Kent, WA

Kent runs a residential parking zone (RPZ) program under KCC 9.38.175 that reserves street parking for neighborhood owners and residents in three established zones. Parking without a…

Kent's KCC 9.38.180 bars stopping, standing, or parking on sidewalks, in intersections, on crosswalks, in bike lanes, or blocking a driveway within five feet of the curb radius, plus…

KCC 9.38.035 reserves designated electric-vehicle parking spaces for EVs actually connected to charging equipment. Parking a gas vehicle there, leaving an EV plugged in past the posted…

A junk vehicle, one that's three years or older and meets at least three statutory conditions like extensive damage, inoperability, or scrap-only value, is a declared public nuisance…

KCC 9.38.045 bans parking between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. on specific signed Kent streets, including stretches of Green River Road, Reiten Road, Russell Road, and South 228th Street…

Kent bars parking a recreational vehicle, boat or trailer on any street, alley or public right-of-way in a residential neighborhood for more than 24 hours. Violators face a $50…

KCC 9.38.130 bars parking or storing any truck, van, trailer, or semi-trailer over 14,001 pounds GVWR on any Kent city street, a $250 infraction. Exceptions cover active loading…

KCC 9.38.025 lets Kent's traffic engineer designate loading zones and passenger loading zones under WAC 308-330-265, 439, and 442. Parking there is illegal at any time except to…

Unincorporated King County designates certain arterials and school bus routes as snow emergency routes: the roads plowed and sanded first when winter weather hits, ahead of…

Unincorporated King County requires off-street parking areas, including driveways used for parking, to have dust-free, all-weather surfacing rather than bare dirt or loose gravel.

The county traffic engineer picks where loading zones, passenger-loading zones, and tow-away zones go on county roads and marks them with signs or words stenciled right on the curb…

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…

Kent zones short-term rentals as an accessory use in residential districts, but operators need a city business license, must live in the home (or keep a nontransient tenant) at least…

Kent levies a 1 percent special excise (lodging) tax on lodging furnished for under a month, including short-term rentals, under KCC 3.23.020. Stays of one month or more are presumed a…

Kent limits short-term rentals to homes where the owner or a nontransient tenant actually lives at least six months a year. Renting out a home you don't occupy as your primary…

Washington RCW 64.37 requires Kent short-term rental operators to maintain at least $1 million in liability insurance or list through a platform that provides equivalent coverage…

Kent's zoning code sets six feet as the height standard for a fully sight-obscuring fence, and separately bans anything, including a fence, between two and a half and ten feet tall…

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…

Unincorporated King County requires a building permit for any retaining wall over 4 feet tall, or any wall of any height that holds back a surcharge or stores hazardous liquids.

Unincorporated King County bans barbed and razor-wire fences in R-4 through R-48 zones and tightly regulates electric fences with voltage caps and required warning signs.

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.

Burning outdoors in Kent without a valid fire permit violates Kent City Code 9.02.400, which adopts RCW Chapter 52.12 by reference. Any violation of a burning permit's terms, or…

Following a 2015 voter referendum, Kent bans the sale, possession, and discharge of consumer fireworks anywhere in the city. Only permitted public displays, licensed pyrotechnic…

Kent requires working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every level. Landlords must install and maintain alarms in rentals under RCW 43.44.110.

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 adopts the International Fire Code statewide under RCW 19.27.031, including NFPA 58 standards for liquefied petroleum gas (propane). These rules govern container placement…

Frequent, repetitive, or continuous barking or howling that disturbs a reasonable person's peace is a public disturbance under Kent City Code 9.02.680(A)(1)(e), a misdemeanor, unless…

Kent's noise code completely exempts aircraft noise from regulation: sound from aircraft in flight and sound originating at airports that's directly related to flight operations is…

Kent outlaws motor vehicle sound systems loud enough to be heard 50 feet away, a $150 traffic infraction under KCC 9.36.045. The same chapter separately fines compression-brake noise…

