Federal Way, WA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- FWRC 7.05.020
- Violation type
- Public nuisance + development regulation violation
- Prohibited outcome
- Erosion/undermining of adjacent property
- Also prohibited
- Sediment deposition onto adjacent land
- First-offense fine
- $100.00 civil infraction
- Related titles
- FWRC Titles 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19
Summary
FWRC 7.05.020 makes it a public nuisance and code violation for a property owner to allow erosion, undermining, or sediment deposition that spreads onto a neighboring parcel. The rule applies during construction and any time site conditions cause off-site erosion damage.
It is a development regulation violation, a public nuisance, and a violation of this Code for the owner of the subject property to create, allow or perpetuate conditions on the subject property which cause the erosion or undermining of adjacent property. It is also a development regulation violation, a public nuisance, and a violation of this Code for the owner of the subject property to create, allow or perpetuate a condition which causes the deposition of sediments or the movement of other geologic materials onto adjacent 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
020, Erosion and sedimentation regulation, declares it a development regulation violation, a public nuisance, and a Code violation for the owner of a subject property to create, allow, or perpetuate conditions that cause erosion or undermining of adjacent property. The same section separately bars creating, allowing, or perpetuating a condition that causes deposition of sediments or movement of other geologic materials onto adjacent property, which reaches sediment tracked or washed off a construction site onto a neighbor's land. 00 third or subsequent, with each day of an unabated condition a separate violation) and the code enforcement officer's right of entry to inspect a site.
135 FWRC; and the environmentally sensitive areas provisions in Title 19, Division V, which govern steep-slope and critical-area erosion hazards tied to the state Growth Management Act.
Violations & Fines
A property owner who allows erosion, undermining, or off-site sediment deposition is subject to Title 7's public nuisance enforcement: a civil infraction under FWRC 1.15.110 starting at $100.00, rising to $200.00 and then $300.00 for repeat violations of the same nature, with each day the condition remains unabated after notice treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Federal Way's erosion ordinance actually prohibit?
Is an erosion violation treated as a nuisance or a building code issue?
What happens if I do not fix erosion damage to a neighbor's lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Federal Way
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Erosion Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle erosion control.