King County, WA Privacy & Surveillance: Facial Recognition Ban (2026)
Key Facts
- Scope
- County admin offices/executive departments
- Rule
- Obtain/retain/access/use banned
- Enforcement
- Civil suit, injunctive relief
- Adopted
- Ord. 19296, 2021
- Not covered
- Seattle and other cities' police
Summary
King County administrative offices and executive departments are banned from obtaining, retaining, accessing or using facial recognition technology, with narrow exceptions.
It shall be unlawful for any King County administrative office or executive department to:
a. obtain, retain, possess, access or use:
(1) any facial recognition technology; or
(2) any facial recognition information; and
b. issue any permit or enter into any contract or agreement that authorizes any third party, on behalf of a county administrative office or executive department public safety, to obtain, retain, posses, access or use:
(1) any facial recognition technology; or
(2) facial recognition information.
2. Nothing in this subsection A. prohibits a county administrative office or executive department from:
a. using evidence relating to the investigation of a specific crime that might have been generated from a facial recognition technology, so long as the evidence was not generated by or at the request of the county administrative office or executive department;
b. using social media or communications software or applications for communicating with the public, but only if use does not include the affirmative use of any facial recognition technology or facial recognition information;
c. using automated redaction software, but only if software does not have the facial recognition capabilities; or
d. complying with the National Child Search Assistance Act.
Full Breakdown
King County Code 2.67.020 makes it unlawful for any county administrative office or executive department to obtain, retain, possess, access or use facial recognition technology or facial recognition information, or to contract with a third party to do so on the county's behalf. Exceptions cover crime-scene evidence generated by others (not requested by the county), social media use without affirmative facial-recognition features, redaction software without facial-recognition capability, and compliance with the National Child Search Assistance Act. This covers unincorporated King County agencies only. Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton and other cities run their own police departments under separate municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
Unlawfully obtained facial recognition information must be deleted on discovery; any person may sue for injunctive or declaratory relief or a writ of mandate, and a prevailing plaintiff recovers costs and attorneys' fees. County personnel who violate the chapter face retraining, suspension or termination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this ban apply to Seattle Police?
Can King County ever use facial recognition evidence?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in King County
Compare King County to another location·View the Washington privacy & surveillance overview
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