Olympia, WA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Sit-Lie Rules (2026)

The City of Olympia, in Thurston County, Washington, enforces its sit-lie rule through Olympia Municipal Code § 9.16.180, Pedestrian interference. Subsection B(2)(c) defines obstructing pedestrian or vehicular traffic to include, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 12 a.m., sitting or lying on any sidewalk, street or alley within the Downtown Commercial Zone as depicted in Figure 1 of the section. The Downtown Commercial Zone is the map area attached to the ordinance as Figure 1, which shows where conduct is prohibited under subsections (B)(2)(b) and (B)(2)(c).

The rule has a warning requirement built in: no person can be cited under this subsection unless the person engages in conduct prohibited by it after having been notified by a law enforcement officer that the conduct violates the subsection.

Sit or Lie is defined in B(5) as sitting or lying directly upon a sidewalk, street, or alley, or sitting or lying down upon any blanket, sleeping bag, bedroll, tarpaulin, cardboard, or any other similar object placed upon the sidewalk, street or alley. The definition reaches bedding and cardboard laid on the ground, not just the pavement.

Section B(3) lists seven affirmative defenses to the downtown sit-lie and vending prohibitions, which the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence: (i) sitting or lying down on a publicly owned sidewalk or alley due to a medical emergency; (ii) using a wheelchair, walker, or similar device as the result of a disability; (iii) operating or patronizing a commercial establishment on a sidewalk, street or alley under a street use permit; (iv) conduct approved by the City as part of a parade, festival, rally, or demonstration, though that defense is lost if the person refuses a reasonable police request or order to move; (v) sitting on a chair or bench supplied by a public agency or the abutting owner or lessee; (vi) sitting or standing on a publicly owned sidewalk within a bus stop zone while waiting for transportation; and (vii) waiting in a line for tickets, a performance or public event, or entry to an adjacent business.

None of the defenses permits conduct prohibited by the general obstruction rule in OMC 9.16.180(B)(2)(a), which applies everywhere in the City of Olympia and at any hour.