The Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) is a tax the City of Troutdale charges on short-term stays — any occupancy of 29 nights or fewer — at a hotel, motel, inn, RV park, or other lodging facility within city limits. It's paid by the guest, not the business: the lodging operator collects it from the guest at the time of payment and passes it along to the city.
- Tax rate: 6.95% of the rent charged for the stay.
- Who pays it: the guest (occupant), collected by whoever operates the lodging.
- What it funds: general city services, with 0.95% specifically dedicated to tourism promotion and tourism-related facilities in Troutdale — things like visitor information, event marketing, and improvements that support tourism.
Any business offering transient lodging — hotels, motels, inns, RV parks, campgrounds — is required to:
- Get a City of Troutdale business license before accepting guests.
- Collect the 6.95% tax from each guest at the same time rent is collected, and list it as a separate line item on the receipt or invoice.
- File a return and remit the tax quarterly, due by the 15th of the month following each quarter:
| Quarter covers | Due date |
|---|---|
| Jan – Mar | April 15 |
| Apr – Jun | July 15 |
| Jul – Sep | October 15 |
| Oct – Dec | January 15 |
- Keep guest and payment records for at least three and a half years.
- Never advertise that the tax will be absorbed, waived, or refunded outside what the code allows.
A stay is exempt from the tax if the guest stays 30 or more consecutive days in the same unit, along with a few other exemptions covered below.
If a return or payment is late, penalties apply: 10% for an initial delinquency, an additional 15% if it's still unpaid 30 days later, 0.5% monthly interest on the unpaid balance, and an additional 25% if the city determines nonpayment was fraudulent or intentional.
This is the same tax whether you're booking a room at a hotel on the Historic Columbia River Highway or a guest bedroom through Airbnb — the rules just apply a little differently depending on the type of lodging, covered below.
Short-term rentals — renting out a room, guest house, or an entire home for less than 30 days at a time — are subject to all of the same TLT requirements above, plus a few things specific to how these bookings typically happen.
These short-term-rental-specific requirements were established by Ordinance No. 904, effective February 12, 2026. They do not create a new tax or raise the TLT rate — they clarify that short-term rentals are covered by the same rules as hotels and motels, and set out registration, reporting, and compliance requirements specific to short-term rentals and the platforms that book them.
Please note: Complying with the TLT requirements does not by itself mean a short-term rental is permitted at your property. Short-term rentals may also be subject to land use, building, fire, and other business licensing requirements. Confirm your proposed use is allowed at your property — contact Community Development before you begin operating (see contacts below).
Any house, apartment, condo, duplex, guest room, or similar dwelling that you rent out for stays of 29 nights or fewer. This applies whether you rent frequently or only a few times a year, and includes:
- Renting a spare bedroom in your home
- Renting your entire home while you're away
- Renting out a vacation home you use only occasionally
- Renting out a property you own but don't live in yourself for stays less than 30 days
- Renting a guest house, apartment, condo, or duplex
- Listing a property on Airbnb, Vrbo, or a similar platform
- Renting an RV pad or space for overnight stays
If a guest stays 30 consecutive days or longer in the same unit, that stay is exempt from the tax.
Guests pay 6.95% of the rent charged for their stay. This is not a cost to you as the host. You collect it from the guest at checkout, the same way you would collect a cleaning fee. You then pass it along to the city.
Of that amount, the city sets aside 0.95% specifically for tourism promotion and tourism-related facilities in Troutdale.
Important: Troutdale's 6.95% TLT covers city taxes only. It does not include Multnomah County or Oregon State lodging taxes, which have their own separate registration, reporting, and remittance requirements. It is your responsibility to make sure you're meeting your city, county, state, and any federal requirements.
Yes — before you accept your first booking. Anyone offering a lodging facility in Troutdale — including a short-term rental — must obtain a City of Troutdale business license before commencing business. Operators with multiple transient lodging facilities must provide the City with the address of each facility.
Once you have your business license:
- If your booking is facilitated online, your city business license number must appear in the listing description.
- Your business license must also be displayed at the rental in a conspicuous location and be available for inspection.
- You'll need to keep guest and payment records for at least three and a half years.
- If you sell the property or stop renting it, notify the city — business licenses aren't transferable, so a new host will need to apply separately.
The City is working to help existing operators understand and meet the new requirements. If you are already operating a short-term rental and have not yet obtained a business license, please do so before the end of 2026 and begin collecting TLT immediately.
Booking platforms are treated as tax collectors too, and they're jointly responsible with you for making sure the tax is collected and paid. In practice, this means:
- The platform must also hold a City of Troutdale business license.
- Some platforms collect and remit Troutdale's TLT automatically as part of the booking; others don't — and some only collect state or county taxes, or none at all.
