Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach permits short-term rentals, but tightly. A city permit is required under Municipal Code Chapter 17.84, and the city enforces the rules strictly. STRs are allowed only in the RVL, RL, R1, R2, R3, MP and RAM zones. Unincorporated Clatsop County does not allow new STRs.

Permits come in three types: lifetime unlimited, five-year unlimited and 14-day. Five-year unlimited permits are capped at 92, with only about 35 active, and are distributed by lottery. The city is phasing them out through attrition. A 14-day permit lets an owner without a permit rent once within a 14 consecutive day window. Because unlimited permits are capped and largely allocated, new investors often can only acquire one through a property transfer.

The initial and annual renewal fees are each about $500, with a roughly $106 inspection or re-inspection fee and a $100 fee to change the local representative (2025-26 fee schedule). Owners must name a local representative who lives within the urban growth boundary, or a licensed property manager with a staffed office within 10 miles. Properties must pass inspection first.

Guests pay an 8% city transient room tax plus the 1.5% Oregon state lodging tax, about 9.5% combined. Violations carry fines up to $500, and after a revocation or a penalty for renting without a license the owner is barred from the STR program for two years. There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement.

The city raised its transient room tax to 8% in January 2024 and began re-evaluating the ordinance in July 2024, including the 14-day rule and ending the five-year lottery through attrition. Clatsop County had discussed a moratorium for unincorporated areas. Verify current rules with the city before buying.