DC licenses short-term and vacation rentals only at the owner's primary residence, for $99 per two-year license. A host who is away can rent no more than 90 nights a year. The DLCP page says booking services collect the transient lodging taxes for hosts. A 2026 bill to loosen these rules was described on a DLCP page but not confirmed as law, and the current lodging tax rate and the fine for a violation could not be confirmed.
Facts
| Field | Value | Stated by |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction type | federal district (District of Columbia government) | - |
| Permit required | Yes | Source 1 |
| Permit fee (USD) | $99 | Source 1 |
| Renewal period | two years | Source 1 |
| Non-owner-occupied rental allowed | No | Source 1 |
| Local lodging tax | not found on the official pages read | - |
| State lodging tax | not found on the official pages read | - |
| Platform collects tax | Yes | Source 1 |
| Penalties | The DLCP page gives no fine amount for short-term rentals. It says that if a booking is made for a property whose owner is not eligible for either license, the owner and the booking service must cancel it, and 'Failing to do so will result in enforcement action.' The DLCP Schedule of Fines page (dlcp.dc.gov/page/schedule-fines) was read on 2026-10-09: it lists fine classes (Class 1 $2,549 down to Class 5 $64, Class 6 $12,744, first offense) for infractions under 16 DCMR 3301-3304 and 3313 but does not say which class applies to short-term rental violations, so no penalty amount is recorded. | Source 1 |
| Fields not found | Local lodging tax; State lodging tax | - |
| Last checked | 2026-10-09 | - |
"not found on the official pages read" means the value was not found on the pages read on the check date, not that no such rule, fee or tax exists. "Stated by" points to the numbered source below.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a permit for an Airbnb in Washington, DC?
Yes, a permit or registration is required: Short-Term Rental license or Vacation Rental license (DLCP).
How much is the STR permit in Washington, DC?
The permit fee recorded is $99; the fee notes under Permit fee details say what it covers.
Can non-owner-occupied homes be rented short-term in Washington, DC?
No, according to the official pages read; the rules are under Owner occupancy, caps and zoning below.
What lodging taxes apply in Washington, DC?
The local lodging tax was not found on the official pages read and the state lodging tax was not found on the official pages read; confirm with the official pages cited under Sources on this page.
What are the penalties for short-term rental violations in Washington, DC?
The DLCP page gives no fine amount for short-term rentals. It says that if a booking is made for a property whose owner is not eligible for either license, the owner and the booking service must cancel it, and 'Failing to do so will result in enforcement action.' The DLCP Schedule of Fines page (dlcp.dc.gov/page/schedule-fines) was read on 2026-10-09: it lists fine classes (Class 1 $2,549 down to Class 5 $64, Class 6 $12,744, first offense) for infractions under 16 DCMR 3301-3304 and 3313 but does not say which class applies to short-term rental violations, so no penalty amount is recorded.
Permit details
Yes, a permit or registration is required.
Permit name: Short-Term Rental license or Vacation Rental license (DLCP)
Renewal period: two years
Permit fee details
Permit fee: $99
The DLCP page says: 'The total cost for either license is $99.00 for a two-year license.'
Owner occupancy, caps and zoning
No, according to the official pages read.
The DLCP page says the property must be owned by an individual and serve as the homeowner's primary residence (a property for which the owner is eligible for the Homestead Tax Deduction). Vacation rentals (host absent) cannot exceed 90 nights in any calendar year. A second DLCP page describes the Short-Term Rental Regulation Amendment Act of 2026, a bill that would let renters host and allow a second, non-owner-occupied property up to 90 cumulative nights; the page read does not say the bill has passed, so it is not counted as current law.
90 nights per calendar year for vacation rentals (host absent), per the DLCP page: 'Cumulatively, vacation rentals cannot exceed 90 nights in any calendar year.'
Lodging tax details
Local lodging tax: not found on the official pages read
State lodging tax: not found on the official pages read
Platform collects tax: Yes
RECENT CHANGE / CONFLICT: the DC Chief Financial Officer rates page lists '14.95% - Hotels (transient accommodations)' under sales and use tax, but it does not describe short-term rentals separately and an Office of Tax and Revenue notice about a 2023 temporary sales tax increase exists whose PDF body could not be read, so the current rate for short-term rentals is not confirmed and is left as unknown. DC has no separate state lodging tax. Platform collection: the DLCP page says 'All applicable transient lodging taxes, which will be collected by booking services on behalf of hosts, must be paid.' The OTR hotel tax page (otr.cfo.dc.gov/page/hotel-tax) returned HTTP 404 on 2026-10-09.
Sources
- DC DLCP: Short-term rental licensing page. Published on dlcp.dc.gov. Address: https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1616736
- DC DLCP: Short-Term Rental Regulation Amendment Act of 2026 page. Published on dlcp.dc.gov. Address: https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1821406
- DC CFO: Tax rates for sales and use taxes. Published on cfo.dc.gov. Address: https://cfo.dc.gov/page/tax-rates-and-revenues-sales-and-use-taxes-alcoholic-beverage-taxes-and-tobacco-taxes
- DC DLCP: Schedule of Fines (classes not tied to short-term rentals). Published on dlcp.dc.gov. Address: https://dlcp.dc.gov/page/schedule-fines
At most one official page per place is linked; every other source is cited as text with its full address.
Nearby and comparable markets
Other cities
Full dataset
Washington, DC is a free page. It is not in the 20-city dataset. The dataset is one CSV file with 20 other places and a PDF buyer guide that reports which cells are unknown. See the coverage by place and by field for the 20 places it covers.