Edmonds, WA

Edmonds designates three residential parking zones, Red, Blue and Yellow, under ECC Chapter 8.52. Residents lacking sufficient off-street parking can buy an annual permit for $25 per…

Edmonds bars parking or storing more than one commercial vehicle, or any single commercial vehicle over 10,000 pounds licensed gross weight, per dwelling unit on a lot in any R-zoned…

Edmonds caps recreational vehicles, a category defined to include travel trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, folding camping trailers, truck campers and motor homes, at two units parked…

Edmonds allows up to four vehicles parked in a front yard on a driveway or other improved surface, but that improved surface cannot cover more than 50 percent of the required front…

Chapter 17.115 ECDC allows Level I, II and III electric vehicle charging stations as an accessory use in every Edmonds zoning district, and requires new development, substantially…

Edmonds bars parking within 30 feet of either side of a private driveway once the traffic engineer marks it with yellow curb paint, under ECC 8.48.125. On curbed streets, parking also…

Edmonds bans leaving trailers and heavy commercial vehicles overnight, between one minute after midnight and 6:00 a.m., on any street in or next to a residential or open-space zone…

Edmonds's traffic engineer can mark a no-parking zone by painting the curb yellow instead of, or in addition to, posting signs, under ECC 8.48.170. The words 'no parking' may be…

Edmonds bars leaving an abandoned junk vehicle on private property for more than 24 hours without the owner's permission, and bars leaving any vehicle on a highway or private property…

Placing a loading zone, bus stop, or shelter pad in a Snohomish County road right-of-way takes a Type C1 permit under SCC 13.50.040, and the county engineer won't issue one unless the…

Washington caps what a private-property tow can cost. Under RCW 46.55.118, a class A, D or E tow truck operator's filed hourly towing rate cannot exceed 135 percent of the State…

Edmonds has adopted the 2021 International Wildland Urban Interface Code, as amended by the state Building Code Council, to govern construction in the city's mapped wildfire-hazard…

Edmonds bans the sale, possession, use, transfer, discharge or ignition of any fireworks within city limits, including so-called safe and sane consumer fireworks. Only a state-licensed…

Edmonds bans outdoor burning citywide, but exempts small cooking fires burning only charcoal, natural gas, propane or seasoned natural wood, along with campfires at designated…

Edmonds makes it unlawful to engage in outdoor burning anywhere within city limits, notwithstanding any other code provision, except for the narrow exceptions listed in the same…

Snohomish County has no single 'clear your brush' ordinance countywide, but the 2021 Washington Wildland-Urban Interface Code applies to new commercial and residential permits on…

Washington law requires smoke detection devices inside all dwelling units. Owners must install them; tenants must maintain them and replace batteries. Any dwelling sold on or after…

Snohomish County has adopted the 2018 International Fire Code (SCC 30.53A.010), which governs liquefied-petroleum (propane) gas storage, container sizes, and installation. Small…

Edmonds City Code 5.05.015 limits every residential dwelling unit to five or fewer domestic animals, regardless of how many people live there. A newborn litter gets a 180-day grace…

Edmonds does not require cat owners to license their cats. Section 5.05.025 offers a nonmandatory lifetime license for $5.00, sold purely for identification purposes if a cat is lost…

Edmonds City Code 5.05.050 bars any animal from running at large, and 5.05.060 requires dogs to stay on leash in city parks and on the waterfront walkway. The one exception is the…

Edmonds has no breed ban. Instead, 5.05.122 lets the animal control authority declare a specific dog 'dangerous' based on its behavior, such as an unprovoked severe injury to a person…

Edmonds City Code 5.05.127.1 requires stray dogs and cats held at the city's designated shelter, and animals surrendered there by owners, to be spayed or neutered with verification…

Edmonds City Code 5.05.130.1 lets any single-family lot keep up to six female chickens, no roosters mentioned, with a compliant coop counted as an accessory structure. Larger 'covered…

Edmonds bans intentionally feeding, attracting or artificially sustaining wildlife on city beaches under ECC 5.32.106, added in 2019, with an exception only for feeding programs…

Edmonds bars anyone from taking, possessing, injuring or destroying any bird on a public city beach without first obtaining a permit from the parks and recreation director, under ECC…

