Renting out a home in Auburn, Washington means following two layers of rules. The Washington State landlord-tenant baseline applies everywhere, and Auburn adds its own: a rental housing business license under Chapter 5.22 of the Auburn City Code, plus lease rules under Chapter 5.23 that require 120 days' notice for rent increases above 5 percent and cap total move-in charges at one month's rent. Auburn repealed its local just cause eviction ordinance in January 2025, so ending a tenancy now follows the state standard, RCW 59.18.650. Here is what applies in 2026, verified against the current Auburn City Code.
Auburn's local layer reads differently from its neighbors. Kent leans on registration and inspections; Auburn leans on licensing and lease terms. If you own rentals in more than one South King County city, our guide to Kent landlord laws shows how quickly the rules change at the city line.
Yes, in nearly every case. Under ACC 5.22.030, each rental housing business operating in Auburn must obtain and maintain a City of Auburn business license, and Chapter 5.22 applies to all rental units in the city. Unlike Kent, Auburn has no single-family exemption: renting out one house on a single lease requires the license.
The city's rental housing program page breaks it down by rental type:
The license runs on the calendar year, January 1 through December 31, and the full annual fee is due for any year in which you operate, whenever you apply. Fees are set in the city's fee schedule, and the license does not transfer with a sale (ACC 5.22.080).
Skipping it is expensive. Under ACC 5.15.110, unlicensed operation is a civil infraction or, in serious cases, a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail, and ACC 5.15.120 makes each day of unlicensed operation a separate offense.
The license also comes with strings. Auburn ties it to performance standards in ACC 5.22.050: owners or their managers attend a one-time multifamily manager training when the city offers it and gives written notice, and a property with recurring criminal or nuisance activity can be required to adopt crime prevention strategies, provide inspections consistent with RCW 59.18.125, or ultimately face license revocation. ACC 5.22.055 also bars multifamily owners from turning away applicants because part of the rent comes from a voucher, subsidy, or other covered source of income, and requires any rent-to-income screening ratio to subtract that subsidy from the rent first, so the math applies only to the tenant's share.
This is Auburn's most distinctive rule. Under ACC 5.23.040, a rent increase of more than 5 percent requires at least 120 days' written notice before it takes effect. An increase of 5 percent or less can be served on the state timeline instead.
The state timeline is not short either. RCW 59.18.140 requires at least 90 days' notice for rent increases, with a 30-day rule for subsidized tenancies where rent tracks the tenant's income. For a standard tenancy, that means an Auburn increase needs at least 90 days' notice, and 120 days once it crosses 5 percent.
Washington State's rent stabilization law stacks on top:
Practically, an Auburn renewal with a meaningful increase needs to be planned about four months ahead. Our summary of Washington State rental law changes for 2026 covers the statewide layer in more detail.
Auburn caps move-in charges. Under ACC 5.23.040, everything a tenant pays at the start of the tenancy to procure and secure the unit, security deposit included, may not exceed one month's rent. A reasonable additional pet deposit is allowed, as long as other deposits or fees are not folded into it.
Auburn is one of only a handful of Washington cities with a move-in cap, alongside cities like Seattle, Kirkland, Kenmore, and Shoreline. One practical consequence for owners: approving a borderline applicant with an increased deposit is not an option in Auburn, because the cap leaves no room for it.
The same chapter adds several lease-term rules:
Auburn backs this up with real enforcement. A willful violation of Chapter 5.23 can draw a $1,000 city penalty, and a tenant who sues and wins can recover up to two times the monthly rent plus costs and attorney fees (ACC 5.23.080). Landlords also owe every applicant their written rental criteria, and every tenant the city-prepared summaries of local and state rental law whenever a rental agreement is offered (ACC 5.23.030).
At move-out, the state deadline governs the refund: an itemized statement and any refund due within 30 days under RCW 59.18.280.
Auburn adopted a local just cause eviction rule in 2020 as part of its Rental Housing Policy chapter. In January 2025, the city council repealed it: Ordinance 6966, adopted January 21, 2025 and effective January 28, 2025, removed ACC 5.23.070 from the code.
The repeal did not bring back no-cause evictions. Washington State's just cause statute, RCW 59.18.650, applies statewide: a landlord may not evict a tenant, refuse to continue a tenancy, or end a periodic tenancy except for the causes listed in the statute.
What the repeal actually changed is complexity. Auburn owners now work from a single statewide list of causes instead of reconciling overlapping local and state versions. If a tenancy does reach that point, our guide to the eviction process in Washington State walks through what lawful termination looks like step by step.
One more boundary worth knowing: Auburn straddles King County and Pierce County, but the rules above are citywide. Neither county adds a rental ordinance layer inside Auburn's city limits, and Seattle's Fair Chance Housing ordinance applies only within Seattle.
Obtain and renew the City of Auburn rental housing business license, keep total move-in charges within one month's rent, give at least 90 days' notice for a typical rent increase and 120 days if it exceeds 5 percent, and follow the Washington State baseline on deposits, screening, and just cause. Unlike some neighboring cities, Auburn's license requirement includes single-family rentals.
Auburn does not set its own cap amount; it sets notice timing. Increases above 5 percent require 120 days' written notice under ACC 5.23.040. The dollar limit comes from Washington State: most 2026 increases are capped at 9.683 percent under RCW 59.18.700.
Yes. Auburn repealed its local just cause ordinance effective January 28, 2025, but Washington State's statute, RCW 59.18.650, still applies to every Auburn tenancy. A tenancy can be ended only for a cause listed in state law.
Register and license every property with its city, keep it renewed, and pass the required inspections, so you never have to track which city requires what. Across the Puget Sound, the rules change at every city line. What we do for each property we manage:
You pay the city's fees; we handle the tracking, filing, and follow-up, so the registration never lapses on your watch.
This is the invisible compliance work that quietly catches self-managing owners off guard, and exactly where local expertise pays for itself.
Curious what full-service management with Sagareus Property Management would cost for your Auburn rental? Our instant calculator gives you a real range in under a minute, no email required. Request your instant estimate.