Short-term rentals in Hood River, explained properly.

HRMC 5.10.060.B says the operating license is issued in the name of the licensee(s) and is not transferable, and 5.10.020.B says a license may be terminated or revoked if the dwelling is sold or otherwise transferred as the chapter defines. Transfer means adding or substituting owners who were not on the original application, whether or not there is consideration; an individual owner may be removed from a license that has several owners without it being a transfer (5.10.030.J). A new owner would need to apply for its own license.

HRMC 5.10.080.B.4 limits each owner to one City-issued license at a time, requires a separate license for each dwelling unit, and says each license authorizes the short-term rental use of only a single dwelling unit. The 2022 amendment (Ord. 2070) has prospective effect only and does not affect owners or operating licenses existing on the date it was enacted. Owner includes every person who owns an interest in a business entity that holds title (5.10.030.G).

Bedrooms are counted as defined by the International Building Code. Overnight means 10:00 pm to 7:00 am and daytime means 7:00 am to 10:00 pm (HRMC 5.10.030.M, N; 5.10.090.E).

A garage can count if a photo of the interior shows it is available for parking. A parking diagram of the approved spaces must be given to guests and kept in a prominent place in the dwelling (HRMC 5.10.080.F). The application needs dated photos of interior and exterior parking and a site plan with a parking diagram (5.10.050.A.4).

The contact information may be changed by revising the license information with the City at least 14 days before the change takes effect, except when the failure is beyond the licensee's control. The neighbor notice shows the license number and the owner or representative contact information, and is repeated when the contact information changes (HRMC 5.10.080.B.2, B.3). The licensee or representative must also respond to neighbor questions and complaints in a reasonably timely manner and keep a record of complaints and responses (5.10.090.B).

The City may require verification for each renewal at the City Manager's discretion (HRMC 5.10.080.C.2). The posted license shows its number and expiration date, the contact name and telephone number, approved parking spaces, maximum occupancy, trash pickup day, the property address and the City logo (5.10.080.D). The City Manager may visit the site on application and at other times, during business hours and with reasonable notice (5.10.090.C).

Assisted pick-up means the collection driver retrieves the cart from the driveway, rolls it out for service and places it back in its original location (HRMC 5.10.080.C.3; 5.10.050.A.9).

These are the specific prohibitions in HRMC 5.10.090.D; the noise limits are those in HRMC Title 8.09, which we haven't reviewed. Guests are also to receive the City's good neighbor guidelines through the rental contract, booklet, online posting or a conspicuous place in the dwelling (5.10.050.A.6).

The City reviews each renewal application and issues a renewal if the standards are still met; if not, it does not renew and the property may not be used as a short-term rental (HRMC 5.10.060.A, 5.10.070.C, 5.10.130.B). The renewal fee is set by Council resolution.

Violations include false statements in an application, advertising or renting without a valid license, advertising or renting in a way that does not meet the chapter, and failing to meet HRMC 5.10.080 and 5.10.090 (5.10.100). Violations are also subject to enforcement under HRMC Title 1 (5.10.110.A).

Revocation is by written notice stating the basis and the appeal procedure; filing an appeal stays the revocation until the Hearings Officer decides (HRMC 5.10.110.C, D). The hearing is scheduled within 35 days of the notice of appeal, the late-filing deadline is jurisdictional, and the decision is final and appealable only by writ of review to Circuit Court (5.10.120).

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.