Edmonds requires a conditional use permit for veterinary clinics in the BP (Planned Business) zone under ECDC 16.53.010(C), and allows boarding only of animals under veterinary care…

Edmonds bans keeping any inherently dangerous animal outright and requires a state or federal wildlife permit for every other wild animal. Animal control may authorize only short-term…

Edmonds bans selling or offering for sale any dog, cat or rabbit citywide. A retail pet store may only provide space for a publicly operated animal control agency or nonprofit welfare…

Beekeeping is allowed in unincorporated Snohomish County. There is no county-specific hive ban, but all colonies must be registered with the Washington State Department of Agriculture…

Microchipping is not required for an ordinary pet in unincorporated Snohomish County, but the county rewards it: an altered dog or cat with a microchip costs $15 to license instead of…

Any grooming parlor in unincorporated Snohomish County needs a license under SCC 6.06.015 and pays $200.00 a year (SCC 6.01.050(2)). Operators cannot board animals overnight, must…

Edmonds City Code 5.05.115 makes it a public nuisance for an animal to bark, howl, yelp, or whine enough to disturb a neighborhood, defined as 10 or more continuous minutes or 20 or…

Edmonds' noise control ordinance exempts sounds from aircraft in flight from the city's maximum permissible sound level standards, so airplane and helicopter overflight noise near the…

Edmonds allows construction noise only between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays under ECC 5.30.110(B); construction noise on Sundays and federal…

Edmonds bans loud, repetitive amplified music and sound-equipment noise that disturbs neighbors under ECC 5.30.130(C), part of the city's public disturbance noises rule. A violation…

Between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., Edmonds cuts the maximum permissible noise level by 10 dB(A) for residential receiving property, and separately bans loud, repetitive unamplified…

Edmonds caps sound at the property line using a district-to-district table: noise crossing from a residential source into a residential receiving property is capped at 55 dB(A), rising…

Edmonds bans operating a motor vehicle whose exhaust exceeds the sound levels for its vehicle category, tested at 20 inches from the exhaust outlet under state WAC procedures. Every…

Snohomish County has no daytime leaf-blower ban, but operating a leaf blower, saw, drill, sander, grinder, fan, garden tool or similar device at night in a rural or residential…

Edmonds requires a fence permit for any fence over three feet tall that sits within 10 feet of a street right-of-way or access easement, or within 30 feet of a corner, and for any…

Edmonds limits fences to three feet within 10 feet of a street right-of-way or access easement, or within 30 feet of a corner, unless the city engineer approves an exception allowing…

Edmonds requires a building permit before erecting a retaining wall under ECDC 18.40.010, but retaining walls of 4 feet or less, measured from finished grade at the exposed toe to the…

Snohomish County Code does not assign shared-fence cost or ownership between neighbors, but it does limit what can sit near a property line: fences over six feet must meet the building…

Snohomish County allows up to three strands of wire on top of fences six feet or less high. Fences taller than eight feet, or those with masonry or concrete elements above six feet…

Edmonds property owners along any street must prune private trees and other vegetation on their land so it does not block streetlights, obstruct sidewalk passage, hide traffic signs…

No one may remove, excessively prune, or top a significant tree, one at least six inches in diameter, anywhere in Edmonds without a Type I permit under ECDC 17.130.030, unless the tree…

Edmonds restricts lawn and garden irrigation only when the public works director declares a water shortage emergency under Edmonds City Code Chapter 7.10. Once declared, the city can…

Edmonds does not ban home composting. Under ECC 6.20.042(C)(1), a pile of perishable matter that could otherwise be a vermin-breeding nuisance is exempt as long as it is a compost heap…

Edmonds makes it a public nuisance to let uncultivated berry vines or state-classified Class B or C noxious weeds exceed an average height of three feet within five feet of a…

Development within Edmonds's Firdale Village mixed-use zone must use native and drought-tolerant plants in at least 20 percent of all landscaped areas. The Community Development Code…

Snohomish County doesn't require rainwater harvesting, but it pays commercial property owners for it: install a qualifying rooftop system under SCC 25.10.040 and the county's surface…

Snohomish County treats artificial turf as non-vegetative landscape material under SCC 30.25.015(3). It can help satisfy required site landscaping, but the county caps decorative…

