Federal Way, WA

Federal Way permits family home child care in single-family homes. State-licensed providers caring for 12 or fewer children are allowed under RCW 35.63.185 and Federal Way Revised Code…

Federal Way caps a home-based business at four visitors a day. FWRC 19.270.030(1)(f) bars any home occupation from having more than four persons per day come to the property for goods…

Federal Way allows home occupations in any residential zone under FWRC 19.270.030, provided the business runs from the owner's residence, is staffed by a resident family member, avoids…

Unincorporated King County caps home occupation and home industry signs at one nonilluminated wall sign, no bigger than 10% of the facade it's mounted on.

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…

Federal Way enforces WAC 51-51-0314 via FWRC 13.22. Smoke alarms required in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every floor. CO detectors required per RCW 19.27.530 in all…

Federal Way bans possessing, using, selling, or discharging fireworks of any kind within city limits under FWRC 6.63.050, backed by a $300 civil infraction fine. Only a state-licensed…

Federal Way regulates residential propane and LP-gas installations through the adopted International Residential Code, which points installers to NFPA 58 and NFPA 54 rather than the…

Unincorporated King County lets homeowners clear brush and prune trees near a house for wildfire safety without a clearing permit, but only within fixed distance limits set by county…

In unincorporated King County parks, campfires and fire pits are allowed only in spots posted and designated for that use, and only with a containment device such as a stove or fire…

Unincorporated King County allows limited tree and brush clearing near homes for wildfire preparedness without a clearing and grading permit, including clearing up to 100 feet with a…

Washington's Clean Air Act (RCW 70A.15) bans outdoor burning in urban growth areas and most cities. The Department of Ecology and clean air agencies enforce statewide standards…

FWRC 7.10.020(3) bars yelling, shouting, whistling, or singing on or near public streets between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., or at any time it unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's peace…

FWRC 7.10.020(8) bars construction noise, including equipment, power tools, and hammering, between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekends…

FWRC 7.10.050 adopts the state's maximum environmental noise levels under the Noise Control Act, Chapter 70.107 RCW and Chapter 173-60 WAC, as Federal Way's numeric noise standard…

Federal Way bars using a radio, loudspeaker, musical instrument, or any device that reproduces sound audible more than 50 feet away in any city park unless the parks director issues a…

Federal Way bans excessive vehicle noise under FWRC 7.10.020: unnecessary horn or siren blasts, revving or repairing an engine in a residential district loud enough to disturb…

In unincorporated King County, noise from aircraft and helicopters in flight, plus airport flight operations, is fully exempt from the county noise ordinance's maximum sound level and…

In unincorporated King County, a pet making noise to an unreasonable degree that disturbs a person or neighborhood is a declared public nuisance, backed by civil penalties and…

Federal Way treats junk and junked vehicles as a public nuisance under FWRC 7.20.020, letting code enforcement or police impound them from public or private property. FWRC 7.20.010…

When Federal Way's public works director declares a snow alert, FWRC 8.60.030 bans parking on any designated primary snow route until the alert ends, and Federal Way police can tow a…

Federal Way requires driveways and parking areas to be surfaced with a material comparable to the abutting right-of-way, and single-family lots must pave the first 40 feet of an…

Federal Way lets residents keep one recreational vehicle, utility trailer or boat outside on a residential lot, but FWRC 19.130.260 requires it stay licensed, operable, out of the…

Federal Way caps residential-lot commercial vehicle parking under FWRC 19.130.250: one vehicle under 10,000 pounds GVWR on most residential lots, or one of any weight on RS 35.0 and…

Federal Way sets no single citywide overnight parking curfew in its code; instead FWRC 8.50.040 lets the public works director prohibit or limit on-street parking hours anywhere in the…

Federal Way requires every designated fire lane to be marked with a yellow-painted six-inch curb or stripe and 18-inch 'No Parking - Fire Lane' lettering under FWRC 8.55.050, and…

Federal Way regulates electric vehicle charging infrastructure under FWRC Chapter 19.295, covering principal-use charging stations, accessory charging at apartments and commercial…

In unincorporated King County, drivers may stop in a marked passenger loading zone only to load or unload passengers, and only for a maximum of three minutes: anything longer or any…

Unincorporated King County bans parking that blocks a driveway, leaves less than 10 feet of roadway clear, or stops on the wrong side of a one-way road; each violation is a $20 traffic…

