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Hood River caps non-owner-occupied STRs at a citywide limit (originally 80, periodically reviewed) and requires primary-residence eligibility for new licenses outside designated commercial zones. The 2018 ordinance was tightened in 2021–2023 as housing-affordability concerns mounted. Owner-occupied home-share STRs remain broadly permitted; whole-home investor STRs face the citywide cap and are essentially closed to new entrants in residential zones.
STR eligibility tied to zoning + license class. Owner-Occupied/Home-Share: permitted in all residential zones (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-PR). Whole-Home Non-Owner-Occupied: subject to citywide cap (current cap ~80, periodically re-evaluated); allowed primarily in Commercial Mixed-Use (C-MU), Tourist Commercial, and master-planned resort overlays. New whole-home licenses in residential zones effectively unavailable. ADU STRs follow underlying zoning + the cap. Hood River County (unincorporated areas: Parkdale, Odell, Mount Hood villages) operates its own permit system.
Operators must hold a short-term rental permit before listing. See the official permit portal.
STRs are limited to the operator's primary residence.
Hood River Planning Department + Code Enforcement administer with annual renewal. Application requires designated 24/7 local contact, proof of insurance, life-safety self-certification, parking plan, and Oregon DOR transient lodging tax registration. Operating without a permit: civil infraction + back-tax + escalating daily fines. Code Enforcement actively cross-references Airbnb/Vrbo against the license registry. Cap-related denials are appealable to the Planning Commission.
Combined short-term lodging tax in Hood River is approximately 11.500% of gross nightly revenue (state sales + state TRT + local TRT + applicable resort/city options).
Oregon State lodging tax 1.5% + Hood River County transient lodging tax 6% + Hood River city transient lodging tax 4% — combined ~11.5% on transient lodging
Verify the current combined rate via the Utah State Tax Commission before remitting — rates drift quarterly.
STR regulations vary by jurisdiction. Compare Hood River against nearby markets.