Kent's noise code exempts home maintenance and repair noise from its decibel limits only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., per KCC 8.05.110(1). Outside that window, or for work that…

Kent caps noise crossing onto a neighbor's property using a zone-based table: KCC 8.05.090 sets limits from 55 dBA (quiet residential to quiet residential) up to 70 dBA (industrial to…

Kent tightens its noise limits at night rather than banning sound outright: KCC 8.05.100(1) cuts the maximum permissible decibel levels in Table I by 10 dBA for any residential (Class…

Loud, repetitive band sessions and amplified outdoor music in unincorporated King County are unlawful "public disturbance noise" once the sound reaches a residential or rural property…

Kent does not require an owner-occupancy covenant for accessory dwelling units. KCC 15.08.350(B)(9) states a covenant limiting use of one dwelling unit to an owner occupant is not…

Kent lets homeowners convert an existing garage into an accessory dwelling unit even if the garage does not meet current setback or lot-coverage standards. KCC 15.08.350(B)(14) allows…

Kent lets homeowners build a shed or other accessory building anywhere on the lot that meets the principal building's setback, but in the rear half of the lot it can sit as close as…

Kent exempts a homeowner's first accessory dwelling unit from the school impact fee entirely, treating it as part of the single-family use. Build a second ADU on the same lot and the…

Kent allows up to two accessory dwelling units per single-family lot, attached or detached, capped at 1,000 square feet each and 24 feet in height for a detached ADU. KCC 15.08.350…

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…

Kent allows home occupations in every zone with a lawfully established dwelling, but caps the business to 300 square feet of the home, bars outdoor storage or display, and requires a…

A Kent home occupation gets no sign area beyond the standard residential identification sign: one sign, capped at three square feet and six feet tall, per occupancy. KCC…

Kent caps client traffic to a home-based business at four two-way trips per day and requires appointments: only one customer may be served at a time, by appointment only, between 7…

Washington Cottage Food Law (RCW 69.22) allows home production of certain non-hazardous foods with a state Cottage Food Operation permit. Kent requires a city business license on top…

Kent permits family home child care in single-family homes. State-licensed providers caring for 12 or fewer children are allowed by RCW 35.63.185 in any residential zone.

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…

Kent gives commercial building owners a stormwater utility bill credit for installing a rainwater harvesting system. KCC 7.05.150(B) sets a minimum 10 percent rate reduction, with…

No one may plant, remove, trim, prune, or cut any tree between a Kent street's property line and the curb without a written permit from the parks and recreation director, and willfully…

Landscape plans submitted for development in Kent must include a diversity of native, native-adapted and drought-tolerant, low-water-use plant species, and must promote native wildlife…

Kent requires retention of significant trees on undeveloped property before development: KCC 15.08.240(B) mandates that all trees six inches in diameter or greater be kept in place…

Kent caps grass and weeds at six inches on every property except land zoned agricultural: KCC 8.07.050(B)(4) requires owners and occupants to remove grass and weeds once they reach…

Kent has no standing lawn-watering schedule. Instead, KCC 7.13.030 lets the city council pass an emergency ordinance limiting irrigation and other water uses during a drought, and KCC…

Unincorporated King County's litter and dumping law carves out backyard composting: King County Code § 10.04.080(B)(1) says a compost pile or bin is never an unlawful accumulation of…

City of Kent parks code bars anyone from teasing, molesting, catching, injuring, killing, or throwing objects at any animal, bird, or fowl on park property. Feeding fowl is limited to…

Kent allows up to three domesticated fowl on lots of at least 5,000 square feet, with one more bird per extra 1,000 square feet, under KCC 15.08.070(C); large domesticated animals need…

Kent requires a grooming parlor to secure a zoning permit from the planning department and pass a Seattle-King County health department or King County animal control inspection before…

Kent limits households to three small domesticated animals. KCC 15.08.070(A) allows "up to three (3) small domesticated animals" per dwelling unit or business as an accessory use in…