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…

Federal Way declares any dog running at large a public nuisance, and the code defines a leash as a cord, rope, thong or chain no more than 20 feet long. Animal services officers can…

Federal Way does not ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats, but every pet shop, kennel, cattery, pet daycare or shelter must hold a valid Seattle-King County Department of Public…

Every cat 21 weeks or older kept in Federal Way needs an annual license from the animal services authority, current rabies proof, and a license tag worn at all times off the owner's…

Federal Way does not require every pet to be fixed, but an unaltered dog or cat impounded a second time must be spayed or neutered by the animal services authority before it can be…

Federal Way grooming parlors need a Seattle-King County Department of Public Health permit and must follow specific animal-handling rules: no boarding, one animal per cage, restraining…

Federal Way's zoning code leaves ordinary dog and cat numbers to Title 9, where the code's own kennel definitions set the practical ceiling: four or more adult dogs, or six or more…

Federal Way bans keeping monkeys, big cats, bears, wolves, coyotes, foxes, badgers, lynx and poisonous reptiles, plus any other dangerous wild or exotic animal, unless the owner gets a…

Federal Way bans leaving, placing or distributing food anywhere in a city park with intent to feed wildlife. A separate section bars feeding any fowl, fish or animal in a park while…

Federal Way has no breed-specific ban; instead FWRC 9.25.010 makes it unlawful to own or possess a dog once it is declared dangerous, a gross misdemeanor forcing the owner to surrender…

Federal Way allows veterinary offices as a permitted office use in the Professional Office (PO) zone, but FWRC 19.210.010 note 2 caps what they can do: small animals only, no outdoor…

Federal Way caps backyard flocks at four chickens or ducks combined on lots under 35,000 square feet, with coops set back 10 feet from side and rear lines and banned from front yards…

Federal Way lets residential property owners keep bees under FWRC 19.260.080, scaling hive counts to lot size: two hives under 20,000 square feet, five hives up to 60,000, and 15 hives…

Unincorporated King County protects active nests of bald eagles, ospreys, peregrine falcons, marbled murrelets, spotted owls, great blue herons and other species by drawing a…

King County accepts an implanted microchip as a substitute for a metal license tag on licensed pets, and separately requires microchipping before any shelter adoption and before…

Federal Way requires a director-approved tree retention plan before anyone removes trees on a site, with narrow homeowner exemptions for small-diameter trees. Violators face civil…

Federal Way allows residents to compost vegetable waste, ashes, leaves, grass and other organic debris on their own property under FWRC 11.20.030, as long as the pile does not create…

Federal Way caps weeds and plant growth at six inches on developed property under its amended International Property Maintenance Code, with noxious weeds prohibited outright regardless…

Unincorporated King County's landscaping code treats stored rainwater as an approved 'alternative water source' for required irrigation and exempts rainwater-fed outlets from the…

King County Code § 14.52.080 forbids removing or cutting back street trees and plantings in county road right-of-way if it damages their appearance, letting utilities trim only enough…

Unincorporated King County requires new landscaping to use native or climate-adapted plants and encourages keeping existing natural vegetation in place rather than ripping it out for…

Washington Department of Ecology administers water rights and may issue drought emergency orders that override local outdoor watering practices statewide.

Federal Way caps both transportation and park impact fees for accessory dwelling units at 50 percent of what a detached single-family home pays. The discount applies automatically when…

A storage shed in a required side or rear yard needs discretionary Process III approval in Federal Way, capped at eight feet high, 120 square feet, and a 10-foot facade, under FWRC…

Federal Way allows up to two accessory dwelling units per single-family lot under FWRC 19.200.180, each capped at 1,000 square feet and two bedrooms unless the ADU is attached and…

Washington allows tiny houses on permanent foundations under IRC Appendix Q (adopted in the state building code) for dwellings 400 square feet or less. RCW 35.21.686 governs tiny…

Any Federal Way pool, hot tub, or spa deeper than 18 inches must be enclosed by a fence or solid structure at least five feet tall, with self-closing, self-latching gates that keep…

Federal Way requires plans for any swimming pool to be constructed in the city to show compliance with the swimming pool code before work proceeds, and the city withholds final…

Federal Way caps residential rockeries and retaining walls at six feet, measured from finished grade to the top of the wall, and requires a graduated setback from the house. Commercial…

Federal Way bans razor wire fencing outright, allows barbed wire only atop a six-foot fence or wall or between two agricultural properties, and forbids electrified fences except in…

Federal Way caps ordinary fences and railings in required yards at six feet, and electrified fences at 10 feet, under FWRC 19.125.160(5). Stack a fence with a retaining wall and the…

Unincorporated King County exempts fences up to 6 feet tall from a building permit under King County Code § 16.02.240, the county's local substitute for Section 105.2 of the…

Washington's partition fence law requires adjoining landowners using a boundary fence for livestock to share construction and maintenance costs equitably under RCW 16.60.

