Kennewick, WA

Kennewick limits standing in a marked loading zone to the time needed to load or unload property, capped at 30 minutes, under KMC 11.90.790; developments must also provide loading…

Kennewick requires the driveway to each home's primary parking area be paved with asphalt or concrete, or a Planning Director-approved hard surface: unpaved dirt or gravel parking…

Kennewick bars leaving a vehicle stationary on any public way for more than 72 consecutive hours, though residents may park continuously in front of their own home for up to two weeks.

Kennewick's on-street parking code, KMC 11.36.030, bars parking in fire zones, within five feet of a driveway's curb radius, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of a…

Abandoning a vehicle on Kennewick city streets is prohibited, and the City can dispose of it under the vehicle-storage and public-nuisance provisions of the municipal code.

Kennewick bans parking or storing commercial vehicles overnight or routinely in any residential (R) zoning district under KMC 18.12.220, with one narrow exception: a commercial vehicle…

Kennewick lets residents store their own trailers, boats, camper tops, travel trailers, and RVs on residential and HMU-zoned lots outside the public way, but the storage must meet…

Benton County classifies an electric vehicle charging station as a permitted, stand-alone land use, allowed outright alongside automobile fueling stations in the General Commercial…

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…

Kennewick permits family day care homes by right in every zoning district that allows residences, provided the operator holds a state license and meets standard setback and lot…

Kennewick home occupations can't post any exterior advertising except one "residential use sign," which KMC 18.09.1760 caps at one square foot and requires to be unilluminated…

The Planning Director can approve a home occupation in any Kennewick residential unit regardless of zoning designation, but only if it meets every standard in KMC 18.42.090: no…

Kennewick caps home occupation client traffic at four appointment-only customer visits per day, with no more than one visit on the premises at a time and only between 8:00 a.m. and…

Washington lets you sell certain homemade shelf-stable foods from a Benton County kitchen under a WSDA Cottage Food Operation Permit. Unlike many states, Washington requires a…

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…

Kennewick requires a building permit for most residential swimming pools under the International Residential Code's Appendix G, which the city has adopted by ordinance. Public and…

Pool safety in Kennewick is governed by a layered set of standards: the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (15 USC 8003) for anti-entrapment drain covers on public…

Kennewick doesn't cap the number of pets a household may keep outright, but KMC 8.02.010(8) defines a "Commercial Kennel" as any lot or premises where six or more dogs, or six or more…

Kennewick dogs off their owner's property must stay "at heel" or on a leash no longer than eight feet: letting a dog roam or stray violates the City's dog control ordinance.

Kennewick allows up to three chickens (no roosters), plus rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons and similar small animals, capped at six total, in R, HMU and UMU districts under KMC 18.12.040…

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife rules effective May 17, 2025 prohibit feeding deer, elk, and moose statewide to slow chronic wasting disease. RCW 77.15.790 and RCW 77.15.160…

Kennewick Municipal Code § 8.02.026 makes it unlawful to import, acquire, sell, trade, trap or keep any skunk, fox or raccoon as a personal pet within the city, to prevent rabies…

Kennewick doesn't ban dog breeds by name: instead it requires an annual permit, $250,000 liability coverage, and a secure enclosure for any dog or animal declared dangerous or…

Beekeeping is welcome across rural Benton County, and its irrigated farmland and wine-country bloom support strong colonies. Anyone keeping hives must register yearly with the state…

In unincorporated Benton County's Rural Lands Five Acre District (RL-5), a veterinary facility is not a by-right use: BCC 11.11.060(v) requires a conditional use permit issued by the…

Benton County lists pet grooming as its own permitted land use, allowed by right in the General Commercial (GC) and Community Commercial (CC) zoning districts across unincorporated…

Kennewick requires seven feet of clear height over any sidewalk or bicycle path in the public right-of-way under KMC 13.12.050: trees, hedges, shrubbery, and other natural growth may…

Kennewick treats any dead, dried-out, or unirrigated grass, weeds, or vegetation over 12 inches as a legal 'Weed Hazard' and public nuisance, punishable by a $250 civil infraction…

Water is Benton County's defining constraint. Washington follows prior appropriation, and the Yakima River Basin is fully adjudicated. Irrigation districts deliver seasonal water by…

Benton County's high desert makes native and drought-tolerant landscaping a natural fit, and no local rule forces a grass lawn on an existing lot. You may plant shrub-steppe natives…

Washington requires jurisdictions over 25,000 to provide organics collection and bans certain organic waste disposal under RCW 70A.205.545.

