Community Development to keep the permit valid.
- Liability insurance meeting RCW 64.37.050, the state Short-Term Rental Act minimum.
Washington's Short-Term Rental Act (RCW 64.37) sets the floor everywhere in the state: operators carry liability insurance, post required safety information, and remit lodging taxes. A standard homeowner's policy does not satisfy it.
Verified 2026-09-13 against San Juan County — Vacation Rentals Information and Application, San Juan County — Vacation Rental Compliance & Enforcement. Rules change — confirm before you make an offer.
Who books here
A short, extremely high-rate summer built on ferry-schedule stays, with guests who book long in advance and expect resort-grade turnover.
Our honest read
Nobody should buy here expecting to add a vacation rental permit, because none are being issued. The real work in the San Juans is the annual compliance certificate — a permit lost to a missed filing cannot simply be re-applied for, and that is the risk we would be managing for an existing holder.
What we run ourselves
We are not pitching a market we have only read about. The properties below are under our management right now, and these are the figures they are on pace for this year.
Figures are full-year 2026 gross revenue the property is on pace for, before management fee, cleaning, utilities and taxes.
Common questions
Can I get a short-term rental permit in San Juan Islands right now?
San Juan County is not accepting new vacation rental applications. Hard per-island caps have been in place since May 2022, and Shaw and Waldron prohibit vacation rentals entirely.
What does San Juan County require to operate a short-term rental?
Island caps: 337 permits on San Juan Island, 211 on Orcas, 135 on Lopez, and 10 across the outer islands combined. Shaw and Waldron do not permit vacation rentals at all. The only current application path is for properties inside Eastsound Village Commercial or Lopez Village Commercial that were operating before 25 June 2025, via a provisional use permit. Every permit holder must file an annual certificate of compliance with the Department of Community Development to keep the permit valid. Liability insurance meeting RCW 64.37.050, the state Short-Term Rental Act minimum.
You are based in Kennewick. How do you manage a property in San Juan Islands?
We run San Juan Islands properties from our Tri-Cities office with a contracted local cleaning and maintenance bench in market. Guest communication, pricing, listing management and compliance filings are handled by us directly; turnovers, repairs and any requirement for an on-call local contact are covered by the in-market vendors we hire and supervise. Ferry-dependent; a full day from Kennewick, so we are on site when a property genuinely needs us.
What insurance does a short-term rental need in Washington?
Washington's Short-Term Rental Act (RCW 64.37) sets the floor everywhere in the state: operators carry liability insurance, post required safety information, and remit lodging taxes. A standard homeowner's policy does not satisfy it.
What would your San Juan Islands property earn?
Send the address and we will come back with a realistic revenue range, the permit position in San Juan County, and what it costs to manage.
Other markets we manage
- Desert Aire & Crescent Bar— Permitted with conditions
- Lake Chelan— Permits available now
- Leavenworth & Plain— Closed to new permits
- Ocean Shores— Permitted with conditions
- Port Townsend & Jefferson County— Permitted with conditions
- Whidbey Island— Permitted with conditions
- Long Beach Peninsula— Permitted with conditions
- Westport— Permitted with conditions