Federal Way, WA Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- FWRC 7.03.040
- Listed nuisance categories
- 21 specific acts/conditions
- First-offense fine
- $100.00 civil infraction
- Repeat-offense fines
- $200.00, then $300.00
- Continuing violations
- Each day is a separate offense
- Enforcement
- Code enforcement officers and police
Summary
Federal Way enumerates 21 specific conditions treated as public nuisances and code violations under FWRC 7.03.040, from junk storage and overgrown lots to abandoned shopping carts. Code enforcement officers and police can act on any of them, and each is a civil infraction under FWRC 1.15.110.
The following specific acts, omissions, places, conditions, and things...are hereby declared to be public nuisances: ... (10) Filthy, littered, trash-covered, or overgrown premises or abutting street and alley rights-of-way for which a property owner is responsible... (12) Personal property left in the public right-of-way of any road or alley, including but not limited to any personal and household items, furniture, appliances, machinery, equipment, building materials; and the abandonment or allowing the abandonment of property in any public right-of-way; (13) The parking or storage of vehicles on single-family residential lots in violation of the parking regulations in this Code; ... (21) Causing or allowing any shopping cart to be abandoned on either public or private property.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-1049, passed August 11, 2026).
Full Breakdown
040 lists the specific acts, conditions and places the city treats as public nuisances and reportable code violations. The list covers unsecured excavations and attractive nuisances, discordant or unnecessary noise, illegal sewage or waste discharge, improperly handled animal waste, noxious industrial emissions, flammable junk storage, filthy or overgrown premises and abutting rights-of-way, abandoned refrigerators accessible to children, unpermitted junkyards, unsightly or unsafe structures, personal property abandoned in the right-of-way, illegal vehicle parking or storage on single-family lots, obstruction of transit or right-of-way access, unlawful liquor sales locations, animal fighting, violations of city or Seattle-King County health department rules, unauthorized combustion engines on Steel Lake and North Lake, and abandoned shopping carts.
110. 00 for a third or subsequent violation, not including fees, costs and assessments. 070 gives code enforcement officers a right of entry to inspect suspected violations, with a search warrant available if entry is refused.
Violations & Fines
Each specific nuisance listed in FWRC 7.03.040 is a civil infraction under FWRC 1.15.110, defaulting to $100.00 for a first offense, $200.00 for a second violation of the same nature, and $300.00 for a third or subsequent violation, plus fees and costs. Each day an unabated nuisance continues after notice counts as a separate violation. Police may also pursue criminal enforcement independent of any civil action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a reportable code violation in Federal Way?
How much is the fine for a code violation in Federal Way?
Does an unresolved violation keep accruing fines?
Who investigates code complaints in Federal Way?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Federal Way
Compare Federal Way to another location·View the Washington code violation reporting overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Common Violations in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle common violations.