Submitted by San Juan County.
Property owners within Eastsound Village Commercial and Lopez Village Commercial land use designations must now obtain a provisional use permit through the Department of Community Development to operate a vacation rental. Property owners with a vacation rental existing prior to June 25, 2025, will be granted a permit outside of the vacation rental permit caps if they apply by June 25, 2026, in accordance with Section 5 of Ordinance 10-2025.
Background
At the Oct. 1, 2024, County Council meeting, the Council directed DCD to draft code amendments to require provisional use permits for vacation rentals of residences and accessory dwelling units in the Village Commercial land use designations in Eastsound and Lopez Village. Vacation rentals in these designations were previously allowed without a permit. Permits are required for vacation rentals in all other land use designations and are subject to the vacation rental permit caps established by Ordinance 05-2022, with the exception of Master Planned Resorts.
Council met on June 10, where they held a public hearing and adopted Ordinance 10-2025. The ordinance amends SJCC 18.40.275 and land use tables within SJCC 18.30.465 and SJCC 18.30.750 to now require provisional use permits for vacation rentals in Eastsound and Lopez Village Commercial districts.
What’s next?
Owners of properties within Eastsound Village Commercial and Lopez Village Commercial with vacation rentals in operation prior to the effective date of the ordinance (June 25, 2025) must apply for a provisional use permit through DCD by June 25, 2026, to continue operation of the vacation rental. Owners may verify existence of a vacation rental through criteria established by DCD as provided for in Section 5 of the Ordinance. Vacation rental operators must also submit a Certificate of Compliance to DCD on an annual basis thereafter. Property owners who do not apply for a permit by June 25, 2026, for their existing vacation rental will be subject to the vacation rental permit caps described in SJCC 18.40.275.
Vacation rental property owners in these land use designations can apply for a provisional use permit via the County’s website:
San Juan County Sample Vacation Rental Rules of Conduct: https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17721/San-Juan-County-Sample-Vacation-Rental-Rules-of-Conduct
Vacation Rental Application (PDF): https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15349/Vacation-Rental-Application-PDF
Learn more about vacation rentals in San Juan County here: https://www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1579/Vacation-Rentals-Information-and-Applica .
This Ordinance does not affect the new vacation rental application process. Applications for new vacation rentals are still on hold until a lottery application process is approved by Council.