Edmonds allows a detached single-family home to have up to two accessory dwelling units under ECDC 16.20.060, capping detached ADU floor area at 1,000 to 1,200 square feet depending on…

Edmonds caps accessory building height at 15 feet and lets small accessory structures under 600 square feet reduce their rear setback to 5 feet under ECDC 16.20.065, while otherwise…

Converting a garage into habitable space in unincorporated Snohomish County is treated as creating an accessory dwelling unit and must meet SCC 30.28.010 ADU standards, including the…

In unincorporated Snohomish County a recreational vehicle cannot be a primary residence. A tiny house counts as a dwelling only if built on a foundation, permitted, and connected to…

Edmonds allows a family home day care outright in any residential zone with no permit, but a mini day care center needs a Type II conditional use permit and both must follow the same…

Edmonds permits home occupations as a secondary use in any residential zone, but ECDC 20.20.010(A) limits an outright-permitted home business to family labor only, no heavy equipment…

An Edmonds home occupation that draws customer visits caps them at one vehicle per hour, bars visits between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., and requires a Type II staff-approved permit…

A home occupation sign in Edmonds cannot exceed four square feet, counts against the property's total permitted sign area, and needs both a building permit and a Type II conditional…

Washington runs a cottage food permit through the state Department of Agriculture, not through the local health district. Under RCW 69.22.030 the permit is issued for two years and…

Washington has no microenterprise home kitchen permit. WAC 246-215-08300 bars operating a food establishment without a permit from the local health jurisdiction, and the one permit…

Edmonds regulates short-term rentals through the Community Development Code. Bed & breakfasts are covered under ECDC 20.23. Hosts must obtain a City of Edmonds business license (ECC…

Lodging rented for less than one month in Snohomish County is subject to two stacked 2% county lodging excise taxes (SCC 4.40.010 and 4.41.010), a combined 4% hotel-motel tax, in…

Snohomish County has no STR-specific noise cap, but SCC 30.28.020(3)(e) requires a bed-and-breakfast to be run so as not to disturb neighbors' peaceful occupancy. General county noise…

Snohomish County's bed-and-breakfast rules require a host to be present: SCC 30.28.020(3)(c) directs that the owner operate the facility and reside on the premises. Meal service is…

Occupancy in unincorporated Snohomish County is limited by guest rooms, not headcount. A bed-and-breakfast guesthouse may offer up to 3 guest rooms; a bed-and-breakfast inn up to 6. At…

Unincorporated Snohomish County requires a bed-and-breakfast (STR) to provide 2 off-street parking spaces plus 1 per guest room, per SCC Table 30.26.030(1). No on-street parking is…

Unincorporated Snohomish County effectively requires an owner-occupied STR: SCC 30.28.020(3)(c) states the owner shall operate the facility and reside on the premises. The lodging must…

The county's bed-and-breakfast code sets no specific liability-insurance requirement for STRs. It instead requires compliance with fire, health and building codes, and at three or more…

Unincorporated Snohomish County imposes no cap on rental nights. SCC 30.28.020(3)(f) states there is no limit on the number of days a guest may stay at the establishment. However…

Unincorporated Snohomish County requires a building permit before installing an in-ground or deep residential swimming pool. SCC 30.50.103(1)(g)-(h) exempts only prefabricated pools…

Every swimming or wading pool in unincorporated Snohomish County, aside from hot tubs and spas, must be enclosed by a fence at least four feet high and strong enough to keep children…

Edmonds enforces electrical permitting under its own statutory authority rather than adopting a separate local electrical code outright, applying whichever National Electrical Code…

Edmonds requires a building permit for construction, alteration, repair, demolition or moving of any structure unless the work falls within the city's amended IBC exemption list. A…

Edmonds does not mandate green construction, but projects certifying under the Title 16 green building incentive program get expedited plan review from the planning and development…

Edmonds regulates plumbing work under the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code as amended by the state Building Code Council, and the building official must confirm an adequate potable water…

Edmonds requires an automatic fire sprinkler system in any new building with three or more attached dwelling units, and in any new one- or two-family dwelling or townhouse whose fire…

Scaffolding built over or into a county road right-of-way during construction, demolition, or repair needs a Type C2 permit and must carry a tarp underneath to stop debris from falling…

Unincorporated Snohomish County regulates day care centers as a distinct land use under SCC 30.28.030. Outdoor play areas must be fenced or otherwise controlled, landscaping must meet…

