Business Licensing & Operations in Shoreline, WA (2026)
7 verified business licensing & operations rules for Shoreline, Washington, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
The City of Shoreline requires separate licenses for adult cabaret operators, entertainers, and managers before any sexually oriented dance venue can open, under SMC § 5.10.020. Entertainers off the stage must keep at least four feet between their own and a customer's forehead during any performance (§ 5.10.070(A)(6)), and cabarets must close between 2:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. (§ 5.10.070(D)).
Shoreline Adult Cabaret License & Spacing Rules
Significant RestrictionsShoreline Municipal Code §§ 5.10.020, 5.10.070, 5.10.090
§ 5.10.020. License required. ... A. It is unlawful for any person to conduct or operate an adult cabaret unless such person has been issued a valid and current adult cabaret operator’s license from the city to do so, obtained in the manner provided in this chapter. B. It is unlawful for any entertainer to perform in an adult cabaret unless such person has been issued a valid and current licens...
Massage Establishments
Any regulated massage business in the City of Shoreline needs a business license and a licensed manager before opening, per SMC § 5.07.305 and § 5.07.315. Massage practitioners themselves must hold a current Washington State massage practitioner's license under § 5.07.310. The Shoreline Police Department runs background checks on all applicants, and licenses can be denied, suspended, or revoked for sanitation or conduct violations.
Shoreline Massage Business & Practitioner Licenses
Significant RestrictionsShoreline Municipal Code §§ 5.07.305, 5.07.310, 5.07.315
§ 5.07.305. Business license required. A. It is unlawful to conduct, operate or maintain a regulated massage business unless such establishment or premises is licensed as hereinafter provided. ... § 5.07.310. License for massage practitioners. It is unlawful for any person to perform a massage or represent themselves as a massage practitioner without first applying for, receiving and being in p...
Tobacco Retail License
Shoreline Municipal Code § 20.40.465(B) excludes tobacco/vape stores, defined at SMC § 20.20.048, from the ground-floor nonresidential space that mixed multifamily-commercial buildings must provide facing the street. Along with pawnshops and payday lenders, a tobacco or vape retailer cannot occupy that required commercial frontage even though the space is otherwise open to any use allowed in the zone.
Shoreline Bars Vape Shops From Ground-Floor Retail
Significant RestrictionsShoreline Municipal Code §§ 20.20.048, 20.40.465(B)
Tobacco/Vape Store Any premises dedicated to the display, sale, distribution, delivery, offering, furnishing, or marketing of tobacco, tobacco products, or tobacco paraphernalia, including electronic nicotine delivery systems and associated nicotine products; provided, however, that any grocery store, supermarket, convenience store or similar retail use that only sells tobacco products or parap...
Secondhand Dealers
Buying, selling, or trading secondhand goods in the City of Shoreline without a secondhand dealer's license is unlawful under SMC § 5.07.500. Dealers must report every purchase to the Shoreline Police Department and hold incoming goods for 10 days before resale (§ 5.07.550), and a separate license is required for each shop location (§ 5.07.520).
Shoreline Secondhand Dealer License & Hold Rule
Significant RestrictionsShoreline Municipal Code §§ 5.07.500, 5.07.520, 5.07.550
§ 5.07.500. License required. ... It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to engage in the business of buying, selling, or trading in secondhand goods in Shoreline without first obtaining a “secondhand dealer’s license” pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. ... ... § 5.07.520. More than one shop – Change of location. Any person having more than one place of business where secon...
Pawnbrokers
Operating a pawnshop in the City of Shoreline without a pawnbroker's license is unlawful under SMC § 5.07.400. The city caps the number of pawnbroker licenses at one per 15,000 residents (§ 5.07.420), limits loan interest to three percent per month (§ 5.07.450), and requires pawnshops to close between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. except during the December holiday season (§ 5.07.470).
Shoreline Pawnbroker License & Interest Cap
Significant RestrictionsShoreline Municipal Code §§ 5.07.400, 5.07.420, 5.07.450, 5.07.470
§ 5.07.400. License required. ... It is unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to engage in the business of pawnbroker, or to conduct a pawnshop without first obtaining a “pawnbroker’s license” pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. ... ... § 5.07.420. Limitation on licensing. No pawnbroker’s license shall be issued which would increase the number of holders of such licenses to more...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
Shoreline Municipal Code § 20.40.400(D) bans automobile, truck and heavy-equipment repair and auto body work or painting as home occupations in every residential zone, no matter how small the operation. Home businesses otherwise get 25 percent of the dwelling's floor area, up to two nonresident employees, and must hold a City business license under Chapter 5.05 SMC, but these two activities are prohibited outright.
Shoreline Bars Auto and Truck Repair as Home Occupations
Heavy RestrictionsShoreline Municipal Code § 20.40.400(D)
§ 20.40.400. Home occupation. ... Residents of a dwelling unit may conduct one or more home occupations as an accessory use(s), provided: A. The total area devoted to all home occupation(s) shall not exceed 25 percent of the floor area of the dwelling unit. ... ... D. The following activities shall be prohibited in residential zones: 1. Automobile, truck and heavy equipment repair; 2. Auto body...
Towing Companies
Shoreline Municipal Code § 10.05.030(B) locally amends the state Model Traffic Ordinance's definition of an unauthorized vehicle, setting how long a vehicle can sit on public or private property before a contracted tow operator may impound it without the owner's consent, from immediate removal on residential property to 24 hours on posted nonresidential lots.
Shoreline Defines Non-Consent Tow Triggers Locally
Some RestrictionsShoreline Municipal Code § 10.05.030(B)
B. RCW 46.55.010, Towing and Impoundment: Definitions, is adopted in full with the following amendments to subsections (5) and (14): ... (14) "Unauthorized vehicle" means a vehicle that is subject to impoundment after being left unattended in one of the following public or private locations for the indicated period of time: Subject to removal after: ... ... b. Private locations: i. On residenti...
Looking for King County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Shoreline city rules.
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