SeaTac's Proposition 1 sets a hospitality living wage above state minimum, and Seattle hotels of 100-plus rooms face Initiative 124 wage and benefit standards; both apply within their city limits, layered on state wages.
Voters passed SeaTac Proposition 1 in 2013, codified in SeaTac Municipal Code chapter 7.45, setting a hospitality and transportation living wage now indexed annually and exceeding the Washington statewide minimum. Seattle's Initiative 124 added health and safety protections for hotel housekeepers, then expanded by SMC 14.25 to set minimum compensation tied to insurance for large hotels. Washington state minimum wage under RCW 49.46.020 is $16.66 per hour as of 2026. Unincorporated King County uses the state minimum. Each city's wage law preempts only its own jurisdiction.
Underpaying covered hospitality workers, denying insurance compensation, or retaliating against workers asserting wage rights can trigger back pay, double damages, civil penalties, and license consequences under city codes.
King County, WA
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See how King County's hotel living wage rules stack up against other locations.
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