In unincorporated Snohomish County, the building official runs every required construction inspection, from a preliminary site check before a permit issues through follow-up…

Edmonds bars drivers from stopping, standing or parking in any designated bike lane under ECC 8.48.190(B)(3). The same section also bans parking that narrows a travel lane below 10…

Edmonds runs automated traffic safety cameras at two stoplight intersections and in school speed zones under ECC 8.10.010. Cameras photograph only the rear plate during an active…

Snohomish County bans motorized foot scooters, including shared/rental units, from every county park and county-owned property, from all sidewalks, and from bike paths and hiking…

Washington splits small street-legal vehicles into three statutory classes by top speed, and the rules for each are different. A golf cart tops out at 20 mph and may use public streets…

ECC 5.42.030 adopts Washington's privacy act, RCW 9.73.010 through 9.73.100, as local law, making it a crime to intercept, record or divulge a private communication in Edmonds without…

Snohomish County requires a Type C11 right-of-way use permit before anyone places a license plate reader or other data collection device in the opened county right-of-way. The county…

ECC 5.46.050 bans skateboards, roller skates and coasters on every arterial street in Edmonds and on sidewalks in five specifically mapped downtown areas, including 8th Avenue, Bell…

Edmonds bans smoking and vaping, including cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, marijuana and e-cigarettes, in every city park under ECC 5.32.045. The rule is park-specific rather than a…

Edmonds treats public urination or defecation outside a restroom as a form of unlawful public exposure under ECC 5.38.010(H)(4) and 5.38.030, a misdemeanor that becomes a gross…

Edmonds designates specific streets as "business districts" where RCW 46.90.418 bars pedestrians from crossing anywhere except at a marked or signed crosswalk. ECC 8.04.150 lists the…

Edmonds does not write its own public-cannabis-consumption rule; instead it adopts RCW 69.50.445, the state ban on opening or consuming cannabis in view of the general public, directly…

Snohomish County's only loitering ordinance covers its own airport, Paine Field: no one may disrupt, slow, or impede normal airport operations, and the county can direct anyone…

Edmonds allows temporary homeless encampments as a secondary use anywhere churches or public facilities are permitted, but only under a hearing-examiner permit that caps occupancy at…

Edmonds requires external lights on any use to be shielded, trained or directed so they minimize glare onto adjacent property or passing traffic, with sports field or court lighting…

SCC 30.27.080(8) caps digital billboard brightness at 5,000 nits by day and only 500 nits between sunset and sunrise as timed by the National Weather Service. Any digital billboard…

Snohomish County has no blanket dark-sky law, but its zoning use matrix forces shielded lighting on two specific uses in unincorporated areas: publicly owned parks and equestrian…

Edmonds sets minimum street, side and rear setbacks by low-density residential subdistrict in ECDC 16.20.030(D), ranging from 5 feet (LDR-S side yard) up to 25 feet (LDR-L street and…

Edmonds caps building height at 25 feet across all three low-density residential subdistricts, LDR-S, LDR-M and LDR-L, under ECDC 16.20.030(D), with accessory buildings and structures…

Edmonds caps lot coverage at 35 percent of total lot area across all three low-density residential subdistricts under ECDC 16.20.030(D), the same figure applying to LDR-S, LDR-M and…

Edmonds closes every city park from sunset to sunrise year-round under ECC 5.32.010, and it is unlawful to loiter or remain on park grounds during those hours without written…

Washington does not impose a statewide juvenile curfew; cities may enact local curfews under general police powers, subject to constitutional limits.

Edmonds requires an encroachment permit before any permanent structure, such as a fence, retaining wall, building extension, marquee or artwork, occupies public right-of-way, sidewalk…

In Edmonds, the owner of property directly abutting a sidewalk must maintain, repair and reconstruct it under ECC 9.20.050. The city takes over that duty only for double-fronted lots…

Edmonds bars abutting property owners from erecting or maintaining signs, structures or vegetation that block sight lines or intrude on a sidewalk or roadway under ECC 9.25.010. An…

Planting, removing or pruning any tree in an Edmonds street right-of-way, parking strip or planting strip requires a permit from the director of public works under ECDC 18.85.020. The…