Federal Way STR operators must register with WA DOR through the Business Licensing Service, obtain a Federal Way business endorsement, and register local contact info under RCW 64.37.

Washington requires short-term rental operators to maintain at least $1 million in primary liability insurance, or to operate through a platform providing equivalent coverage, under…

Washington imposes statewide sales tax and lodging taxes on short-term rental stays under 30 days. Operators must register with the Department of Revenue, collect applicable taxes, and…

Washington RCW 64.38.055 bars homeowner associations from prohibiting solar collectors on homes, though they may adopt reasonable aesthetic rules. Federal Way has no stricter local…

Unincorporated King County waives a building permit for roof-mounted home solar panels weighing under 4 pounds per square foot and rising no more than 18 inches above the roof; bigger…

Rent control is preempted by Washington RCW 35.21.830, so Federal Way cannot cap rent increases. State HB 1351 notice rules and RCW 59.18 just-cause eviction protections still apply.

Federal Way holds rental and other occupied properties to the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted citywide by FWRC 13.43.020 and locally amended to add a specific…

Washington RCW 59.18.650 requires just cause to end most residential tenancies. Federal Way landlords must identify one of the 16 statutory grounds and give the required written notice…

Since 2021, Washington's just-cause statute RCW 59.18.650 prohibits no-fault evictions of month-to-month tenants. Landlords in King County must cite one of sixteen enumerated causes…

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…

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…

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…

Federal Way bans all cannabis retail, production, and processing businesses citywide under FWRC 19.280.010 following a permanent ban adopted by City Council in December 2015. No…

State law and King County Code require licensed cannabis retailers, producers, and processors to sit at least 1000 feet from schools, playgrounds, recreation centers, child care…

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

Federal Way lets any established food-or-drink business run social card games as a commercial stimulant once state-licensed under RCW 9.46, but taxes the activity at 10 percent of…

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…

Federal Way imposes a special excise tax of 1 percent on lodging charges at any hotel, motel, rooming house, tourist court, or trailer camp under FWRC 3.25.010, layered on top of the…

Federal Way has no general business and occupation tax; instead FWRC 3.10.040 classifies specific utility-type businesses (telecom, cellular, gas, electric, cable, water, sewer, solid…

King County levies a 1% tax on vehicle parking charges at the stadium and exhibition center owned by the Washington State Public Stadium Authority, rising to 10% once construction…

Federal Way deems a property "dangerous or unfit" and a public nuisance if it has trash or junk that attracts rats, unsecured inoperable vehicles, hazardous unsecured conditions…

Federal Way gives property owners, lessees, and occupants 24 hours to clear snow and ice off the sidewalk fronting their property under FWRC 4.40.040. Dumping that snow into the street…

Federal Way declares filthy, littered, trash-covered, or overgrown premises a public nuisance, reaching vacant and unimproved land where junk, debris, or dead plant growth is stored…

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…

Federal Way regulates piers, docks, floats, and mooring buoys under its Shoreline Master Program. A single-family dock on Puget Sound tops out at 75 feet from the ordinary high water…

Federal Way bans dumping contaminants into surface water, stormwater or groundwater citywide and sets numeric water-quality limits for anything leaving a property into the public storm…

Federal Way requires new and substantially improved residential structures in AE flood zones to elevate the lowest floor, including any basement, at least one foot above the base flood…

Federal Way requires a floodplain development permit under FWRC 19.142.060 before any construction, fill, or development begins in a mapped area of special flood hazard, and the…

Unincorporated King County lets property owners clear brush and prune trees for wildfire defensible space without a clearing permit, but only within fixed distances from the house set…

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.

