Short-term rentals in Bend, explained properly.

The maximum occupancy is set by BDC 3.6.500(G) and shown on the license (BC 7.16.070(D)). The application must state occupancy limits and the number of bedrooms (BC 7.16.040(A)(5)). A change in the number of bedrooms requires a modification of approval (BDC 3.6.500(C)(6)).

The parking standard follows BDC Chapter 3.3. The whole space must fit on the property without crossing the property line. A parking diagram or photo is submitted with an initial license application when on-site spaces are provided, and the diagram must be given to renters and kept in a prominent place in the dwelling (BC 7.16.040(A)(4), 7.16.070(F)). The license lists the number of approved parking spaces.

BDC 3.6.500(I) lists this as a prohibited use.

BDC 3.6.500(C)(3) sets this category. The license can carry a condition such as a maximum of 29 days available for rent per 12-month period (BC 7.16.070(D)(5)).

The room cannot be in a detached or attached accessory dwelling unit or accessory structure without internal access to the dwelling. These rentals are exempt from the spacing rule but subject to the other standards of BDC 3.6.500, including the operating license.

Proof can be a room tax remittance form, a rental contract, rental receipts or other documentation the City accepts (BC 7.16.070(B)(1)). A long-term rental exemption requires proof of a residential lease of 12 months or longer under the Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and can be used for up to three renewal applications. A temporary hardship exception (medical condition, death of a spouse, domestic partner or immediate family member, or uninhabitable structure that is not self-imposed) may be set by the City Manager for no more than six months, with a one-time extension. Under BDC 3.6.500(K) a permit is void if the rental ceases for more than 12 months or the annual license is not maintained, and under BDC 3.6.500(L) a new permit is void if the rental is not rented for at least one night in the first 12 months.

The owner or authorized agent must provide contact information sufficient to verify a qualified person is available during and after business hours, and revise license information at least 14 days before changing the designated representative (BC 7.16.070(B)(4)). For neighbor notice the owner either mails or hand-delivers a flier each year to neighbors within a 250-foot radius, or posts a small placard permitted by the Bend Sign Code near the adjacent street (BC 7.16.070(B)(5)). The City keeps an online database where anyone can look up the owner or representative for a rental address (BC 7.16.070(B)(6)). The owner or representative must respond to complaints in a reasonably timely manner (BC 7.16.080(A)).

The checklist covers fire extinguishers, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors (BC 7.16.070(C)(1)). The posted license shows the unique license number and expiration date, the owner or representative and a telephone number, the number of approved parking spaces, the maximum occupancy, any conditions specific to the license (for example a maximum of 29 days available for rent per 12-month period), the property address and the City of Bend logo (BC 7.16.070(D)). The City may inspect a rental before use begins and on a prescribed schedule during normal business hours with reasonable notice (BDC 3.6.500(N)). Applicants acknowledge the good neighbor guidelines and show they are relayed to renters (BC 7.16.040(A)(7)).

BC 7.16.070(E) sets these conditions at the time of application; a voluntary assurance of compliance, negotiated compliance agreement or deferred sentence agreement satisfies the no-pending-actions condition. Room tax records given to the City are kept confidential to the extent law allows (BC 7.16.070(B)(1)). The room tax rate and filing rules are in BC Chapter 12.05, which we haven't reviewed, so no City lodging tax rate is shown here.

BC 7.16.100 applies BC Chapter 1.40 (Civil Infractions) and BC 7.10.075 (Regulatory Permits). It is also a civil infraction to represent a dwelling as available for rent as a short-term rental without a valid operating license, to advertise or rent in a way that does not comply with the chapter, or to fail to meet the standards of BC 7.16.070 and 7.16.080. We haven't reviewed BC Chapter 1.40, so the fine amounts are not shown here. The City's remedies are in addition to other legal remedies (BC 7.16.130).

Immediate revocation applies to failure to renew, failure to show proof of use, land use approval or contact criteria under BC 7.16.070(B)(1) to (3), material misstatements, and expiration or revocation of the land use permit (BC 7.16.090(A)). After revocation the owner cannot reapply for the same property for 12 months and needs a new land use approval and license (BC 7.16.120). A late application has a 30-day period after the City's notice; after it expires the ability to operate is presumed discontinued (BC 7.16.060(C), (D)). An appeal is filed in writing within 12 calendar days of the decision; the City Manager schedules a Council hearing within 21 days of the notice, a timely appeal stays a suspension or revocation, and the Council decision is final and appealable only by writ of review to Circuit Court (BC 7.16.090(B), 7.16.110).

Section 320.305 of the Oregon Revised Statutes (the edition read) imposes a tax of 1.5 percent on any consideration charged for the sale, service or furnishing of transient lodging, computed on the total retail price including all charges other than taxes; the tax becomes due when the occupancy ends, and the collector may withhold a collection reimbursement charge of five percent of the amount collected. The Department of Revenue says the rate is 1.5 percent for stays ending on or before December 31, 2026 and 2.75 percent for consideration charged on or after January 1, 2027, and that receipts and invoices must label the new 1.25 percent as a "nature conservation fee" (Chapter 140, Oregon Laws 2026); the Legislature's overview of House Bill 4134 (2026) says the Act increases the state transient lodging tax and applies the increase to charges occurring on or after January 1, 2027. We haven't reviewed the enrolled text of House Bill 4134, so the 2.75% figure rests on the Department of Revenue page. Transient lodging includes houses, cabins, condominiums, apartment units and other dwelling units used for temporary human occupancy. A dwelling unit used by the general public for fewer than 30 days a year is exempt, but that exemption does not apply to a unit rented out through a platform provided by a transient lodging intermediary; a stay of 30 days or more by the same person is also exempt. Returns and payments for the state are due by the last day of the month after each calendar quarter. Local city and county lodging taxes are shown on each place's page.

Under ORS 320.305, the tax is collected by the transient lodging provider or the transient lodging intermediary that collects the consideration charged for occupancy, or by an intermediary that requires the provider to use a specified third-party entity to collect it (ORS 320.300(12)(c)). A transient lodging intermediary is a person other than the provider that facilitates the retail sale of transient lodging and charges for or collects the consideration, or receives a fee or commission and requires the provider to use a specified third party to collect it. The Department of Revenue says whoever collects payment for the occupancy is responsible for collecting and remitting the tax, and that a host whose bookings are all handled through an intermediary, and will not be handled by the host in the foreseeable future, does not need to complete a return. A collector must give the guest an invoice or receipt that shows the sum of all transient lodging taxes charged (ORS 320.303). For local lodging taxes, ORS 320.360 puts the duty to collect and file on the same provider or intermediary that collects the payment, unless a local charter, ordinance or agreement provides otherwise. The sources read do not name particular platforms; check with the platform and the Department of Revenue.

We reviewed ORS chapter 320 (the transient lodging tax sections, 320.300 to 320.365), the Department of Revenue's Transient Lodging Tax page and the Legislature's overview of 2026 House Bill 4134 (an increase in the state lodging tax). These set a tax and who collects it. They do not license short-term rentals, set zoning, or limit what cities and counties may require; ORS 320.305 says the state tax is in addition to any local transient lodging tax, and the Department of Revenue says cities and counties set their own lodging tax rate. We haven't reviewed Oregon's land-use, landlord-tenant or other chapters, or other 2025 and 2026 bills, so this is a statement about the sources reviewed, not about all Oregon law. A similar bill could be filed in a later session.