Short-term rental rules · Cannon Beach, Oregon
Short-term rentals in Cannon Beach, explained properly.
Cannon Beach limits short-term rentals to protect its residential neighborhoods. In the RVL, RL, R1, R2, R3, MP and RAM zones, a dwelling can be rented short term only with a City short-term rental permit (a lifetime unlimited, five-year unlimited or 14-day permit) or as an approved bed and breakfast. A permit belongs to a specific owner and dwelling and is void when the property is sold, and one person cannot be issued a new permit while holding another. Owners need a local representative living inside the urban growth boundary or a management company within 10 vehicular miles, a guest register, off-street parking and occupancy within the bedroom limits, and must follow the City's transient room tax chapter. Violations lead to a warning, suspensions and then revocation, with fines of up to $500. We haven't reviewed the zoning code, the transient room tax chapter or the fee schedule yet, so confirm zoning and tax for an address with the City.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Are short-term rentals allowed? | Conditional: in the RVL, RL, R1, R2, R3, MP and RAM zones a dwelling can be rented short term only with a City short-term rental permit (a lifetime unlimited, five-year unlimited or 14-day permit) or as an approved bed and breakfast [1] ClauseConfirming |
| City short-term rental permit required? | Conditional: required in the RVL, RL, R1, R2, R3, MP and RAM zones, unless the dwelling is approved as a bed and breakfast; permits go to a specific owner of a specific dwelling and must be posted by the front door [1] ClauseConfirming |
| Must the owner live on the property? | No: the owner may instead designate a local representative who lives inside the Cannon Beach urban growth boundary, or a property management company with a staffed office within 10 vehicular miles [1] Clause |
| Can the permit be transferred to a new owner? | No: a rental permit is void when the holder sells or transfers the property; a 14-day permit holder's buyer may apply for a new 14-day permit [1] Clause |
| Can one person hold more than one short-term rental permit? | No: a person who holds a short-term rental permit cannot be issued a new one [1] Clause |
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Detailed rules
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Operating rules
| Does the City permit three categories of short-term rental (lifetime unlimited, five-year unlimited and 14-day)? | Yes: three categories: lifetime unlimited and five-year unlimited permits stay in force until revoked or terminated and are not replaced; a 14-day permit lasts one year [1] ClauseConfirming Section 17.84.010 lists the three categories. Section 17.84.040(A) states the City's intention that lifetime unlimited and five-year unlimited permits remain in force until revoked or terminated, and that a revoked or terminated permit of either kind will not be replaced. Section 17.84.040(B) separately says the maximum period a person may hold an unlimited five-year rental permit is five consecutive years, after which it expires and cannot be renewed and the two statements in Section 17.84.040 read differently; whether they conflict is unresolved. A 14-day permit application can be submitted at any time and, if approved, lasts one year from the date of issuance (Sec. 17.84.050(G)). |
|---|---|
| Can a 14-day permit dwelling be rented more than once in 14 days? | No: a 14-day permit allows one individual tenancy within 14 consecutive calendar days, and no other occupancy (except the owner) in the 14 days that start with that tenancy [1] Clause Section 17.84.050 says a 14-day permit authorizes the owner to rent the dwelling once, as one individual tenancy, within 14 consecutive calendar days. An individual tenancy is a specific person or group who together occupy or are entitled to occupy the rental. The tenancy does not have to occupy the unit for the whole 14 days, but no additional occupancy, other than the property owner, may occur within the 14-day period that begins on the first day of the tenancy. |
| Is a local representative required? | Yes: a local representative living inside the Cannon Beach urban growth boundary, or a licensed property management company with a staffed office within 10 vehicular miles; the owner may serve if the owner lives inside the boundary [1] Clause The representative must be authorized to respond to tenant and neighbor concerns, is the first contact for complaints and must respond in a timely manner. If the police department cannot reach the representative in a timely manner more than twice during the term of the annual permit, that is a violation and the permit is subject to suspension and possible revocation. A replacement representative must be reported on a revised certification form within 30 days. The City posts the name, address and telephone number of the owner or representative on its website (Sec. 17.84.070). |
| Guest register | Required: keep a register of every tenancy with tenant names, home addresses, phone numbers and rental dates, available to the City on request [1] Clause The owner or the local representative maintains the register. Failing to keep it or to provide it on request is a violation and grounds for a penalty under the chapter (Sec. 17.84.070(B)). |
| Maximum occupancy | Set by bedroom count and off-street parking spaces, and never more than 12 persons (counting persons two years of age and older) unless a permit issued before January 1, 2005 set a higher number [1] ClauseConfirming Section 17.84.080 limits occupancy by the number of bedrooms and by the number of available off-street parking spaces. Reading the bedroom table in the order of its columns, the limits are 6 persons for 1 bedroom, 6 for 2, 8 for 3, 10 for 4 and 12 for 5 bedrooms. A bedroom is a room that meets the definition in the Oregon State Building Code. The saved copy of the table runs its cells together, so confirm the figures against the code page. |
