Chelan County, WA short-term rental market report (2026)
Chelan County, Washington. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesStrict (4/5)
- Average revenue$57K a year
- 4-BR typical value$713K
- Gross yield8.0%
- FEMA riskRelatively Moderate
- Demand drivers within 50 mi2
Everything STR HUB holds on Chelan County, WA in one place, in the order an investor needs it: whether you can operate, what the numbers are, why and when people come, who can reach it, and what could go wrong.
Every figure comes from a named dataset listed under Sources and method, dated September 21, 2026. Where we do not hold a figure, that part of the report is left out rather than estimated.
Can you operate in Chelan County?
What the rating rests on: Capped permit — one application window a year.
| Rule | What we hold on file |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Chelan County (unincorporated) |
| Permit or licence | Tiered STR permit - one application window a year (1 Jun-31 Jul) |
| Cap on rentals | 6% of housing units; Leavenworth / Lake Wenatchee / Plain already over cap |
| Lodging and sales taxes | State + local sales and lodging taxes; $1M liability insurance required (RCW 64.37) |
| Permit transfers on sale | No - transfers end 26 Sep 2026 |
Rules for Chelan County last verified September 20, 2026. Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
Which way the rules are moving
Tightening. The rules we hold report a recent or pending change.
Permit transferability ends 26 Sep 2026.
Classified from the regulation text we publish; a direction is only kept when the sentence it rests on appears word for word in that text.
The numbers
Revenue
Gross market averages from STR HUB market analytics, the same figures shown on the market page. They are before cleaning, management, utilities, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
Home values in Chelan County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Chelan County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
Gross yield
Gross yield is before every operating cost and before financing. It is a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What it costs to own
Screening figures, not a bill or a quote. The tax rate is a county-wide median for owner-occupied homes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022); second homes and rentals are often taxed more heavily, and a purchase usually resets the assessed value. Expected annual loss is from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Housing market momentum
County-level, for-sale housing market: it says nothing directly about STR bookings. A relative ranking among tracked markets, not a forecast. Sources: Realtor.com Economic Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index.
Why people come
2 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Chelan County. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Attractions
- Leavenworth Bavarian village
- When
- Year-round; peaks at Christmas Lighting (December), Oktoberfest and in summer.
- Attendance
- 3,400,000 (Wikipedia (Leavenworth, Washington): the Bavarian-style village drew 3.4 million visitors in 2024, 59 percent from the Seattle metropolitan area.)
- STR angle
- A themed mountain town two hours from Seattle with festival peaks in every season plus river, hiking and ski traffic. Rules are strict — the city bars STRs in residential zones and Chelan County caps them — so permitted cabins trade at a premium.
Landmarks
- Leavenworth Bavarian Village
- When
- Year-round; December (Christmas lighting) is the peak, then Oktoberfest and summer.
- Attendance
- 3,400,000 (Wikipedia: "Leavenworth and its Bavarian-style village drew 3.4 million visitors in 2024, of which 59 percent were from the Seattle metropolitan area." The article adds that the December daytime population reaches 33,000.)
- STR angle
- A timber town that rebuilt itself as a Bavarian village now runs four seasons: Christmas lights, Oktoberfest, river summers and nearby skiing, fed mostly by Seattle drivers on two-night stays. Chelan County caps and zones short-term rentals outside city limits, so a permitted property is materially more valuable than one without.
When they come
Ski-plus-summer climate: at least three months bring six inches or more of snowfall, and May to September is comfortable. 4 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F, and 4 months average six inches or more of snow. Warmest month: August (average high 89°F). Coldest: February (average low 26°F).