Edmonds runs no separate heritage or landmark tree registry. Instead, ECDC 17.130.020 defines a "specimen tree" as one of exceptional size, form or rarity, and ECDC 17.130.060(D)…

ECDC 17.130.050 bars removing any "protected tree," one designated for retention on an approved plan or permanently protected by easement or covenant, anywhere in Edmonds: on vacant…

Edmonds applies detailed architectural design standards to the BD1 through BD4 downtown business zones under ECDC 16.43.035, covering building massing, street orientation, ground-floor…

Edmonds lets developers in the Neighborhood Centers and Hubs (NCH) mixed-use zone earn up to one additional floor or 10 feet of extra height under ECDC 16.120.090, through a green…

Edmonds regulates stormwater runoff from construction and development under ECDC 18.30, the city's Stormwater Management chapter. Any project disturbing 7,000 square feet of land or…

Edmonds requires a construction stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) under ECDC 18.30.060(D)(2) for any project adding 2,000 square feet or more of new plus replaced hard…

Edmonds requires two feet of freeboard above the base flood elevation for buildings in a Coastal High Hazard Area or Coastal A Flood Zone, and one foot of freeboard for manufactured…

Any construction or development within an Edmonds special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit before work begins, covering all structures, including manufactured…

Edmonds regulates private docks, piers and floats through its Shoreline Master Program. A single-family dock is a water-dependent use but must meet strict height, length, width and…

In unincorporated Snohomish County, running or idling a stationary truck over 10,000 pounds GVWR for more than ten minutes at a stretch at night is classified as a public disturbance…

Washington's Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58) requires Shoreline Substantial Development Permits for most construction within 200 feet of marine and freshwater shorelines statewide.

Edmonds enforces minimum property maintenance standards through the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, but the city deleted the IPMC's exterior-property, swimming pool…

For nonpayment of rent, a Washington landlord must serve a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice in the form set by RCW 59.18.057 before filing an unlawful detainer under RCW 59.12.030…

Washington RCW 59.18.650 requires landlords to have one of 16 enumerated lawful causes to terminate most residential tenancies statewide.

RCW 59.18.150 requires a Washington landlord to give at least two days' written notice before entering to inspect, repair, or maintain the unit, and at least one day's notice to show…

Under RCW 59.18.170, a Washington landlord may not charge any late fee on rent paid within five days of its due date; a fee may begin only once rent is more than five days past due…

Under RCW 59.18.200, a Washington tenant may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 20 days' written notice. A landlord, however, cannot end a periodic tenancy at will: RCW…

Washington bars cities from passing local rent control under RCW 35.21.830, and that preemption still stands. But in 2025 the state enacted its first statewide rent-increase cap. Under…

Under RCW 59.18.140, a Washington landlord must give at least 90 days' prior written notice before raising rent (30 days for income-based subsidized housing). The 2025 Rent…

Washington sets no dollar cap on residential security deposits, but it controls how they are collected and returned. A landlord may collect a deposit only with a written rental…

Washington's general adverse possession period is 10 years under RCW 4.16.020, requiring possession that is actual, open and notorious, exclusive, hostile, and continuous. A shorter…

A properly zoned and licensed Edmonds restaurant may extend seating onto the public sidewalk directly adjacent to its storefront under ECDC 17.70.040, but only after obtaining a street…

Edmonds requires a permit from the police chief before anyone parades, demonstrates, or pickets on a public street, per ECC 8.08.010. There's no application fee, but organizers must…

During fee-based Edmonds special events like the Edmonds Art Festival and Taste of Edmonds, no mobile vending unit may operate within a quarter mile of the event, protecting food…

Edmonds exempts neighborhood block parties from its special event permit requirement, though ECC 4.100.030(F) still requires the gathering to comply with applicable laws such as street…

Edmonds confines licensed marijuana producers and processors to the CG general commercial zone and licensed retailers to BC, BD, BN and CG parcels inside seven named commercial…

Marijuana production and processing facilities in unincorporated Snohomish County must sit back from every property line: 50 feet for outdoor grows and 30 feet for indoor facilities…

Washington uniquely prohibits recreational home cultivation of cannabis statewide, with cultivation only permitted by licensed producers and qualifying medical patients.