Federal Way makes it unlawful to loiter near any public place under circumstances that manifest intent to engage in drug-related activity under FWRC 6.10.090. Police weigh factors like…

Federal Way enforces the state ban on public marijuana use by adopting RCW 69.50.445 by reference in FWRC 6.10.030, making it unlawful to open or consume a package of marijuana…

Federal Way makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally urinate or defecate in public under FWRC 6.45.090. The Public Morals chapter bars the act anywhere other than a washroom or toilet…

Federal Way bans using or possessing alcohol, even an unopened container, in any city park. Organized groups can get around the ban only with a director's permit and, if required…

Federal Way lets the parks director post signs that ban skateboards, bicycles, coasters, and skates in specific park areas, and riding where posted is unlawful. In the city's…

Federal Way bans smoking and vaping in city parks, facilities, and restrooms outright, and bars tobacco or vapor use within 50 feet of covered picnic shelters, swimming beaches…

Unincorporated King County treats a loud house party as a public disturbance noise violation, and the person in possession of the property, not just whoever is making the racket, is…

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…

King County targets citations within 60 days of a complaint and notice-and-orders within 120 days, per code enforcement guidelines.

Unincorporated King County residents report suspected code violations through the county's online Permitting portal or by calling code enforcement at 206-296-6600; the code authorizes…

FWRC 7.05.030 makes glare from any artificial surface a public nuisance and code violation whenever it annoys, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or safety of others…

In the North Highline/White Center design-standards area of unincorporated King County, new and substantially improved buildings must minimize night-sky illumination and use fully…

Unincorporated King County allows billboards to be illuminated, but light sources must sit no farther from the sign than its height and can't shine directly into homes or streets.

FWRC 7.10.020(1) bans the frequent, repetitive, or continuous sounding of any motor vehicle horn or siren as a public disturbance noise, except as a genuine warning of danger or when…

FWRC 7.10.020(5) and (6) bar vehicle audio systems and portable audio equipment played loud enough to be heard beyond 50 feet from the vehicle or source, with portable equipment also…

In unincorporated King County, loud or raucous sound from a bar, nightclub or similar venue that reaches a residential or rural area, including band sessions or social gatherings, is a…

In unincorporated King County, air conditioners, heat pumps and other stationary equipment noise must stay under the county's district-based sound level table, dropping 10 dB(A)…

In unincorporated King County, generators count as regulated 'equipment,' so their noise can't exceed the county's maximum permissible sound levels: as low as 49 dB(A) reaching a rural…

Federal Way authorizes automated traffic safety cameras strictly for stoplight violations at two-arterial intersections and for school speed zones under FWRC 8.05.090, the ordinance…

Federal Way defines electric-assisted bicycles by Class 1, 2 and 3 under its park code and opens city trails to bicycles and all three classes, while keeping trails closed to motor…

Federal Way lets cyclists ride on most sidewalks and roadways under FWRC Chapter 8.25, but bans sidewalk riding in the Sea-Tac Mall business district unless the sidewalk is a published…

King County's traffic code regulates every motorized foot scooter operated on unincorporated county roads, alleys, trails and park property, including shared and dockless units. Riders…

In unincorporated King County, a transportation network company vehicle may not stop, stand or park on a county road except in a designated taxicab stand, unless it is briefly stopped…

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…

Federal Way Revised Code § 4.40.020 puts sidewalk repair on the abutting property owner or occupant, but only for damage they caused by their own act, error, or omission, such as…

Federal Way charges pedestrian interference as a misdemeanor under FWRC 6.35.030 for anyone who blocks a sidewalk, sits or lies on the pavement, misuses a bench or bus stop, or loiters…

Federal Way lets property owners encroach into the public right-of-way only for removable, nonpermanent building additions under a public works department permit, at the owner's own…

Federal Way's police department contracts with one or more registered tow truck operators under FWRC 8.15.090 to handle vehicle impounds, and any operator must hold a city business…

Federal Way requires separate city clerk licenses for adult entertainment establishments and for every manager or entertainer, caps hours to 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., and enforces a…

Federal Way requires secondhand dealers, including precious metal buyers and part-time sellers at flea markets or hotels, to hold a city clerk license, hold purchased goods 30 days…

Federal Way requires a city clerk license before anyone runs a pawnshop, caps the number of pawnbroker licenses at one per 15,000 residents, and enforces set business hours plus record…

Federal Way requires every massage therapist to hold a valid state license, bans internal warning systems and cash-only transactions, and closes massage businesses between 10:00 p.m…

