Pullman planning commission reopens short‑term rental rules; staff to draft narrow exemption to avoid costly sprinkler triggers

The City of Pullman Planning Commission met in January 2026 to take public comment on proposed revisions to Pullman City Code Chapter 17.109 governing short‑term rentals. After more than an hour of testimony from local operators and hosts, the commission asked staff to draft a narrow exemption so typical owner‑occupied listings would not be pushed into building‑code categories that require automatic sprinkler systems.

Why it matters: commissioners, staff and operators said the principal risk of some proposed classification schemes is that they could reclassify many rentals as lodging houses under the International Building Code (IBC), which can trigger mandatory sprinkler installation. Several speakers warned that retrofitting sprinklers is cost‑prohibitive and could force small businesses and owners to stop hosting, pushing activity into an untaxed “gray market.” To avoid that outcome, commissioners directed staff to prepare clear definition language and asked Jeremy Moore, the building official, to write a memo mapping proposed definitions to building‑code triggers.

What happened: public commenters…