City Watch
Short-term rental rules in Lopez Island, WA
How Lopez Island regulates short-term rentals: the rules that apply, their sources, and pending changes.
Rules here limit which homes may operate as short-term rentals, how many, where, or for how many nights a year.
- hard island-specific vacation-rental permit cap of 135 for Lopez Island under SJCC 18.40.275
- no new permits issued while an island is at/above its cap; new permits reissued only via lottery as attrition frees slots
- countywide non-MPR permit ceiling of 405; caps set to freeze/reduce STR supply
- 2025 Lopez Village Commercial designation now requires a provisional (discretionary) use permit
Based on: SJCC 18.40.275; Ord. 05-2022 (adopted May 17, 2022); Ord. 10-2025 (eff. June 25, 2025)
Summary of the rule
Vacation rental permit limits: San Juan Island 337 permits; Orcas Island 211 permits; Lopez Island 135 permits; Outer islands 10 permits. The new caps do not take away existing active or inactive permits that are fully compliant with County regulatory requirements and fees.
View the ordinance source ↗✓ Verified
Last reviewed Sep 15, 2026 · Sources · Report an error
Pending legislation
Monitoring Lopez Island · system last checked Oct 25, 2026
Owners in Lopez Island
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City Watch tracks changes from public sources — council agendas, state bills, local news — not a complete legal compendium.
A city permit is not the whole picture — HOA, condominium, deed, or lease rules may be stricter.
City Watch provides good-faith summaries of publicly available information as of the review date shown. Rules, enforcement, and permit availability can change, and summaries may contain errors or omissions. Ratings describe the general regulatory environment; they do not establish whether a particular property or stay is permitted. This is general information, not legal advice. Before buying, listing, or hosting, verify applicable requirements with the responsible authorities and review any HOA, condominium, deed, or lease restrictions.