Federal Way's home occupation rule blocks home-based auto repair from using heavy equipment or power tools not common to a residential use, and bars deliveries by commercial vehicles…

Unincorporated King County requires any store selling cigarettes or other tobacco products, including vape and e-cigarette retailers, to hold a $210, three-year county tobacco license…

Federal Way bans mixing yard debris with garbage or recyclables. Only yard debris from residents enrolled in the city's yard debris collection program, separated and set out in…

Only service providers holding a current Federal Way service agreement or franchise may collect and haul garbage in the city under FWRC 11.25.020, though residents may self-haul their…

Dumping solid waste or source-separated material on any street, public place or private property in Federal Way outside an approved collection container is unlawful under FWRC…

Federal Way residents place recyclables in service-provider recycling bins or carts at curbside, and those containers must go out before 7:00 a.m. on collection day and come back in by…

Federal Way requires garbage containers to stay hidden or behind the front building line except on pickup day, and residents cannot set cans at curbside before 7:00 a.m. or leave them…

Federal Way requires multifamily, nonresidential and mixed-use occupants to separate recyclables like newspapers, mixed paper, bottles, cans and plastic containers for collection, and…

Federal Way businesses that must set a container or extra unit on a sidewalk or alley for pickup cannot put it out until close of business the day before collection, and must clear it…

Federal Way has no separate city bulk pickup program; overflow and bulky trash goes out as an 'extra unit' next to your regular container under FWRC 11.20.040, and the hauler charges…

Federal Way requires commercial and multifamily dumpster enclosures to give collectors direct, in-line access: 18 feet of unobstructed gate opening where dumpsters sit side by side, or…

Certificated haulers in unincorporated King County must set their own holiday schedule and tell the county and customers about it in advance: King County Code § 10.18.010(E)(2)…

In unincorporated King County, garbage carts can't contain yard waste: haulers are barred from collecting a container with visible grass clippings or branches mixed in with regular…

Federal Way requires a right-of-way activity permit for a block party, filed with the city clerk under FWRC 4.30.120, including a designated neighborhood representative and written…

Federal Way requires written reservations through the parks and recreation department's recreation division before any community or private event exceeding routine park use…

Federal Way requires a right-of-way activity permit for any parade, run, march, rally or similar activity of 25 or more people, or one that blocks traffic or public safety. The city…

Federal Way lets restaurants and espresso carts run outdoor dining and refreshment areas in commercial and industrial-commercial zones without the site plan review and screening…

Federal Way treats community festivals, fairs, and farmers markets as Class I temporary uses under FWRC 19.275.020, requiring a process I temporary use permit filed at least 30 days…

Federal Way requires door-to-door sellers and other roving mobile vendors to obtain a temporary business registration from the city clerk before knocking on doors. Registration is…

Unincorporated King County lets any occupant bar door-to-door solicitors just by posting a sign. Under King County Code § 12.66.010, once a "No Solicitation" or "No Trespassing" sign…

Federal Way does not cap how often a resident can hold a garage or yard sale, or require a permit for one. City code exempts "residential garage or yard sales of typical size and…

A garage sale sign in Federal Way needs no permit or fee, but it is still a regulated temporary sign: it must come down within 10 days of the sale, and in the right-of-way it is capped…

Federal Way exempts window signs from permitting only when they cover no more than 25 percent of the window area and advertise on-site products, business identification, hours…

Non-residential property within 1,320 feet of the I-5 right-of-way may add one extra wall sign oriented to the freeway, capped at 200 square feet and 25 feet in height, on top of the…

Federal Way treats campaign and political signs as temporary signs under FWRC 19.140.050: no permit or fee is required, but placement outside the right-of-way is capped at 120…

Federal Way bans billboards outright in every zone under FWRC 19.140.085(2), except for signs already legally nonconforming under FWRC 19.140.092. An on-premise electronic changeable…

Federal Way bans flying drones and other remote-controlled aircraft in city parks outside areas the parks director designates and posts for that use, or without a director's permit…

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.

