Deadline extended for vacation rental compliance certification process

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

San Juan County’s Department of Community Development (DCD) is extending the deadline for filing the 2024 Vacation Rental (VR) Certificate of Compliance to January 31, 2025. Certificate of compliance applications are accepted through the online permit center, through the mail, or in-person. See the following for detailed information: Vacation Rental Compliance & Enforcement.

Additionally, DCD has received a number of questions about the 2024 VR certificate format and offers the following guidance for anyone who hasn’t yet finished applying for their 2024 VR certificate:

• VR Permit Number: For all owners of property used for vacation rental that do not need a land use permit (e.g. for vacation rentals in the Village Commercial, or VC, designations in Lopez or Eastsound), please use the appropriate response below when completing the question “What is your vacation rental permit number?”
  1. For Lopez VC property owners, enter: “18.30.750(VC)”
  2. For Eastsound VC property owners, enter: “18.30.460-5(VC)”
• General Tips for filling out the online 2024 VR Certificate:
  1. Answer as accurately as you can for all activities conducted in the year 2024. If there is no accurate response option, please select the next best option and send any clarifying information about your response to marcs@sanjuancountywa.gov or via phone at 360-370-7580.
  2. VR certificates will be marked as “PENDING” until staff have the opportunity to review the certificate. If your VR certificate is marked as “PENDING” on or before January 31^st, 2025, it will be considered as having been accepted on time. Staff may require further information at a later date.

Notes on notifications for previously issued VR permits: Staff in the Health and Community Services Department have been assisting DCD staff with modernizing historic permits in the system to compile more accurate VR permit number totals. The system has been sending out automatically generated emails for some of these already issued permits, which has led to some confusion. In general, notifications and emails sent between November 2024 and January 2025 for previously issued VR permits may be disregarded. If you are unsure, please feel free to contact DCD staff to help clarify.

How to Apply for a Vacation Rental Certificate of Compliance

To submit online or access the printable form, go to https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1836/Vacation-Rental-Compliance-Enforcement.

In accordance with SJC Resolution No. 34-2020, a $145 fee is charged for online submittals, and a $160 fee is charged for paper submittals. These fees support the cost of the vacation rental compliance program.

Vacation rental permit holders will receive a reminder of due compliance via email and through the mail, however, permit holders can submit their compliance as soon as the process opens.

Since 2018, vacation rental permit holders must annually certify compliance with the conditions of their permit approval and with the fire and life safety requirements of the International Fire Code. (UDC 18.40.275, K4) Compliance certification is necessary to maintain a vacation rental permit in San Juan County. Failure to submit a certificate annually will result in fines and penalties including revocation of the permit.

About San Juan County’s Department of Community Development 

San Juan County’s Department of Community Development is responsible for building permits and inspections, code enforcement, land use designations, long range planning, and more. The department’s main office is located at 135 Rhone Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Community Development, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1778/Community-Development.