Edmonds contracts with tow operators for police-ordered impounds through a bid or rotational-list process under ECC 8.48.610, and requires proof of insurance, a surety bond, or a cash…

Operating an adult entertainment facility in Edmonds without a separate city-issued license is unlawful under ECC 4.52.060, on top of any general business license, with fingerprinting…

Snohomish County bars automobile, truck and heavy equipment repair as a home occupation. SCC 30.28.050(3)(g) prohibits fueling, maintenance, repair, auto-body work or painting for home…

Every massage parlor in unincorporated Snohomish County needs a license under SCC 6.07.020, subject to health authority inspection and sheriff fingerprinting before it issues. Parlors…

Buying and reselling used goods for a living in unincorporated Snohomish County requires a secondhand dealer license under SCC 6.19.010, priced at $250.00 a year, unless you qualify as…

Every pawnbroker operating in unincorporated Snohomish County needs a license under SCC 6.19.010, costs $300.00 a year, and requires sheriff fingerprinting and a background…

Washington RCW 70.345 requires licensing for vapor product retailers, distributors, and delivery sellers, with state Department of Revenue oversight and tax collection.

Edmonds designates buildings, structures, sites and districts to its historic register if they are significantly associated with local or national history and at least 50 years old…

Anyone going door to door in Edmonds to sell goods or services must first secure a city business license under ECC 4.12. The license must be carried at all times and shown to police or…

Edmonds bars peddlers from approaching any home or business posting a "No Peddlers" or "No Solicitors" sign, and confines door-to-door selling to between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. under…

Operating a food truck or cart in Edmonds requires a city street vendor business license plus a separate street use permit before setting up, with fees set by city council resolution.

Edmonds confines mobile food vending to nine named commercial zones plus adjacent unzoned or right-of-way property, and bars street vendors outright from any residentially zoned area…

A food cart or vendor working an Edmonds sidewalk must leave five feet of clearance and keep the nonmotorized unit to 30 square feet, oriented toward pedestrian traffic and never…

Edmonds treats a decayed, damaged or disrepaired structure that poses a substantial threat of collapse as a public nuisance under ECC 6.20.042(D)(1). The planning and development…

Edmonds bans junk, litter, unstacked salvage, broken furniture, junk vehicles, disorganized construction materials and loose shopping carts on any front, side or rear yard or vacant…

Edmonds makes ice and snow removal part of an abutting property owner's sidewalk maintenance duty under ECC 9.20.010(B), and treats an ice or snow accumulation left on a sidewalk as an…

Edmonds bans letting noxious weeds, thistles or nettles grow on any lot or on bordering streets, alleys or highways within city limits under ECC 6.30.010, a rule dating to 1916. The…

Edmonds tightly restricts electronic reader board and digital message signs under its sign code. Messages that change faster than every 20 seconds count as blinking or flashing and are…

Edmonds caps window signage by zoning district under ECDC 20.60.035. Residential lots in the LDR and RM zones may display up to 4 square feet of window signs, while businesses in the…

Edmonds allows campaign signs in every zone as temporary signage, with no numeric cap on off-premises postings. Off-premises signs may go up no earlier than the candidate's declaration…

Purely decorative seasonal and holiday displays are exempt from Edmonds' sign code. ECDC 20.60.095(D) excuses holiday displays that do not use written copy or graphics to convey a…

In unincorporated Snohomish County a single-family residence may display one unlighted name sign up to two square feet per face. Real-estate signs advertising sale or lease may be up…

Edmonds bans frequent or repetitive horn or siren noise from a motor vehicle, including a triggered car alarm, as a public disturbance noise under ECC 5.30.130(A), unless the sound is…

Edmonds exempts emergency generator noise from its general noise ordinance while running during an actual power outage, but confines routine manufacturer-required testing to…

Edmonds requires an annual occupation license before running certain businesses inside city limits and taxes specific classes, electric and gas utilities, telephone and cable…

Edmonds bans commercial card rooms outright. ECC 3.24.015 prohibits operating social card games as commercial stimulants, and a violation is a gross misdemeanor under ECC 3.24.200…

Washington exempts bona fide charitable and nonprofit organizations from Gambling Commission licensing when raffle, bingo, or amusement-game revenue stays under $5,000 a year…

Washington law defines a "player" under RCW 9.46.0265 as someone who gambles on equal terms with no profit beyond personal winnings. A private card game among friends is legal without…