Kent allows veterinary clinics and animal hospitals as a service land use, but only under Kent City Code 15.04.100(8): the building must sit at least 150 feet from any residential use…

Kent does not write its own exotic-animal rule; it adopts King County Code Chapter 11.28, "Exotic Animals," wholesale under KCC 8.03.020(A)(5), applying it inside city limits with…

Kent makes it unlawful for a dog to be off its owner's property in any public place, public property, or another person's private property without a leash, cord, or chain; KCC 8.03.040…

Kent enforces Washington's retail pet-store sale ban. RCW 16.52.360, adopted into the Kent City Code by KCC 9.02.100, bars retail pet stores from selling or offering to sell any dog or…

Kent allows backyard beekeeping as an accessory use if the keeper registers with the Washington State Department of Agriculture. KCC 15.08.070(E) caps lots under 10,000 square feet at…

In unincorporated King County, keeping an unaltered dog or cat past kittenhood/puppyhood is unlawful unless the owner holds an unaltered pet license for that animal.

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…

In unincorporated King County, not Seattle, Bellevue, or the county's other 27-plus cities, which run their own codes, cat owners must license cats eight weeks and older within 30 days…

King County does not ban or restrict any dog breed by name. Instead, King County Code § 11.01.320 defines a potentially dangerous animal by conduct, such as biting or menacing someone…

Washington bans intentionally feeding or attracting large wild carnivores, bears, cougars and wolves, to any land or building, and treats a first intentional violation as a misdemeanor…

Unincorporated King County requires private pools, hot tubs and spas over 24 inches deep to be fully enclosed by a 60-inch barrier with self-closing, self-latching gates.

In unincorporated King County, an above-ground pool that can hold water more than 24 inches deep is regulated as a swimming pool under the Washington State Residential Code Appendix…

Anyone going door-to-door in Kent to sell goods or services must first obtain a solicitor's license from the finance director under KCC 5.07.020, after a police background check…

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…

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

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…

Kent parks close overnight: KCC 4.01.160 makes it unlawful to remain in any city park between dusk and dawn, or during other hours posted by the city, unless the parks and recreation…

Juveniles under 18 may not remain in any public place in Kent between 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Kent City Code 9.09.030. A first violation draws a warning, but the second and…

Kent's critical areas code bars any Washington State Department of Agriculture-listed noxious weed from replanting done to compensate for wetland, stream, or habitat impacts. KCC…

Kent runs automated photo enforcement at intersections and school zones under KCC 9.36.140 and 9.36.150, authorized by Chapter 46.63 RCW. Running a red light draws a $145 infraction…

Kent Chapter 9.44 regulates motorized foot scooters and similar motorized wheeled transportation devices, barring them from parks, trails, public parking lots and streets posted above…

Kent prohibits stopping, standing or parking a vehicle within a marked bicycle lane on city streets. KCC 9.38.180(A)(11) makes blocking a bike lane a $50 infraction alongside bans on…

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…

King County Code lets Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes use regional trails and paved pathways in county parks, but bans Class 3 e-bikes from every trail and pathway in park areas.

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…

Kent's agricultural and residential zoning districts each carry their own minimum yard setbacks under KCC 15.04.170. Front yards run 20 feet in the A-10 and NR-L zones but drop to 10…

Kent caps residential building height by zoning district under KCC 15.04.170(I): 2.5 stories and 35 feet in the NR-L and NR-S single-family zones and in the A-10 agricultural zone, and…

Kent caps building and site coverage by zoning district under KCC 15.04.170(B): 30% in the A-10 agricultural and NR-L low-density zones, 45% in NR-S, 50% in NR-2, and 55% in NR-3…

Kent City Code flatly bans off-premises billboards that use electronic video displays resembling a television screen. The city also freezes the total number of billboard structures at…

