Washington, DC Short-Term Rental Laws (2026)

Washington, DC Airbnb rules at a glance

Key rules for hosts in Washington, DC

• Only a host's primary residence may be licensed, second homes and pure investment properties are ineligible
• Unhosted ("vacation rental") stays are capped at 90 nights per year; hosted stays are unlimited
• License number required on all listings; platforms must verify and report bookings
• Condo/co-op/HOA consent rules and building restrictions apply
• The regime dates to the Short-Term Rental Regulation Act of 2018, enforced since 2022

Enforcement

DLCP enforcement leans on platform reporting and the license database. The primary-residence rule pushes investor capital toward 30-plus-day furnished rentals, which fall outside the STR law.

Taxes on short stays

DC sales tax on transient accommodations (highest-tier lodging rate, roughly 14.95%+) on short stays. Platforms often collect and remit some or all lodging taxes automatically, but hosts remain responsible for registration and any amounts the platform does not handle. Stays of 30 days or longer are generally exempt from lodging taxes and from the short-term rental rules above. STR income is also ordinary taxable income at the federal and state level.

What this means for investors

Before underwriting a short-term rental in Washington, DC, confirm the parcel’s exact jurisdiction and zoning, whether a permit is available to a non-resident owner, and the all-in tax load — then stress-test the deal as a 30-plus-day furnished rental or a traditional lease in case the rules tighten. Model the numbers with the Airbnb calculator and compare against a long-term strategy using our rental income investing guide.

Official source

Verify current requirements on Washington, DC’s official short-term rental page: https://dlcp.dc.gov/page/short-term-rentals-dc.

Washington, DC short-term rental FAQs

Is Airbnb legal in Washington, DC?

Short-term rentals in Washington, DC are legal only when the host complies with the city's rules. The current regime: Permitted with license, primary residence only, 90-night cap on unhosted rentals. Permit or registration requirement: Short-term rental license from DLCP (host present) or vacation-rental endorsement (unhosted); two-year license terms with modest fees. Operating without the required registration can lead to fines and platform delisting, Washington, DC is among the markets where Airbnb and Vrbo are required or pressured to remove non-compliant listings. Check the city's official short-term rental page before listing, because ordinances in this space are amended frequently.

Do I have to live in the property to rent it short-term in Washington, DC?

Primary-residence requirement in Washington, DC: Yes. Night caps: 90 unhosted nights/year (vacation-rental endorsement); hosted rentals uncapped. This is the single biggest factor separating investor-friendly STR markets from restricted ones, where a primary-residence rule applies, a pure investment property generally cannot operate as a short-term rental at all, and investors instead look at 30-plus-day furnished rentals, which most STR ordinances (including Washington, DC's) do not cover.

What taxes do short-term rental hosts pay in Washington, DC?

Lodging taxes for short-term stays in Washington, DC: DC sales tax on transient accommodations (highest-tier lodging rate, roughly 14.95%+) on short stays. On top of lodging taxes, STR income is ordinary taxable income at the federal and state level, and hosts averaging short stays with substantial services may owe self-employment tax. Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit some lodging taxes automatically in many jurisdictions, but the host remains legally responsible for confirming full compliance, verify current rates with the city and state revenue departments, as they change often.

Compare other markets

• Boston short-term rental laws
• New York City short-term rental laws
• Atlanta short-term rental laws
• All 20 cities compared