Pierce County, WA Ordinances (2026)

In unincorporated Pierce County, RVs, boats, and trailers may be stored on private residential property, but occupying a recreational vehicle as a dwelling requires a Temporary Use…

Pierce County runs a junk-vehicle removal program in unincorporated areas under the Chapter 8.08 nuisance code, and abandoned vehicles on public roads are handled under RCW Chapter…

Loading and unloading on public roads in unincorporated Pierce County follows Washington's RCW 46.61.570, which allows parking for loading only temporarily while actually loading or…

Pierce County requires new development in unincorporated areas to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure under PCC 18A.35.040, following Table 18A.35.040-3 for EV charging…

Unincorporated Pierce County regulates oversized and large-vehicle storage through the Title 18A zoning code and the Chapter 8.08 nuisance provisions rather than a single size cap. A…

Driveway and access standards in unincorporated Pierce County are set by the Title 18A zoning and off-street parking code (PCC 18A.35.040), with associated design standards in Title…

In unincorporated Pierce County, curb colors and no-parking markings are established by the County, not private residents. Under RCW 46.61.570, parking restrictions are effective only…

Street parking on public roads in unincorporated Pierce County follows Washington state law, RCW 46.61.570, which prohibits stopping, standing, or parking within intersections…

Unincorporated Pierce County has no blanket overnight on-street parking ban; state law RCW 46.61.570 governs where vehicles may stand, and a vehicle left too long may be tagged and…

Backyard chickens and small livestock are allowed in unincorporated Pierce County, with limits scaled to lot size under zoning code PCC 18A.37.060. On lots under one-half acre, up to…

No more than five dogs and/or cats may be individually licensed at a residence in unincorporated Pierce County under PCC 6.04.010. Keeping six or more dogs and/or cats requires a…

Cats that go off their owner's premises must be licensed and wear a current tag under PCC 6.04.010, issued by the Pierce County Auditor. Cats are subject to the same at-large restraint…

In unincorporated Pierce County it is unlawful to let any animal leave the owner's premises unless it is under physical restraint adequate to the animal's size and nature. There is no…

Beekeeping is allowed in unincorporated Pierce County under PCC Chapter 8.94. Hives must be registered with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, kept in movable-frame hives…

Potentially dangerous wild animals are tightly regulated in unincorporated Pierce County under PCC Chapter 6.16. Species prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.010) may not be kept at all…

A grooming parlor in unincorporated Pierce County must hold a county license under PCC 5.24.030, the same chapter that licenses kennels, catteries, and pet shops, and it undergoes…

Pierce County Animal Control will not release a dog or cat impounded twice within any 12-month period until it's spayed or neutered, under PCC 6.02.085. The shelter performs or…

Pierce County doesn't require microchips for pets generally, only for dogs and cats declared dangerous or potentially dangerous. PCC 6.07.030.A makes proof of microchipping a condition…

Pierce County pet shops fall under Washington's statewide ban on retail dog and cat sales. RCW 16.52.360, adopted into county law at PCC 5.24.075, bars any retail pet store from…

Pierce County has no breed-specific ban. Dangerous-dog status is determined by an animal's behavior, not its breed, under PCC Chapter 6.07, and Washington law (RCW 16.08.100) bars…

Instead of a license, Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B)(6) requires the owner to file a Vacation Rental Affidavit with Planning and Public Works. It states the owner's intent to operate…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B) caps a vacation rental at five guest rooms and two guests per bedroom, not to exceed ten guests lodged at any time. A rental that needs more rooms or…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B)(4) sets no numeric parking-space count for vacation rentals. It requires only that the owner or representative give guests information indicating the…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no rental-specific quiet hours; vacation-rental guests must follow the countywide public-disturbance noise rules in PCC Chapter 8.72 and the Good…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no limit on how many nights per year a vacation rental may operate. A rental meeting the five-room, ten-guest, affidavit, parking, and…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 does not limit vacation rentals to a host's primary residence. It permits rentals in any legally established single-family or accessory dwelling, so…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 does not require a host or manager on-site during a vacation-rental stay. It requires only that the owner or representative supply contact and parking…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no local insurance mandate, but Washington's statewide Short-Term Rental Act controls. RCW 64.37.050 requires every operator to carry primary…