Kent counts window signs toward a property's overall sign area and sign count, so a business cannot dodge its aggregate cap by moving graphics inside the glass. KCC 15.06.040(I) treats…

Kent allows garage-sale signs as a temporary-use sign under KCC 15.08.205(A)(11), with no permit needed. Signs must stay on the sale property, run only for the duration of the sale…

Political signs on private property need the owner's written consent, and unincorporated King County requires them removed within ten days after the election under County Code chapter…

In unincorporated King County, billboards facing traffic corridors may only sit on CB, RB, or I zoned land, must be within 100 feet of the adjacent arterial, and are capped at five…

Kent property owners must not let ice or snow accumulate into a hazardous condition on the sidewalk fronting their land. KCC 6.04.100 makes it unlawful to permit such defects on the…

Kent's code enforcement officer, improvement officer, or hearing examiner may declare a dwelling, building, structure, or premises unfit when conditions are dangerous to occupants…

Unincorporated King County requires owners to cut and destroy weeds once cited as a fire hazard, or face prosecution under Title 23.

Kent treats a parade as a regulated 'use' of public streets and sidewalks under KCC 6.07.020, and organizers apply through the director's master use permit under KCC 6.07.100, which…

Operating a sidewalk cafe on a public sidewalk in Kent requires a permit from the public works director, $1,000,000 in liability insurance, and a four-foot clear pedestrian path…

Street fairs and festivals involving multiple vendors or users on Kent public places run under a single master use permit issued by the director, who sets insurance requirements based…

Closing any Kent street or road, even for a block party, requires a permit from the public works director, who can condition it on emergency-access agreements, a bond or insurance, and…

King County's Parks Division issues permits for community groups and individuals to hold gatherings, meetings, or events in county parks and recreation facilities; larger or private…

Kent does not run its own electrical inspection program. Under KCC 12.05.240(E), electrical hookups must comply with the National Electrical Code, and permits are obtained from the…

Kent adopts the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code and requires a permit for plumbing work, with local amendments governing application expiration, permit expiration, fees, and penalties for…

Before any building or structure can be moved across, along, or onto a public place and sited within Kent, the mover must first obtain a building permit for the siting, in addition to…

Performing lead-based paint or renovation work in Kent without state certification is unlawful under RCW 70A.420.080, adopted into Kent City Code 9.02.535. Contractors who work without…

Unincorporated King County lets state-licensed family day care homes build to the residential code instead of the commercial code; larger stand-alone child care centers still must meet…

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…

Unincorporated King County requires automatic fire sprinklers in new IRC-built homes when fire access, floor area, or water supply fall short of set thresholds, with an exception for…

Kent requires new construction and substantial improvements in special flood hazard areas to elevate the lowest floor to the flood protection elevation, defined as two feet above base…

Kent requires a flood zone development permit (REFZ) before any construction, substantial improvement, or manufactured home placement within a special flood hazard area under KCC…

Kent's critical areas code bars building a dock, deck, or other structure inside the buffer around any regulated lake, river, stream, or pond unless the shoreline master program or a…

Kent requires a permit before anyone constructs, installs, modifies or places any storm or surface water drainage structure in the city under KCC 7.05.070, with all systems built to…

Kent adopts Appendix J of the International Building Code, the grading and erosion-control appendix, and puts the city's public works director in charge of enforcing it instead of 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.

Opening a cannabis package or consuming cannabis where the general public can see it is unlawful in Kent under RCW 69.50.445, adopted into Kent City Code 9.02.520. A violation is a…

Intentionally urinating or defecating in a public place in Kent, where any member of the public could observe it, is an infraction under Kent City Code 9.02.840. It is punished as a…

In Kent parks, pedestrians always have the right-of-way over skateboards, bikes, and other wheeled traffic under KCC 4.01.210(A), and the parks director can post specific areas where…

Kent prohibits smoking, vaping, or using any tobacco product on city park property, including e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, and hookahs, with the sole exception of the…

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…

King County bans open containers and alcohol consumption in all unincorporated county park areas and marine facilities unless the parks director designates and posts an exception…

Unincorporated King County bans loitering or prowling when the circumstances signal an unlawful purpose or create real alarm for safety, not mere presence in public alone.