Washington law expressly permits rooftop rainwater collection for onsite use without a water right permit, preempting any municipal prohibition on basic harvesting.

Washington's Forest Practices Act (RCW 76.09) governs commercial timber harvest on forestlands statewide through Department of Natural Resources permits. Cities cannot regulate…

Kennewick exempts retaining walls under four feet from a building permit, but any wall 60 inches or more above grade on a lot line needs a guardrail or fence at least 36 inches high.

In Kennewick's R districts, fences top out at 30 inches within the intersection sight triangle, 36 inches in a required front yard, and six feet elsewhere on the lot, per KMC 18.27.050.

Kennewick limits residential fences to chain link, wood, masonry, ornamental iron, or equivalent synthetic materials, and reserves barbwire and electric-wire fencing for animal or crop…

Kennewick's zoning code ties fence construction to the building code. KMC 18.27.040 requires all fences to conform to Title 15, and fences aren't on the city's short permit-exemption…

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.

Kennewick's EDNA noise table caps industrial-zone sound crossing a property line at 70 dBA between industrial parcels and 60 dBA into a residential zone, with a nighttime residential…

Kennewick requires working mufflers, bans amplified exhaust and audible car stereos beyond 50 feet, and restricts jake brakes.

Kennewick's noise ordinance sets a tighter nighttime standard between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.: unreasonable noise that annoys, injures, or endangers others' comfort or safety is a…

Kennewick treats amplified musical instruments, sound systems, and band or social-gathering noise as regulated nuisance noise under KMC 9.52.030(2), and any outdoor musical…

Kennewick makes it unlawful for an owner to let a dog or other animal bark, howl, or make noise that's audible off the property for more than five minutes and disturbs a neighbor's…

Construction noise in unincorporated Benton County is exempt from WAC 173-60 limits while work is underway, but that exemption disappears in residential areas between 10 p.m. and 7…

Aircraft noise in Washington is preempted by federal aviation law, and the state expressly excludes aircraft in flight from its noise control regulations under WAC 173-60-050.

RCW 64.37.040, part of the statewide Washington Short-Term Rental Operations Act enacted in 2019, requires every short-term rental operator in the state, including those operating in…

Kennewick has not codified a dedicated short-term rental licensing chapter in the Kennewick Municipal Code. STR operators are subject to the statewide Washington Short-Term Rental…

Short-term-rental guests in unincorporated Benton County follow the same rules as everyone: WAC 173-60 property-line limits and the BCC 6A.15 nuisance standard, with a 45 dBA ceiling…

Short-term stays in Benton County owe Washington retail sales tax and B&O tax on the rental, plus a 2% Tri-Cities-area special lodging tax. Airbnb and Vrbo collect many of these…

Kennewick allows two accessory dwelling units per lot in every residential zone, each capped at 1,100 square feet and 24 feet in height if detached, under KMC 18.12.020: a local rule…

In Kennewick's R and HMU districts, detached sheds and accessory buildings must sit at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines, 10 feet from the main house, and no taller than 20…

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…

Unincorporated Benton County bans outdoor and agricultural burning whenever the Fire Marshal rates fire danger High, Very High or Extreme, whenever wind speeds top 20 mph, during any…

Bulk liquefied petroleum gas storage is restricted countywide in unincorporated Benton County under BCC 3.16.025, which adopts the geographic limits of IFC Section 6104.2 without…

Consumer fireworks may only be sold and set off in unincorporated Benton County during two short windows each year, June 28 through July 4 and December 27 through 31, under BCC…

Washington adopted the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code statewide under RCW 19.27.560, effective July 1, 2023. New construction in designated WUI areas must meet…

Recreational drones in Kennewick are governed mostly by federal law. The FAA requires registration for drones over 0.55 lb, TRUST test passage, and flight under 49 U.S.C. Sec. 44809…

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.

