Pullman council holds extended discussion of short‑term rental rules, enforcement and safety

R.J. Lauder, Pullman community development director, presented the city’s updated short‑term rental (STR) code and implementation progress at the Sept. 29 City Council meeting, outlining definitions, safety inspections, fees and enforcement procedures adopted by ordinance earlier this year.

The revised code (Ordinance 25‑08, codified as Pullman City Code 17.109) defines short‑term rentals as dwelling transactions of 30 consecutive nights or fewer and expands where STRs are allowed. Lauder said the state law framework (identified in the presentation as RCW 64.37) and local inspection requirements guided staff recommendations. “If someone comes forward to us via the online portal and has everything ready to go an inspection could be done the following afternoon,” Lauder said, describing the faster administrative review and the $200 one‑time application fee that replaced the prior $500 conditional‑use‑permit process.

The presentation emphasized safety and state compliance: liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 (cited from RCW language in staff slides), posting the rental address and emergency contacts, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors consistent with the International Residential Code, a mounted fire extinguisher and an evacuation floor plan. Lauder said the city requires a simple emergency egress light — an example is a wall‑plugged flashlight with a backup…