- Jan35°27°ColdSnow
- Feb36°26°ColdSnow
- Mar48°33°Cool
- Apr59°40°Cool
- May71°48°Comfortable
- Jun79°56°Comfortable
- Jul89°63°Hot
- Aug89°65°Hot
- Sep76°58°Comfortable
- Oct61°46°Comfortable
- Nov43°33°ColdSnow
- Dec34°26°ColdSnow
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 35 | 36 | 48 | 59 | 71 | 79 | 89 | 89 | 76 | 61 | 43 | 34 |
| Average low (°F) | 27 | 26 | 33 | 40 | 48 | 56 | 63 | 65 | 58 | 46 | 33 | 26 |
| Precipitation (in) | 3.7 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
| Snowfall (in) | 17.6 | 7.3 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 7.6 | 15.2 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 4.3 | 7.1 | 9.4 | 10.8 | 12.1 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 13.0 | 10.4 | 8.6 | 5.5 | 3.8 |
This is climate and events, not booking data. Monthly normals are 2019-2023 averages from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis) at the market pin. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| King County, WA | 2,254,371 |
| Pierce County, WA | 918,993 |
| Snohomish County, WA | 828,337 |
County populations (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022) summed for every county whose centre lies within each straight-line radius. Straight lines are shorter than roads, so read these as generous upper bounds, not drive-time counts.
What could go wrong
| Hazard | FEMA rating | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 99.6 |
| River flooding | Relatively Moderate | 91.3 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 88.8 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 76.1 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 67.2 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 9.3 |
This is a county-level index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination. A coastal or wildfire-fringe rental can carry far more exposure than its county average suggests. FEMA does not model hurricane and coastal flooding for this county, which is not the same as zero risk. Get property-level flood, wind and wildfire quotes before you buy.
Market context
Housing and jobs in Chelan County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018-2022. Vacation-home share is housing units held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. All three describe the whole county, not one town or neighbourhood.
What is within 15 km of the Chelan County pin
Counts of features mapped in OpenStreetMap within 15 km of the market pin. A fixed radius favours dense metros, and map coverage varies by area.
Similar markets
The 4 tracked markets whose numbers sit closest to Chelan County's. Each links to its own report.
Closest by normalised distance across the figures both markets hold (typical 4BR value, revenue, occupancy, regulation rating, vacation-home share, tourism job share, 4+ bedroom share, amenity score, population within 300 miles, comfortable months and FEMA risk score). At most 2 of the 4 come from Washington, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Chelan County on the map
Open Chelan County on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Chelan County STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Chelan County?
STR HUB rates Chelan County's short-term rental rules 4/5 (Strict) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). Permit rule on file: Tiered STR permit - one application window a year (1 Jun-31 Jul) Cap on file: 6% of housing units; Leavenworth / Lake Wenatchee / Plain already over cap. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does an Airbnb make in Chelan County?
The average short-term rental in Chelan County, WA grosses $57,000 a year, on a $235 average nightly rate and 66% occupancy. That ranks #51 of the 88 tracked markets with revenue data. It is a gross market average before cleaning, management, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Chelan County?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Chelan County is valued at $713,004 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $534,896, with all-home values down 0.5% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What is the gross rental yield in Chelan County?
8.0%: average annual short-term rental revenue of $57,000 divided by the county's typical 4-bedroom home value of $713,004. It is before every operating cost and before financing, so treat it as a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What brings visitors to Chelan County?
2 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Chelan County: Leavenworth Bavarian Village (3,400,000 published attendance) and Leavenworth Bavarian village (3,400,000 published attendance). Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research (official source: co.chelan.wa.us).
- Revenue, nightly rate and occupancy: STR Agent HUB market analytics.
- Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), county level. Data provided by Zillow Group.
- Housing, employment and population figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2018-2022.
- Natural hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, county level.
- Amenity counts: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Climate normals: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (CC BY 4.0), 2019-2023 averages.
- Demand drivers: each entry links its own published source in the list above.
Figures come from the STR HUB national dataset dated September 21, 2026 and this page is regenerated whenever that dataset is rebuilt. County-level figures describe Chelan County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood. The Opportunity Score (0-100) is a screening heuristic that weighs revenue (35%), regulatory climate (25%), tourism employment (15%), nearby amenities (15%) and large-home supply (10%) relative to the other tracked markets.
Confirm before you act. Short-term rental rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction, and work with a licensed local agent who knows which properties can legally operate. This report is screening data, not investment, legal or tax advice.
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