Kennewick's Table of Non-Residential Site Development Standards sets no blanket lot coverage cap for most commercial and industrial zones; Business Park (BP) is capped at 50 percent…

Kennewick caps residential building height by zoning district in the Table of Residential Site Development Standards at KMC 18.12.010(A)(2): 35 feet or 2.5 stories, whichever is less…

Kennewick's residential zoning code sets minimum front, side, rear, and garage setbacks by zone under KMC 18.12.010(A)(2): a 15-foot front/street setback and 15-foot rear setback apply…

Kennewick bans smoking and vaping within 20 feet of any playground or tot-lot in a city park, a class 3 infraction. Citywide, the Indoor Clean Air Ordinance also bars smoking within a…

Kennewick bans opening a marijuana package or consuming marijuana, useable marijuana, marijuana-infused products or concentrates in view of the general public, treating it as a class 3…

Kennewick makes it a civil infraction, not a crime, to open a package of liquor or drink it in any public place inside city limits. KMC 10.16.051 caps the fine at $500 and lets police…

Kennewick makes it a misdemeanor to intentionally urinate or defecate anywhere in public other than a washroom or toilet room. The ban, KMC 10.06.095, sits in the public morals…

Benton County's code carries no general anti-loitering ordinance for the unincorporated area; the only loitering prohibition on the books targets teen-age dances. Under BCC 7.08.060…

Kennewick requires every outdoor light fixture installed since 2007 to be fully shielded so light does not spill above the horizontal and does not shine past the fixture's own property…

Kennewick requires all outdoor light fixtures installed since Chapter 18.39 took effect to be fully shielded so no direct light shines above the horizontal, and directed downward to…

Kennewick declares it a public nuisance to throw, deposit, or dump garbage, waste, refuse, litter, or debris in any street or public place unless the disposal is specifically…

Kennewick Municipal Code § 9.04.040 requires every residence, commercial establishment and multi-family property to subscribe to a franchised solid waste collector, and § 9.04.030(9)…

Kennewick lets residents bundle shrubs, trees under six inches in diameter, small limbs, and lumber for pickup, but each bundle is capped at five feet long, two feet in girth, and 65…

Kennewick requires garbage cans, bins, and dumpsters in commercial, industrial, and multi-family zones to sit inside a building or behind a six-foot sight-obscuring enclosure set at…

Kennewick sets no blanket curbside recycling mandate: city code lets the City Manager order residents to segregate recoverable materials, and haulers don't need a solid-waste franchise…

Kennewick requires every occupied property to keep sufficient, sanitary cans or receptacles for its solid waste, and those containers must be strong, water-tight, and rodent- and…

Kennewick doesn't offer curbside bulk-item pickup; instead the city's franchised collector must give residential customers four free disposal coupons a year for its transfer station.

Benton County runs disposal, not curbside pickup. Kennewick uses Waste Management, Richland runs its own utility, and West Richland, Benton City, and Prosser use Basin Disposal…

Kennewick requires anyone peddling, soliciting orders or acting as an itinerant vendor door-to-door to first obtain a Class II peddler's license under Kennewick Municipal Code §…

Benton County keeps no county-wide do-not-knock registry. A posted "No Soliciting" or "No Trespassing" sign carries legal weight: a solicitor who enters or stays after that notice can…

Kennewick prohibits the production, processing, and retail sale of marijuana and marijuana-infused products in every zoning district within city limits under KMC 18.12.165, making…

Recreational cannabis is legal to buy and use in Washington, but growing it at home is illegal statewide, including in Benton County. Only qualifying medical patients may cultivate…

Kennewick Municipal Code § 5.56.210 bars placing any obstruction in a public street, sidewalk, alley or easement that impedes or inconveniences travel, with the only exception being…

Kennewick requires a Public Works construction permit before any private work in a public street or right-of-way, from utility crossings to driveway cuts, and only a bonded contractor…

Kennewick puts sidewalk, planting-strip and driveway upkeep on the abutting property owner, who must fix disrepair, weeds or hazards within 30 days of written notice from Public Works…

Kennewick city parks close one-half hour after sunset until 6:00 a.m., except the Lawrence Scott Pickleball Complex, but the Parks and Recreation Department can issue written…

Kennewick requires an Event Street Closure Permit from Public Works for block parties, races and other special events on public streets, with applications due 20 to 90 days ahead and…