Sports betting is legal in Washington only at tribal casinos operating under a class III gaming compact amended to include it, as RCW 9.46.0364 authorizes following ESHB 2638 (2020 c…

Edmonds levies a 2 percent special excise tax on lodging sold by hotels, motels, tourist courts and trailer camps under ECC 3.34.010, collected by the Washington State Department of…

Edmonds requires biweekly yard waste collection for nonmultifamily homes from March through November under Edmonds City Code Section 7.80.030(E). Residents may not discard yard waste…

In Edmonds's CG General Commercial zone, a loading zone or trash compactor area next to a residential lot must be screened by a six-foot masonry wall plus five feet of dense Type I…

Edmonds requires curbside recyclables to be set out on your hauler's designated collection day under Edmonds City Code Section 7.80.030(A). The code names six accepted curbside…

All solid waste generated inside Edmonds city limits must go through the Snohomish County disposal system under Edmonds City Code Section 7.70.020(A). Recycling collection for…

Dumping solid waste in Edmonds outside the state-adopted disposal rules is a crime under Edmonds City Code Section 7.70.030. Violations tied to RCW 70.95.240 or RCW 70.95.610 are…

Edmonds City Code Chapter 7.80 defines the citywide recycling services WUTC-certificated haulers must offer in Edmonds. Section 7.80.010 sets the purpose, and Section 7.80.020(A)…

Edmonds City Code Section 7.80.030(D) requires nonmultifamily homes to be given a recycling container for curbside materials. Section 7.80.110(A) separately requires all new…

Every waste collector serving Edmonds must make curbside recycling services available under Edmonds City Code Section 7.80.030, and Section 7.80.030(C) caps landfilling of collected…

SCC 7.42.040(4)(a) requires every licensed hauler serving unincorporated Snohomish County to offer bulky materials collection, appliances, furniture and other oversize items, for…

Charcoal barbecues and cooking fires are allowed on private property in unincorporated Snohomish County as recreational fires. Propane and gas grills are ordinary cooking appliances…

A charcoal or wood-fired smoker on private property is a cooking fire under Puget Sound Clean Air Agency rules: keep it under three feet in diameter and two feet high, burn only…

Snohomish County bars infectious waste, including sharps like needles, scalpel blades and lancets, from every county-owned solid waste disposal facility under SCC 7.41.050(6)…

In unincorporated Snohomish County subdivisions with a homeowners association, SCC 30.41A.675 makes membership and payment of dues or other maintenance assessments a mandatory…

SCC 30.41A.675 requires any homeowners association formed to own and maintain subdivision tracts in unincorporated Snohomish County to incorporate as a profit or nonprofit corporation…

Washington requires HOA board meetings to be open to owners and gives owners broad record-access rights. WUCIOA communities follow RCW 64.90.445 (open meetings) and RCW 64.90.495…

Washington HOAs may adopt and enforce rules and architectural standards and enforce the recorded declaration. Under WUCIOA, RCW 64.90.405 authorizes rule adoption and enforcement…

This right applies only within Washington homeowners' associations governed by the Homeowners' Association Act, chapter 64.38 RCW: communities formed before July 1, 2018, excluding…

Washington homeowners associations and condo boards may not prohibit or unreasonably restrict a unit owner's electric vehicle charging station installed for personal, noncommercial use…

Washington's older Homeowners' Association Act, chapter 64.38 RCW, applies to HOAs formed before July 1, 2018 that have not opted into the newer Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act…

Both Washington regimes let HOAs impose reasonable fines, but only after notice and an opportunity to be heard and only under a fine schedule already adopted by the board and furnished…

Washington associations do hold a super-lien. Under RCW 64.90.485(3)(a)(i) of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act, an association's lien jumps ahead of a first…

Washington condominium and HOA boards cannot cap or ban unit leasing by ordinary board rule. RCW 64.90.510(10)(c) lets a board restrict leasing only to the extent the rule mirrors…

Unincorporated Snohomish County protects working farmland through the Agriculture-10 Acre (A-10) zone, which limits development to agricultural uses and farm-support businesses under…

Snohomish County's right-to-farm law presumes agricultural activity on designated farmland is reasonable and not a nuisance under SCC 30.32B.200, shielding farmers from neighbor…

Snohomish County has frozen all new data center applications countywide. SCC 30.28.032 bars the county from filing, accepting, processing, or approving any application to establish…

SCC 30.28.032 imposes a countywide moratorium blocking the filing, acceptance, processing, or approval of any application to establish, expand, or convert a use to a data center in…

Flying a drone or any other model aircraft on Snohomish County Airport grounds without the airport manager's authorization is banned outright under SCC 15.08.305(3). The same section…

Commercial drone operations in Washington are governed by FAA Part 107, with state law adding criminal liability for invasive uses and limited authority over state-owned land.

