Clackamas County adopts short-term rental ordinance, raises fee to fund enforcement

The Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners on June 25 approved Ordinance 07-2026, adopting Chapter 8.1 of the county code to regulate short-term rentals and declared an emergency, and separately approved a resolution moving the short-term rental fee into Appendix A and increasing it to 1.5% to fund enforcement.

Jeff Munns, assistant county counsel, summarized the package as a second-reading action that adds a land-use-compatibility statement, requires registrations to renew every other year and relocates fee language into Appendix A. He said the fee increase is intended to generate roughly $558,100 to stand up enforcement staff and program operations. Munns also described enforcement tools including new citations (initial citation amount $411) and a penalty range up to $22,500 depending on severity and repeat violations.

The board voted to read the ordinance by title, then approved final adoption; the clerk recorded five "Aye" votes. The accompanying fees-and-fines resolution likewise passed on a recorded 5-0 vote.

Public commenters were split on the details. Peter Himes of the Hoodland Community Planning Organization supported stronger enforcement and the percentage fee, saying 2 FTEs is a reasonable start. John Schmidt, who operates an Airbnb at Holmes Lake Resort, urged creating a "managed resort development" exemption for purpose-built resorts with on-site management and centralized services, arguing such properties should not face the same land-use process as single-family rentals. Richard Carlson, representing the Rippling River Association, asked the board to tighten definitions for sleeping areas, occupancy caps and garbage handling and suggested mandatory revocation after repeated violations.

Commissioners repeatedly framed the ordinance as a first step. Commissioner Helm said she supports categorizing properties and exempting certain resort-style operations; Commissioner Schrader and others said the code can be revisited and refined after staff implements the program and the board reviews outcomes. County staff recommended a six-month check-in and reconvening of the internal task force to review issues and proposed changes.

The ordinance and fee change will move forward immediately under the emergency declaration; staff will place the program within county organizational structure, hire enforcement staff, and bring implementation details (including appendices with penalty amounts) into code appendices as directed. The board noted only part of the estimated 1,300 county STRs are currently registered (about 300), and staff said registration and enforcement will be a priority.

Next steps: staff will implement the new fee and enforcement framework, pursue the hiring and placement of enforcement staff, and return to the board with any recommended code refinements after an initial implementation period and public input.