Kent's citywide performance standards forbid glare, whether from floodlights or from high-temperature processes like welding, that is visible beyond a property's lot lines in any…

Kent's zoning performance standards bar any direct or sky-reflected glare that is visible at a property's own lot lines. KCC 15.08.050(D)(3) covers floodlights, welding, combustion and…

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.

Kent flatly bans vehicle repair, body repair, building or servicing as a home occupation. KCC 15.08.040(G)(1)(a) lists it among uses too prone to outgrow residential limits, and a…

Kent requires every massage and reflexology business to verify that anyone providing services holds a valid state license or certificate, conspicuously display it, and submit to…

Kent pawnbrokers must operate from a fixed place of business, hold a city business license, and follow Chapter 5.05 KCC's pledge rules: a 90-day loan term, capped interest and fees…

Kent second-hand dealers, defined in KCC 5.05.010 as anyone buying, selling, or consigning used property including metal junk and precious metals, must hold a consigned item for 30…

Kent requires a city clerk-issued license for every adult entertainment business, plus separate manager and entertainer licenses, annual fees up to $500, restricted hours of 10 a.m. to…

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…

King County's sheriff contracts with licensed tow operators to handle vehicle and watercraft impounds, and those towing contractors must file their rates with the sheriff and keep…

Kent's planned unit development (PUD) rules let the hearing examiner approve up to 20 percent more dwelling units than the underlying zone allows. KCC 15.08.400(D) awards specific…

Kent requires administrative downtown design review under KCC 15.09.046 for all development in the downtown area and along the Meeker Street Corridor between 64th Avenue South and…

Kent levies a 1 percent special excise tax on hotel, motel and lodging charges under KCC 3.23.020, effective since February 1, 1999. The tax applies on top of sales tax and is…

Kent requires nearly every household and business to subscribe to city-contracted solid waste service, with residential pickups running Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m…

Kent requires garbage, recycling, and yard waste containers to sit at curbside for residential pickups, with commercial and multifamily locations subject to fire-department inspection…

Kent bans mixing yard waste into a garbage or recycling container under KCC 7.03.045(C). Yard waste must go in a designated container, cut to under four feet long and four inches in…

Kent requires collection companies to pick up recyclables at no extra charge for residential and commercial multifamily customers who sign up, under KCC 7.03.040. Containers go…

Kent requires every person and property to use the city's contracted solid waste collection system under KCC 7.03.020. Residential pickup runs Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m…

Kent requires its contracted collection companies to run a semiannual residential cleanup each spring and fall for accumulated solid waste, plus a January Christmas tree pickup, under…

Kent subjects commercial, industrial, and multifamily dumpster locations to fire department inspection under KCC 7.03.080, and requires relocation out of areas with elevated fire…

Dumping solid waste in Kent without a permit is unlawful under RCW 70A.205.195, adopted into Kent City Code 9.02.535. Small amounts draw a class 3 civil infraction, but littering more…

Certificated haulers in unincorporated King County must offer curbside recycling to every single-family home and multifamily complex, collecting at least nine set material types twice…

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…

Kent's B&O tax, KCC 3.28.050, sorts businesses into classifications, extracting, manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing, printing/publishing, retail services, and a catch-all 'other,'…

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…

Kent bans camping on public property under KCC 8.09.030, with encampment cleanup governed by KCC 8.09.070. Camps in sensitive areas like parks or City Hall face immediate removal…

Kent's unfit dwelling code sets 16 specific conditions, from structural damage to missing potable water, that make a dwelling unfit for human habitation. KCC 14.02.080 gives code…

Kent requires landlords to register every non-exempt residential rental unit with the economic and community development department before renting it out. Failing to register or renew…

Washington RCW 59.18.650 requires just cause to terminate most residential tenancies. Kent landlords must identify one of the 16 statutory grounds and provide the required written…

Rent control is preempted by Washington RCW 35.21.830, so Kent cannot cap rent increases. Just-cause eviction and notice rules under RCW 59.18 still apply.