Short-term rentals in Pierce County owe the county lodging (hotel-motel) excise tax, set by the Department of Revenue at 2 percent for facilities of 25 or fewer units and 5 percent for…

In unincorporated Pierce County, outdoor amplified music, band sessions, and social-gathering noise are barred by PCC 8.72.090.F when loud, raucous, and disturbing to neighbors, at any…

For most industrial noise, Pierce County defers to the State. PCC 8.72.120.D states that, apart from motor vehicles, industrial-area noise is regulated by the State of Washington. The…

In unincorporated Pierce County, the noise limits in Pierce County Code 8.76.060 are reduced by 10 dBA for residential (Class A) receiving property between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Chapter…

Unincorporated Pierce County exempts temporary construction-site noise from the Chapter 8.76 decibel limits during the day, but that exemption stops for residential (Class A) areas…

In unincorporated Pierce County, PCC 8.72.090.A makes it a public disturbance noise for frequent, repetitive, or continuous animal sounds to unreasonably disturb neighbors' peace and…

Aircraft noise is exempt from Pierce County's noise code. PCC 8.76.070.D.2 exempts sounds from aircraft in flight and airport flight operations. With Joint Base Lewis-McChord and…

In unincorporated Pierce County, PCC 8.72.090.H makes it unlawful for a car or vessel sound system to be clearly heard 50 feet or more from the vehicle in residential or commercial…

Washington law (RCW 43.44.110) requires smoke detection devices in all dwelling units. In Pierce County rentals, the landlord must install and ensure working alarms at move-in, while…

Unincorporated Pierce County sharply limits consumer fireworks under PCC 17C.60.230. Discharge is legal only on July 4 (10 a.m.-11:59 p.m.) and New Year's Eve into New Year's Day. The…

Backyard recreational fires are allowed in Pierce County without a permit, but only small fires burning clean wood or charcoal. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency caps them at three feet…

Outdoor burning in Pierce County is regulated by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which bans all land-clearing fires and prohibits yard-waste burning throughout urbanized areas…

A retaining wall in unincorporated Pierce County needs no building permit if it stands four feet or less, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, and does not…

Fences in unincorporated Pierce County may be placed within required setbacks up to 6 feet without a permit, must be measured from the adjacent ground including all attachments, and…

A building permit is not required for fences 6 feet or under in unincorporated Pierce County. Fences taller than 6 feet require a building permit and must meet setbacks. Retaining…

Pierce County zoning does not set a shared-cost or boundary fence-ownership rule; those are civil matters between neighbors. The county does require that fences at corners and…

Pierce County does not ban barbed wire outright. PCC 18A.15.040.B.2.d caps fences and retaining walls in required setbacks at 6 feet, rising to 8 feet only for security fencing on a…

Maximum building height in unincorporated Pierce County is set by zone. Residential zones such as Suburban Residential (SR), Residential Resource (RR), and ROC are capped at 35 feet…

In unincorporated Pierce County, detached accessory structures on residential lots under 1 acre cap out at 2,000 total square feet under PCC 18A.37.020.C. Structures built with no…

Pierce County sets minimum building setbacks by zone classification in Table 18A.15.040-1, from a 25-foot arterial front setback and 5-foot interior setback in Suburban Residential…

Routine pruning of ordinary yard trees is unregulated, but trees retained under an approved county landscape or tree-conservation plan must be pruned to code, and significant and…

Pierce County encourages native and drought-tolerant plantings and requires native-vegetation retention on many development sites, but homeowners are free to choose their own yard…

Pierce County has no standalone permit for cutting a tree on an ordinary developed private lot, but development sites need a tree-conservation plan under PCC 18J.15.030 (retain 30% of…

Pierce County credits roof rainwater collection systems against the county's stormwater utility service charge under PCC 11.02.050.B.7. A system that captures at least 1,500 gallons…

Backyard residential composting is allowed and encouraged in Pierce County with no permit, but a compost pile that creates odor, attracts vermin, or otherwise becomes a public nuisance…

Every Pierce County landowner has an enforceable duty under RCW 17.10.140 to eradicate class A noxious weeds and control listed class B and C weeds. The Pierce County Noxious Weed…

Any outdoor residential pool in unincorporated Pierce County that holds water over 24 inches deep must be surrounded by a barrier at least 48 inches high, per the 2021 International…