| Off-street parking | Required: 2 to 4 off-street spaces depending on bedroom count, each entirely on the property, at least 9 feet by 18 feet, reachable from a driveway or public street [1] ClauseConfirming Reading the bedroom table in the order of its columns, the minimum off-street parking is 2 spaces for 1 or 2 bedrooms, 3 spaces for 3 bedrooms and 4 spaces for 4 or 5 bedrooms (Sec. 17.84.080). The saved copy of the table runs its cells together, so confirm the figures against the code page. |
| Inspection | Required: the City inspects a dwelling for Oregon State Building Code conformance when a new permit is applied for, and may inspect any permitted dwelling at any time with proper notice [1] Clause The owner must make the alterations the City requires before a permit is issued. A permitted dwelling remains subject to inspection with proper notice, and failing to complete required alterations within the specified time can lead to revocation of the permit (Sec. 17.84.060). |
| Posting, tsunami map and trash service | Post the rental permit inside the dwelling next to the front door with a tsunami evacuation route map, and provide weekly solid waste collection in every month the dwelling is available to rent [1] Clause These are general provisions in Section 17.84.020(C) and (D). |
| City lodging tax | Short-term rentals must comply with Municipal Code Chapter 3.12, Transient Room Tax; the rate is not shown here [1] ClauseConfirming Section 17.84.030 makes the rental subject to Chapter 3.12, and failing to pay the transient room tax or file a return is also a violation of the short-term rental chapter (Sec. 17.84.090(A)). We haven't reviewed Chapter 3.12 yet, so no City tax rate or filing schedule is shown on this page. Oregon's state lodging tax is shown in the state section. |
Penalties & enforcement
| Penalties for violations | Within a 24-month period: warning, then 30-day suspension, then 90-day suspension, then revocation; fines of up to $500, with each day of violation a separate violation [1] Clause Failing to meet any standard in the chapter, or failing to pay or file transient room tax, is a violation (Sec. 17.84.090(A)). The City notifies the permit holder and the local representative in writing. It may also seek an injunction or other equitable relief and any criminal or civil penalties Oregon law allows. Renting without a valid rental permit is subject to a fine of up to $500 for each day the dwelling was rented without a permit (Sec. 17.84.100(C)). |
|---|---|
| Waiting period after revocation | A person whose permit is revoked cannot apply for short-term rental permits for two years from the date of revocation [1] Clause Section 17.84.100(B) sets the two-year bar after revocation, and Section 17.84.090(C)(2) applies a two-year bar from participating in the short-term rental program after revocation or after a penalty for renting without a permit. |
| Appeal of a penalty | The permit holder may appeal to the City Council by filing a letter with the City Manager within 10 days after the order is mailed; the Council holds a hearing within 60 days [1] Clause At the hearing the permit holder may present relevant evidence, and the Council may uphold, modify or overturn the decision to suspend or revoke the permit (Sec. 17.84.100(A)). |
| Deferring penalties with professional management | A self-managed permit holder with two or more violations in 24 months may defer penalties by placing the unit under professional management for at least two years [1] Clause If more violations accrue during the period of professional management, the penalties apply, including the deferred ones (Sec. 17.84.110). The chapter points to Section 17.04 for the definition of professional management, which we haven't reviewed yet. |
State law that also applies
| Oregon state transient lodging tax | State transient lodging tax of 1.5% of the amount charged for occupancy of transient lodging for stays ending on or before December 31, 2026, rising to 2.75% for consideration charged on or after January 1, 2027; stays of 30 consecutive days or more are not subject to the state tax; it is in addition to any local lodging tax [2] [3] [4] Clause 1 Clause 2 Clause 3 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. |
|---|---|
| Do booking platforms collect the state lodging tax? | The state transient lodging tax is collected by the transient lodging provider or the transient lodging intermediary (such as a booking platform) that collects the payment for the stay; a host whose bookings all go through an intermediary does not need to file a state return [2] [5] Clause 1 Clause 2 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. |
| Is there a statewide short-term rental law? | No statewide short-term rental licence, ban or limit on local rules was found in the sources reviewed, which cover the state transient lodging tax statutes and Department of Revenue pages only; the state law reviewed leaves city and county lodging taxes and local rules to local governments [2] [5] [4] Clause 1 Clause 2 Clause 3Confirming 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. |
Changes
Recent and pending changes
We read Cannon Beach Municipal Code Chapter 17.84 (Short-Term Rentals) as published on eCode360 on October 18, 2026; its history notes cite Ordinance 24-05 dated June 5, 2024. We haven't reviewed the zoning chapters, Chapter 3.12 (Transient Room Tax), the definitions in Chapter 17.04, the fee schedule or City Council and Planning Commission agendas yet, so we will watch the Code for changes.
Sources
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This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.