Kennewick requires a Chapter 6.47 permit for street fairs, festivals, carnivals, and bazaars, limiting each site to two ten-day runs per year and barring events within 300 feet of a…

Kennewick requires a Class III permit before any parade, march or demonstration of 25 or more people may use a public street or place, under Kennewick Municipal Code § 6.49.040…

Kennewick's City parks close one-half hour after sunset and reopen at 6 a.m., with a later 10 p.m. curfew at the Lawrence Scott Pickleball Complex; being caught in a park after hours…

Benton County Code 6.28.010 makes it a misdemeanor for anyone under eighteen to be on the streets, roads or other public places in unincorporated Benton County between 10:30 p.m. and…

Kennewick imposes a 4% special excise tax on hotel, motel, and short-term lodging charges under KMC 3.20.010, collected by the Washington Department of Revenue alongside state sales…

Kennewick regulates motorized foot scooters, gas or electric, under KMC Chapter 11.94. Riders may use roadways, shoulders and alleys, but scooters are banned from any street posted…

Benton County bans wheeled all-terrain vehicles from bicycle lanes, bike paths and walking paths on unincorporated county roads. Benton County Code 10.14.100(c) makes it unlawful for a…

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…

Kennewick requires a Class II business license to operate a massage or reflexology business under Kennewick Municipal Code § 6.37.040, and separately bars anyone from practicing or…

Kennewick police direct DUI and suspended-license impounds; owners redeem vehicles from the towing agency after paying an administrative fee plus towing and storage costs.

Kennewick requires pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers to hold a Class II business license, report transactions to police daily, and hold purchased goods 30 days before resale.

Merchants selling tobacco products in Kennewick must obtain a special Tobacco Sales License and post required notices, or face gross misdemeanor penalties up to $5,000 and a year in…

Tattooing anyone under 18 in Kennewick is a misdemeanor unless the artist can prove a documented, good-faith photo-ID age check; only licensed-physician medical procedures are exempt…

Kennewick requires separate Class II licenses to operate an adult concession and to work there as an entertainer or manager under Kennewick Municipal Code § 6.35.040. Adult businesses…

Kennewick's home occupation permit, which otherwise lets residents run a small business out of any residential unit, expressly excludes automobile repair and body shop work. KMC…

Kennewick requires pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers to hold a Class II business license, log every transaction into the police department's database, and hold purchased goods 30 days…

Kennewick customers must repair leaking private service lines at their own expense once notified, or the Water Department may disconnect service.

Within Kennewick's critical aquifer recharge areas, reclaimed water reuse projects must follow the City's Ecology- and Health-approved water and sewer plans, with surface spreading and…

Kennewick requires every structure and exterior property, not just vacant buildings, to be kept free of rodent harborage under KMC 9.44.055(9). Rodents found on a property must be…

Kennewick Municipal Code § 9.16.030 makes it unlawful to operate a food service establishment, or to work or employ anyone as a food and beverage service worker, without an unrevoked…

Kennewick orders unfit or substandard buildings demolished or vacated once repair costs cross set thresholds, under the Planning Director's Chapter 9.44 enforcement powers.

Vacant lot owners in Benton County must control noxious weeds and clear debris. State law (RCW 17.10) makes every owner responsible for eradicating and controlling listed weeds…

In the denser fringes of unincorporated Benton County, anyone occupying premises abutting a sidewalk must clear it of snow and ice within 18 hours after a snowfall ends. BCC 6.20.020…

Before any construction or land-disturbing development begins within a Kennewick area of special flood hazard, KMC 18.66.040 requires a Floodprone Area Development Permit from the…

New homes and substantial improvements in Kennewick's mapped flood hazard areas must have the lowest floor built one foot above the base flood elevation, and critical facilities like…

Kennewick requires a Land Use Clearing and Grading Permit for excavation or grading work, but exempts small jobs -- up to 500 cubic yards of cut/fill or 5,000 square feet of…

Kennewick requires new development to design stormwater facilities under the state's Stormwater Management Manual for Eastern Washington, retaining and disposing of runoff onsite for…

Benton County has no ocean coast, but the Columbia and Yakima rivers are shorelines of the state. Under the Shoreline Management Act, development within 200 feet of these rivers needs…