Constructing a residential swimming pool in unincorporated Pierce County requires a building permit under the county's adopted International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, enforced by the…

Converting a garage into living space in unincorporated Pierce County requires a building permit, and creating an independent unit is treated as an accessory dwelling unit under PCC…

Unincorporated Pierce County treats a tiny home under 400 square feet on a permanent foundation as a residence permitted like a single-family house, while recreational vehicles cannot…

Unincorporated Pierce County allows accessory dwelling units under PCC 18A.37.120. Two ADUs are permitted per lot inside an Urban Growth Area and one outside, attached or detached…

Pierce County caps traffic impact fees on accessory dwelling units at half the rate charged for the primary house. Under PCC 4A.40.030, an ADU built in unincorporated Pierce County…

A shed, garage, greenhouse, or storage building in unincorporated Pierce County can go up to 576 square feet without a principal use on the lot, but on residential lots under 1 acre…

Vacant and rural lots in unincorporated Pierce County fall under Code Chapter 8.08, which makes accumulated solid waste, junk vehicles, abandoned appliances and unsecured hazards…

Pierce County Code Chapter 8.08 declares accumulated solid waste, junk vehicles, unpermitted salvage sites and unfinished structures to be public nuisances in unincorporated Pierce…

Pierce County Code sets no countywide curb setout time, so cart placement in unincorporated areas follows the WUTC-certificated hauler's tariff. Waste must still be securely contained…

Pierce County Code 8.29.030 requires certificated haulers to offer every-other-week, single-stream curbside recycling to all single-family homes in unincorporated areas, using an…

Pierce County Code Chapter 8.30 establishes a county solid waste handling system for all unincorporated areas, but residential garbage collection is provided by private haulers…

Pierce County residents dispose of bulky items, appliances and extra debris either through their WUTC-certificated hauler's on-call bulky pickup or by self-hauling to a county transfer…

Dumping garbage, sewage or debris on any street, public property or private property without the owner's consent is a misdemeanor under Pierce County Code 8.32.020. State law RCW…

New civic, commercial, and industrial developments in unincorporated Pierce County must hide outdoor garbage and recycling dumpsters from view, either behind a structural enclosure…

A home-based day care in unincorporated Pierce County may operate from a residence under PCC 18A.37.100, serving up to 12 individuals with a DCYF-approved fence around the outdoor play…

Unincorporated Pierce County allows home occupations as an accessory use in urban and rural zones under Pierce County Code 18A.37.110, capping the activity at 500 square feet or 50…

A Pierce County home occupation's signage isn't covered by a home-business-specific rule: PCC 18A.37.110(A)(1)(g) sends every home occupation and cottage industry straight to Title 18B…

Pierce County caps when a home-based business can see customers: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. only, under PCC 18A.37.110's general standards for every home occupation and cottage industry in the…

Selling homemade non-hazardous foods from a Pierce County home requires a Washington Cottage Food Operation permit from the state Department of Agriculture (WSDA) under RCW 69.22 and…

Garage sale signs are temporary signs under PCC 18B.10.040 in unincorporated Pierce County. They need no permit, but only one non-yard temporary sign is allowed per road frontage and…

Pierce County bans new billboards visible from the main traveled way of ten named state routes and county roads under PCC 18A.55.010.C, including SR 16, SR 512 and Pacific Avenue (SR…

Unincorporated Pierce County treats a political sign as a "yard sign" under PCC 18B.10.040, the temporary-sign chapter of the county's sign code. Yard signs face no cap on quantity and…

Pierce County counts window signs as part of a building's overall sign allotment rather than regulating them on their own. PCC 18B.20.040 caps combined building, window, and wall sign…

Pierce County limits digital billboards, called "electronic message signs" under PCC 18B.20.080, to specific civic uses and select commercial zones rather than allowing them…

Pierce County's exterior illumination standards in PCC 18J.15.085 require lighting to avoid glare and light trespass onto neighboring properties, keeping illumination on the premises…

Pierce County bans flashing, intermittent or moving billboard lights outright under PCC 18A.55.010.E. Any other billboard lighting must be shielded so no beam or ray hits the traveled…

New residential, civic, commercial and industrial development in unincorporated Pierce County must shield exterior lighting under PCC 18J.15.085. Fixtures must hide the bulb, use…

