King County prosecutes animal hoarding under Washington's animal-cruelty statutes RCW 16.52, with Regional Animal Services investigating hoarding complaints and KCSO or city police filing first- or second-degree cruelty charges.
Animal hoarding cases in King County are charged under Washington's animal cruelty statutes, RCW 16.52.205 (first-degree, a class C felony) and RCW 16.52.207 (second-degree, a misdemeanor). Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) investigates complaints in unincorporated areas and contract cities, often working with King County Sheriff's Office or municipal police, Public Health Seattle and King County, and Adult Protective Services. KCC Title 11 also authorizes seizure of animals kept in unsafe conditions. Convictions can include fines, jail, mandatory mental-health evaluation, and bans on owning animals.
Keeping animals in conditions that cause suffering or death may be charged as first- or second-degree animal cruelty under RCW 16.52, with felony or misdemeanor penalties and ownership bans.
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, fences 6 feet or less in height may be built on or within property lines without a building permit. Fences over 6 feet require...
King County, WA
Unincorporated King County's marine shoreline along Puget Sound and Vashon-Maury Island is regulated under the Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58), the King...
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, an above-ground pool that can hold water more than 24 inches deep is regulated as a swimming pool under the Washington State R...
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, a one-story detached storage shed of 200 square feet or less, accessory to a residential or agricultural use, is exempt from a...
King County, WA
Unincorporated King County requires private swimming pools to be enclosed by a barrier at least five feet high under K.C.C. 16.70.020, with self-closing/self...
King County, WA
King County Ordinance 18467 (2017) limits county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and Washington's Keep Washington Working Act (RCW 10.93.16...
See how King County's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
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