Code enforcement in unincorporated Snohomish County starts once a director at Planning and Development Services or Public Works has reason to believe a violation occurred; the director…

Rooftop solar photovoltaic systems on detached single-family homes in unincorporated Snohomish County skip the mechanical permit if they meet the eleven-point checklist in SCC…

Washington RCW 64.38.055 voids homeowner association rules prohibiting solar panel installation, allowing only reasonable placement rules. RCW 64.90.510 gives the same protection to…

Washington RCW 49.46 sets a statewide minimum wage adjusted annually for inflation; as of 2026 it is $17.13 per hour. Washington does not preempt local minimum wages, so several cities…

Washington RCW 49.46.200 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees, and RCW 50A.04 provides paid family and medical leave funded by payroll premiums.

Washington issues concealed pistol licenses under RCW 9.41.070 on a shall-issue basis to qualified applicants, with statewide preemption preventing local concealed carry rules.

Washington RCW 9.41.290 broadly preempts local firearm regulation, reserving authority over firearm laws to the state legislature with very limited exceptions.

Washington allows open carry of firearms by qualified adults without a permit, with limited statutory restrictions and broad preemption barring most local open carry rules.

Washington RCW 9.41.050 governs carrying firearms in vehicles statewide, requiring a concealed pistol license to carry a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle.

Washington does not operate sobriety checkpoints, and no section of the Revised Code of Washington authorizes one. The only suspicionless power to stop a driver that the Legislature…

Washington is an all-party consent state, and the rule lives in the Washington Privacy Act at RCW 9.73.030. That section reaches only a private communication or a private conversation…

Washington has no general stop-and-identify statute. Someone stopped on a sidewalk in Seattle, Spokane or Tacoma and asked who they are has no statutory duty to answer, and staying…

Washington has no statute telling an adult driver what happens when an officer asks to search the car, and there is no logging or written-consent requirement of the kind Texas and…

Washington RCW 70A.530 bans single-use plastic carryout bags statewide and requires retailers to charge a pass-through fee for compliant paper or reusable bags.

Washington RCW 70A.245 bans expanded polystyrene foam food service containers, packing peanuts, and coolers in phases starting June 2024 to combat plastic pollution.

Washington RCW 70A.550 limits single-use food service ware including plastic straws and utensils to upon-request distribution at restaurants and food service businesses.

Washington RCW 26.28.080 sets the minimum age for purchasing tobacco and vapor products at 21, aligning with federal Tobacco 21 standards statewide.

Washington has not enacted a statewide flavored tobacco ban, leaving flavor restrictions to limited Department of Health authority and federal FDA enforcement on flavored vapor…

Washington splits its extra-lighting rules between the statute and the State Patrol's rules, and the part most drivers care about lives in the rules. RCW 46.37.180 allows up to two…

Washington has no statute that names dash cameras, so mounting one is governed by a single test in RCW 46.37.410(2): no sign, poster or other nontransparent material may sit on the…

Lane splitting is expressly illegal in Washington. RCW 46.61.608(3) states flatly that no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows…

Washington bans license plate covers outright. RCW 46.16A.200(7)(c)(i) makes it unlawful to use license plate holders, frames, covers, or other materials that conceal, obstruct…

Nothing in Washington law restricts a radar detector in a private passenger vehicle. Chapter 46.37 RCW, the vehicle equipment chapter that fixes fog lamp mounting heights to the inch…

Washington allows metal studded tires only in the winter half of the year. RCW 46.37.420(2) makes it unlawful to use metal studs imbedded within the tire between April 1st and November…

Washington lets you tint every window except the windshield down to 24 percent light transmission, with outward reflectance capped at 35 percent, but RCW 46.37.430(5)(a) measures that…