Under the Pierce County Park Code (Chapter 14.08), gated parks follow posted hours and, in other areas, no person may be present or park a vehicle more than one-half hour after legal…

Pierce County makes it a misdemeanor to loiter without lawful purpose around school grounds while school is in session, and separately bans loitering anywhere with intent to engage in…

Pierce County makes it unlawful to solicit by coercion, defined to include threats, blocking someone's path, persisting after a no, or using violent gestures. Coercive solicitation is…

Pierce County bans open alcohol in its park system outright. PCC 14.08.060(M)(2) makes it unlawful to display, possess or consume alcoholic beverages anywhere in the park system, with…

Pierce County bans cannabis outright in its entire park system, with no permit exception like the one alcohol gets. PCC 14.08.060(M)(3) makes it unlawful to open a package of cannabis…

Pierce County makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate anywhere in its park system except into a fixture built for that purpose. PCC 14.08.060(P) also bars spitting and spreading…

Pierce County runs automated traffic safety cameras at arterial intersections to catch red-light runners, capped at six cameras countywide under PCC 10.42.010. The Sheriff's Office…

Pierce County's Park Code treats Class 1 and 2 electric bicycles, as defined by RCW 46.04.169, as 'micromobility devices' under PCC 14.08.030, putting them on the same footing as…

Unincorporated Pierce County enforces Washington's bicycle riding statute as its own traffic code. PCC 10.12.010 adopts RCW 46.61.770 by reference, requiring cyclists to ride near the…

Pierce County funds its stormwater system through a Storm Drainage and Surface Water Management Utility under PCC 11.02.020, billing an annual service charge to nearly every…

Every site development permit in unincorporated Pierce County carries a Reclamation Guarantee under PCC 17A.20.020 that keeps erosion control measures running through construction and…

In unincorporated Pierce County, a private dock for a single-family or multi-family home skips the Shoreline Substantial Development Permit only if its fair market value stays under…

In unincorporated Pierce County, no one may start development or a regulated activity within a mapped flood hazard area without a permit from Pierce County Planning and Public Works…

New construction and substantial improvements in a Pierce County flood hazard area must sit above the base flood elevation, not just at it. A crawlspace foundation needs 1 foot of…

Pierce County lets property owners clear wildfire defensible space within 30 feet of dwellings, outbuildings, barns and commercial buildings even inside a regulated critical area…

Pierce County designates cultural and historic landmarks through its Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission under PCC 2.88.029. A property qualifies only if it meets one of…

Pierce County bans camping and overnight parking on any county-owned property outside of areas the county specifically designates and posts for that purpose. The Sheriff's Department…

Pierce County's drug paraphernalia ordinance bans delivering or selling syringes and other injection equipment, but it expressly protects legal distribution of injection syringe…

Pierce County's rodent control code, Chapter 8.20 PCC, makes it unlawful to keep food, run a dock or warehouse, or live in a residence in the county without complying with rat-proofing…

Unincorporated Pierce County outright prohibits the operation of social card games, the category that covers commercial card rooms under state law. Only bona fide charitable or…

Pierce County requires written permission from the County Engineer before anyone places, erects, or installs any object or encroachment within a county road right-of-way. Objects…

Pierce County bars peddlers and solicitors from blocking sidewalks or streets while selling. PCC 5.10.150 makes it unlawful to obstruct passage of any sidewalk, street, avenue, alley…

Unincorporated Pierce County lets the FAA govern where drones may fly, but the Parks and Recreation Department bars recreational drone flights inside its own park system unless the…

Pierce County's Park Code bans flying drones, model aircraft, and model rockets anywhere in the park system except in areas the Parks and Recreation Director specifically designates or…

Flying a drone in a Pierce County park, including over a permitted festival, parade or show, requires a permit from the Parks Director first. PCC 14.08.040(L) bars unpermitted drone…

Pierce County adopts the International Residential Code and requires a building permit for nearly all construction in unincorporated areas, but PCC 17C.30.040 carves out 15 specific…

Pierce County will not sign off on a final occupancy or final building inspection for any residential, commercial, or industrial structure until the site's stormwater and drainage work…

A new one- or two-family home in unincorporated Pierce County needs an automatic fire sprinkler system if it trips any one of seven triggers in PCC 17C.60.185.A: over 5,000 square feet…