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…

Kent permits house-banked card rooms as commercial stimulant businesses under KCC 3.21.010(D), pursuant to RCW 9.46.295, provided the operator holds a state Gambling Commission license…

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…

Kent's rental inspection ordinance lets tenants trigger inspections outside the routine three-year cycle. KCC 10.02.090 preserves the tenant's right to request or consent to an…

Kent requires most licensed rental properties to be inspected once every three years by a city-approved private inspector and to obtain a certificate of inspection. KCC 10.02.070 sets…

Sidewalk food vending in Kent requires a vending permit and is restricted to commercial or industrial zones, with a single assigned location per vendor and a strict 10-foot buffer from…

Selling food, drinks, flowers, or merchandise from a cart on a Kent sidewalk requires a vending permit under KCC 6.07.060. Vendors need written property-owner consent, $500,000…

Kent requires a fire code operational permit for any mobile food preparation vehicle with appliances that produce smoke or grease-laden vapors, or that use LP-gas or CNG systems…

Kent lets harm reduction programs operate in the city but bars them from distributing or exchanging syringes, needles, or other drug paraphernalia unless the item came from a valid…

Kent doesn't write its own rodent-control standards: KCC 8.06.010 adopts King County's rodent regulations (codified as KCC 8.38.010 through 8.38.030 of the King County Code) by…

New street trees in Kent's planting strips must come from the director-approved official tree planting list, chosen for strip width, utility conflicts, and street patterns, with…

Kent property owners who discover a water leak can apply to the finance director for a bill credit under KCC 7.02.240. The city caps the adjustment at 100 percent of the overage above…

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

Kent makes it unlawful to use any public sidewalk, street, or right-of-way for a private purpose, including placing objects, materials, or structures there, without first obtaining a…

Anyone who wants to cut into a Kent street or curb, most often to install a driveway or connect a utility line, must first get a separate right-of-way permit from the department of…

Kent places the job and cost of maintaining, cleaning, repairing, and renewing a public sidewalk squarely on the owner of the property it directly abuts. KCC 6.04.110(B) also requires…

Kent treats garage and moving sales as a permit-free temporary use under KCC 15.08.205(A)(12). The rule caps a sale at three days within the same week and limits the same property to…

Kent designates historic landmarks through the King County Landmarks and Heritage Commission under Chapter 14.12, and generally requires the property owner's written consent unless the…

Kent HOAs enforce architectural review through committees. Under RCW 64.90, decisions must be consistent, timely, and based on written standards. City permits still apply regardless.

Kent HOAs may levy regular and special assessments under RCW 64.90 or 64.38. Unpaid assessments become liens and may be foreclosed after notice and opportunity to cure.

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 requires all-party consent before recording a private conversation or call, and Kent enforces that rule locally: Kent City Code 9.02.060 adopts RCW 9.73.030 and 9.73.080 by…

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…

Kent bans new cannabis retail, production, and processing businesses citywide under KCC 15.08 after a 2014 moratorium. Existing licensed retailers from before the ban may continue as…

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.

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, amplified bass that's plainly audible or felt 50 feet from the source (300 feet for watercraft) in a residential or rural district is a public…

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…

Unincorporated King County treats a frequent, repetitive or continuous horn or siren on a motor vehicle, including a car alarm, as unlawful public disturbance noise unless it's warning…

Unincorporated King County protects farmland with a dedicated Agricultural (A) zone that limits residential density and restricts uses to those compatible with farming.

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.

Unmanned model aircraft, rockets, and drones are banned in King County parks and trails unless the county specifically designates and posts an area for that use or the parks director…

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.

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…

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…