Rental Inspections in Seattle, WA (2026)
2 verified rental inspections rules for Seattle, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Inspection Programs
Seattle's Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance requires the Department of Construction and Inspections to inspect at least 10 percent of registered rental properties every year and every property at least once every ten years, using a random selection method and 60 days' advance notice to the owner.
Seattle RRIO Rental Property Inspection Cycle
Some RestrictionsSeattle Municipal Code § 22.214.050.A, B
A.The Department shall periodically select, from registered properties containing rental housing units, the properties that shall be inspected by a qualified rental housing inspector for certification of compliance. The property selection process shall be based on a random methodology adopted by rule, and shall include at least ten percent of all registered rental properties per year. Newly con...
Tenant Complaint Process
A Seattle tenant who reports a problem can trigger a City inspection directly: SMC 22.214.050.C requires SDCI to send an inspector into any rental unit a tenant complains about, and if that unit fails on a covered condition, the Director can force every other unit in the building onto the same inspection and certificate-of-compliance track under the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance.
Seattle Tenant Complaint-Driven Rental Inspections
Some RestrictionsSeattle Municipal Code § 22.214.050.C
C. If the Department receives a complaint regarding a rental housing unit regulated under this program, the Department shall request that an interior inspection of the rental housing unit identified in the complaint be conducted by a Department inspector using the general authority, process, and standards of Chapters 22.200 through 22.208. If, after inspecting the rental housing unit the Depart...
Looking for King County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Seattle city rules.
Rental Inspections in King County →