Pierce County plumbs unincorporated properties under the Uniform Plumbing Code as adopted by the Washington State Building Code Council in WAC Title 51, per PCC 17C.50.010, with local…

Pierce County does not mandate a green building code, but PCC 17C.10.070.F refunds up to 25 percent of a residential building permit fee, capped at $350, when the finished home earns…

Unincorporated Pierce County requires street trees along both sides of urban roads under PCC 18J.15.050, spaced at one tree per 30 lineal feet of frontage. Developers pick between…

Pierce County treats Oregon white oak trees and woodlands as priority wildlife habitat, not ordinary landscaping. A stand at least one acre with 25%-or-more oak canopy, or a single oak…

Anyone peddling or soliciting door to door in unincorporated Pierce County needs a license from the County Auditor first. PCC 5.10.010 makes operating without one unlawful, with narrow…

A posted "No Peddlers or Solicitors" sign is legally enforceable in unincorporated Pierce County. PCC 5.10.160 makes it unlawful for any peddler or solicitor to knock, ring the bell…

Adult entertainment establishments, entertainers, and managers in unincorporated Pierce County must each hold a separate county license under Chapter 5.14 PCC, which also sets strict…

Pawnbrokers in unincorporated Pierce County need a county license and face a hard population-based cap on how many can operate. PCC 5.12.020 requires the license, and PCC 5.12.060…

Buying and reselling used goods for value in unincorporated Pierce County requires a county secondhand dealer license under PCC 5.12.020, plus documentation from sellers of recent-make…

Pierce County Code Chapter 18I.35 presumes lawful farm operations are reasonable and shields them from nuisance claims, so long as the farming predates surrounding non-farm development…

Unincorporated Pierce County protects farmland by classifying parcels of ten acres or more on prime or unique soils as Agricultural Lands, restricting nearby development. Owners of…

Pierce County requires a permit from the Parks and Recreation Director before anyone can hold an organized run, walk, race, festival, carnival, parade, or other group gathering in a…

Any parade, motorcade, run, or public gathering expected to draw 150 or more people, tie up a public street, or need extra fire, police, or traffic-control support in unincorporated…

Pierce County investigates code complaints under PCC 18.140.035. You must identify yourself when filing; anonymous tips are not the trigger for a case. Staff review every submission…

Pierce County lets developers exceed zoning's maximum density if they build low-income affordable units under PCC 18A.65. Single-family zones can reach 133% of the base density (a 6…

Unincorporated Pierce County keeps marijuana-licensed businesses 1,000 feet away from schools, parks, playgrounds, libraries, transit centers, child-care centers, churches and other…

Pierce County has not opted out of state-licensed marijuana retail. Retail outlets are allowed, but only through a Conditional Use Permit and only in Mixed Use District, Urban…

In unincorporated Pierce County, letting a car alarm, horn, or siren sound frequently, repeatedly, or continuously beyond a warning of danger is a "public disturbance noise" banned…

Loud, raucous music, sound amplifiers, or crowd noise from a tavern, bar, band session, or social gathering that disturbs neighbors is banned as a "public disturbance noise" under PCC…

In unincorporated Pierce County, a home security camera counts as an "alarm system" under PCC 8.64.010.J once it's set up to summon a Sheriff's Department response, and PCC 8.64.030.A…

If a leak in your water service pipe inflated your Pierce County sewer bill, PCC 13.13.055(H) lets you request a credit. Submit a written request to the Sewer Utility with the repair…

Pierce County's Water Utility, created by PCC 7.10.010, exists in part "to establish reclaimed water services to protect the environment," with "Reclaimed Water" defined by…

Propane grilling is allowed across the Pierce County park system, no permit needed for the fuel type itself. PCC 14.08.080(C) says outdoor cooking using compressed gas such as propane…

Charcoal and wood-pellet cooking is restricted in Pierce County parks: PCC 14.08.080(C) confines it to sites equipped with hot coal disposal containers. Bring a charcoal grill or…

Mobile food service, county code's term for espresso trucks and lunch wagons, can only operate in Pierce County's commercial and industrial zone classifications outside city limits…

Pierce County caps garage sales at 8 cumulative days within any 12-month period on the same property, the same limit in every zone classification from Urban Centers to Rural…

Installing rooftop solar panels on a home in unincorporated Pierce County requires a building permit under PCC 17C.10.070, and the fee scales with system size: a base fee plus an added…