- Don't assume a platform is collecting Troutdale's TLT just because a tax appears at checkout. Confirm with your specific platform that Troutdale's 6.95% is actually being collected and sent to the city.
- Even if your platform does collect the TLT, that doesn't remove your own obligation to get licensed with the city and comply with Chapter 3.08.
- 10% penalty if the tax isn't remitted by the due date.
- An additional 15% penalty if it's still unpaid 30 days after that.
- 0.5% monthly interest on the unpaid tax until it's paid.
- An additional 25% penalty on top of the above if the city finds the nonpayment was intentional or fraudulent.
- Operating without registering, or failing to collect and remit the tax, is a civil infraction — each day it continues counts as a separate violation.
If you fall behind, you can petition the city council to waive some or all of the penalty if you have good reason.
A few situations don't require TLT collection:
- Stays of 30 or more consecutive days by the same guest
- Government employees on official business with an exemption certificate
- Permanently sited manufactured/mobile homes that already pay property tax
- Licensed health care, treatment, or shelter facilities
- Nonprofit youth camps, church camps, or conference centers
TLT funds city services broadly, with a dedicated 0.95% slice going specifically toward tourism promotion and tourism-related facilities — things like visitor information, event marketing, and improvements that support tourism in Troutdale.
In 2022, the city launched Explore Troutdale, the area's official tourism and destination marketing organization. Once your short-term rental is registered with the city, it's eligible to be listed on Explore Troutdale's lodging page — putting your property in front of visitors planning a trip to Troutdale and the Columbia River Gorge.
- Confirm your property is eligible — contact Community Development to check land use, building, and fire requirements before you begin.
- Obtain your city business license before you list or accept your first booking.
- Display your business license at the rental, and include your license number in any online listing.
- Collect 6.95% on top of your rental rate at the time of payment.
- File and remit quarterly, by the 15th of the month after each quarter closes.
I only rent out my place a few weekends a year. Do I still need to register?
Yes. There's no minimum threshold — if you accept even one short-term booking, you are required to register and collect the tax on that stay.
My guest paid me directly, not through a platform. Does that change anything?
No. The tax applies the same way whether a guest books through Airbnb, Vrbo, your own website, or pays you directly. You're still responsible for collecting and remitting it.
I list on Airbnb and it looks like they already collect a tax at checkout. Am I covered?
Not necessarily. Some platforms remit Troutdale's TLT automatically; others only collect state or county-level taxes, or nothing at all. Check with your specific platform to confirm whether Troutdale's 6.95% TLT is actually being collected and sent to the city. If it isn't, you're still responsible for it — and you still need your own city business license either way.
What if my guest stays longer than expected and crosses 30 days?
If the same guest ends up staying 30 or more consecutive days in the same unit, that stay becomes exempt from the tax. If you already collected TLT for the early part of the stay, contact the Finance Department about the refund process.
Do I charge tax on cleaning fees or other add-ons?
Only if they're bundled into the rent. A separate, optional fee for a service or good (like a cleaning fee billed separately) isn't considered "rent" and isn't taxed. If it's rolled into the nightly rate, it is.
What happens if I stop renting my property?
Let the Finance Department know. Business licenses are not transferable, so if you sell the property or a new host takes over, they'll need to apply for their own license.
Is my information kept private?
The city protects your business records as confidential, with narrow exceptions — like when required for tax enforcement, general statistics (not tied to you individually), or requests under Oregon Public Records Law. Your business name and address as a lodging operator, however, are not considered confidential.
What if I disagree with a penalty or a city decision?
You can petition the city for reconsideration, or appeal to the city council within 10 days of being notified of a decision.
Where can I find the full legal language?
This page is a plain-language summary. The complete legal requirements are in Troutdale Municipal Code Chapter 3.08 — Transient Lodgings Tax, available through the City Recorder's office.
Land use, building, or fire/life/safety questions:
City of Troutdale
Community Development Department
2200 SW 18th Way
Troutdale, OR 97060
503-674-7272
comdev [at] troutdaleoregon.gov (comdev[at]troutdaleoregon[dot]gov)
Transient Lodging Tax, registration, reporting, or remittance:
City of Troutdale
Finance Department
219 E Historic Columbia River Highway
Troutdale, OR 97060
503-665-5175
Erich.Mueller [at] troutdaleoregon.gov (Erich[dot]Mueller[at]troutdaleoregon[dot]gov)
Destination marketing, tourism promotion, and Explore Troutdale:
City of Troutdale
Tourism & Economic Development Division
Gateway to the Gorge Visitor Center
475 E Historic Columbia River Highway
Troutdale, OR 97060
503-491-4000
visit [at] troutdaleoregon.gov (visit[at]troutdaleoregon[dot]gov)