Selling food or goods on Kennewick sidewalks as a peddler, without a fixed storefront, requires a City-issued Class II peddler's license under KMC 6.23.020 before any sale, delivery…

Operating a food truck in Kennewick requires a City business license under KMC 18.12.250(1)(a), plus health district sign-off, insurance, and a site plan before the vehicle can set up…

Kennewick limits vehicle-based food trucks to 13 named commercial and industrial zoning districts under KMC 18.12.250(5)(a): CO, CBD, CC, CAR, CG, CM, CR, UMU, BP, IL, IH, OS, and PF…

Kennewick has no separate local just-cause ordinance, but Washington's statewide just-cause statute, RCW 59.18.650 (effective May 2021), already applies. A landlord may end a tenancy…

Kennewick adopted the 1997 Uniform Housing Code to set minimum condition standards for residential buildings, and the city's Building Official enforces it through on-site inspections…

Since May 7, 2025, Washington caps annual rent increases statewide under HB 1217. In Benton County a landlord may raise rent no more than 7% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is less, 9.68%…

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…

Camping, sleeping overnight, or storing gear on Kennewick's rights-of-way, parks, trails, or other City property is unlawful; the City must post 72 hours' notice, or none if there's a…

Kennewick bars sitting or lying on a public sidewalk or right-of-way between 6:00 a.m. and midnight inside four designated zones, mostly downtown and along Clearwater Avenue. KMC…

Kennewick's outdoor lighting ordinance excludes seasonal decorations from its glare and shielding rules only while they're illuminated 60 consecutive calendar days or fewer, under KMC…

Kennewick treats window signs as graphic signs, capping coverage at 33 percent of the window or wall area under the Sign Table, while exempting window signs from the building-permit…

Political signs are allowed on private property throughout Benton County with no permit, protected as free speech. Signs staked in a county road or state highway right-of-way are…

Garage-sale signs are fine on your own property in Benton County, but directional signs staked in a road right-of-way, median, or on utility poles are prohibited and removed. A sign in…

In unincorporated Benton County, outdoor advertising signs near highways fall under the Highway Scenic District ordinance, BCC Chapter 11.38. A designated highway scenic district bars…

Kennewick exempts low decks, patios, and walkways from a building permit only if they sit 30 inches or less above grade and aren't built over a basement or story.

Kennewick adopts the Uniform Plumbing Code, as amended by Washington State, to govern plumbing permits inside city limits. Every plumbing job requiring a permit must pay the fee set…

Kennewick does not issue its own electrical permits. Under KMC 15.48.010, the city has ceded electrical permitting and inspection to the Washington State Department of Labor and…

Benton County amends Section 903.2 of the 2021 International Fire Code under BCC 3.16.042 to require approved automatic sprinkler systems in new buildings and structures in the…

Benton County requires every Building Department inspection called for by the adopted International Building and Residential Codes to be requested and approved before the county will…

A Benton County child day care serving 13 or more kids, or housed in a non-dwelling building, is a Type B facility under BCC 11.42.060 and needs a Hearings Examiner conditional use…

Kennewick exempts yard and garage sales from the secondhand-dealer license requirement, but nonprofit rummage sales still need a permit under the same municipal code chapter.

Benton County requires building and electrical permits for solar installations. The sunny Columbia Basin favors solar, and rooftop arrays interconnect with the local utility under…

Homeowners in Benton County HOAs are protected by Washington's solar rights law. Under RCW 64.38.055, HOA governing documents may not prohibit rooftop solar panels, though the…

Benton County Code Chapter 14.05 shields farming and forest practices in unincorporated areas from nuisance lawsuits. Activities that follow good agricultural practices and predate…

Unincorporated Benton County protects farmland through the GMA Agricultural District, a zoning classification with a 20-acre minimum parcel size that limits non-farm uses. The chapter…

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's Gambling Commission is the only licensing authority for commercial card rooms statewide. RCW 9.46.070(2) lets the commission issue one-year licenses to food-and-drink…

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…

Washington has two regimes. Communities created on or after July 1, 2018 fall under WUCIOA (RCW 64.90), whose lien carries a 6-month super-priority over first mortgages and can be…

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…

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…