Federal Way parks close at dusk and reopen at 5:00 a.m. or dawn, whichever is later. Anyone in a park during closed hours can be expelled and, if issued a written trespass notice…

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

Federal Way requires a right-of-way permit before anyone plants, prunes, removes, or otherwise works on vegetation, including street trees, in a public right-of-way under FWRC…

Federal Way sorts mobile food and retail vendors into three classes under FWRC 19.290.050, and where you can park depends on the class. Class I vendors can operate in any zone…

Federal Way requires every mobile food or retail vendor, including food trucks, to obtain a business registration and file a supplemental compliance checklist before the city issues a…

A mobile food or retail vendor working Federal Way's public sidewalks and rights-of-way needs a separate permit from the public works or police department under FWRC 19.290.050(5), on…

Federal Way requires a Northwest contemporary architectural style for buildings inside the downtown architectural overlay under FWRC 19.115.090(5), covering roofline treatment, facade…

Unincorporated King County developments get bonus density or floor area for adding improved child daycare slots, up to 25% more dwelling units than the base zone allows.

Federal Way requires commercial day care and school-type childcare centers to pass Process II site plan review under Federal Way Revised Code 19.210.020 before opening in the…

Federal Way requires a building permit for construction work under the adopted 2021 International Building Code, and FWRC 13.16.030 tightens the standard IBC exemptions: work inside a…

Federal Way's fire code goes beyond the base IBC and IFC sprinkler triggers: FWRC 13.31.050 requires an approved automatic sprinkler system in any new building lacking adequate fire…

Federal Way plumbing work runs under the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, adopted by FWRC 13.34.020 with the venting, combustion-air, and building-sewer chapters carved out and sent to…

Federal Way electrical work is governed by the 2023 National Electrical Code, adopted at FWRC 13.38.020 along with the state's WAC electrical safety chapters, and every installation…

Unincorporated King County requires dwelling entry doors to have a dead bolt lock operable from inside without a key, mounted no higher than 48 inches.

Unincorporated King County has no mandatory green building code for private construction. Chapter 18.17 requires LEED Platinum or Living Building Challenge certification only for…

Unincorporated King County requires a posted inspection record card on every permitted job, and charges a reinspection fee whenever work isn't ready or corrections weren't completed…

Federal Way caps detached houses in its single-family residential zones at 30 feet above average building elevation, per the RS-zone use chart at FWRC 19.200.010. FWRC 19.110.050 makes…

Federal Way caps impervious lot coverage, meaning every structure, driveway and other surface that blocks water percolation, at 50 percent of lot area in the RS 35.0 and RS 15.0…

Federal Way's suburban estate (SE) zone requires a 30-foot front yard, 10-foot side yards and a 10-foot rear yard on any detached home under FWRC 19.195.010. In the single-family…

Federal Way's landscaping code singles out Ailanthus altissima, Tree of Heaven, by name and bars planting it within 25 feet of a right-of-way or sewer line under FWRC 19.125.085…

Federal Way's property maintenance code bans noxious weeds outright and caps other weed growth at six inches on developed property or 12 inches on vacant land under FWRC 13.43.030(20)…

Federal Way confines commercial farming to the suburban estate (SE) zone under FWRC 19.195.030, where raising agricultural crops, community gardens, urban farms, farm stands and…

Federal Way protects historic landmarks by adopting King County's landmarks program under FWRC 19.285.020, with the county landmarks commission designating sites and issuing…

Federal Way adopts Washington's all-party consent law, RCW 9.73.030, by reference in FWRC 6.55.030. Recording a private conversation or phone call without the consent of everyone…

King County administrative offices and executive departments are banned from obtaining, retaining, accessing or using facial recognition technology, with narrow exceptions.

King County treats license-plate-reader data as personal information and bars county agencies and contractors from handing it to ICE, CBP, or USCIS for civil immigration enforcement…

Federal Way HOAs run architectural review through committees under RCW 64.90. Decisions must use written standards applied consistently and timely. City permits still apply separately.

Federal Way HOAs may levy regular and special assessments under RCW 64.90 or 64.38. Unpaid assessments become liens and may be foreclosed after statutory notice and cure periods.

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 King County permits sanctioned homeless encampments only under a temporary use permit that mandates portable toilets, handwashing stations, refuse receptacles, a regular…

King County agencies and the sheriff's office won't spend resources on civil immigration enforcement or hold people on ICE detainers without a judicial criminal warrant.

King County's wastewater utility must actively pursue reclaimed water reuse and keeps exclusive ownership of all reclaimed water its treatment plants produce.

In unincorporated King County, property owners must furnish and maintain devices that prevent rodent infestation, then pay for extermination themselves once pests move in.

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…