Washington House Bill HB2465

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/14/26
• Refer: 1/14/26

Caption

AN ACT Relating to water recreation facilities at short-term rentals;

Summary

HB 2465 would require the Washington Department of Health to create a user safety guide for water recreation facilities and make that guide publicly available on the department’s website. The bill also requires local authorities that issue business licenses for short-term rentals to publish the same safety guide on their websites. In addition, any short-term rental that has a water recreation facility must provide the user safety guide at the rental and post it in a prominent place near the water recreation facility. The bill defines water recreation facility by reference to existing state law, so the new requirements would apply to facilities already covered under current RCW definitions.

Impact

The bill adds new notice and posting requirements to Washington law for short-term rentals with water recreation facilities, creating a statewide safety-information obligation for the Department of Health, local licensing authorities, and short-term rental operators. It does not appear to create a new licensing program or direct regulatory standards for the facilities themselves, but it does require public dissemination and on-site availability of a safety guide, which could affect compliance practices for hosts, property managers, and local governments.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears framed as a consumer and guest safety bill, with an emphasis on informing users about water recreation risks at short-term rentals.

Contention

The main potential point of contention is the added compliance burden on short-term rental operators and local licensing authorities, who would need to post and maintain the safety guide. Another possible issue is how broadly the term water recreation facility is interpreted under existing law, since that definition determines which rentals are covered. No specific opposing or supporting arguments are available in the provided record.