Snohomish County, WA Privacy & Surveillance: License Plate Readers (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit type
- Type C11 (data collection devices)
- Approving authority
- County engineer, not council
- Relocation notice
- 48 hours before moving a device
- Governing chapter
- SCC 13.50, added by Ord. 25-067
Summary
Snohomish County requires a Type C11 right-of-way use permit before anyone places a license plate reader or other data collection device in the opened county right-of-way. The county engineer, not the council, decides each application under Chapter 13.50 SCC.
(11) Data collection devices (Type C11 permit). License plate readers, or other devices placed in the opened right-of-way. ... Type C11 permits for data collection devices, including, but not limited to, license plate readers, within the opened right-of-way are subject to the following conditions: (1) A Type C11 permit shall not be issued unless the engineer determines that the proposed location will not present a hazard to vehicles or pedestrians utilizing the opened right-of-way. (2) The proposed structure must meet all applicable EDDS requirements. (3) At the engineer's discretion, a single Type C11 permit may be issued for multiple data collection devices. Each data collection device location must be listed on the permit. If the permittee desires to move a data collection device to a different location, the permittee must submit a request for approval of the new location to the department at least 48 hours prior to the intended move.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020(11), "data collection devices" including license plate readers placed in the opened right-of-way are a Type C11 permitted use, meaning no one, including a law enforcement agency or contractor installing ALPR cameras on county road right-of-way, may install one without first obtaining a right-of-way use permit from the Snohomish County Department of Public Works. 110 sets the conditions the engineer applies: the permit "shall not be issued unless the engineer determines that the proposed location will not present a hazard to vehicles or pedestrians utilizing the opened right-of-way," and the device installation "must meet all applicable EDDS requirements" (the county's Engineering Design and Development Standards).
" This chapter was substantially rewritten by Ord. 25-067 (Dec. 3, 2025, effective Jan. 1, 2026), which added the C11 category as its own permit type separate from the general C10 utilities category. The ordinance addresses only the physical placement of the hardware in the right-of-way; it does not set data retention periods or restrict sharing with outside agencies, so any camera network's retention and sharing rules come from the operating agency's own policy, not from this chapter. 020, and the permit is issued administratively by county engineering staff rather than through a council vote.
Violations & Fines
Placing a license plate reader or other data collection device in the county right-of-way without a Type C11 permit is a right-of-way use violation enforceable by Public Works. SCC 13.50.030(4) authorizes the county to require removal of unpermitted or non-compliant devices and to restore the site at the responsible party's expense, and continued noncompliance can result in denial of future right-of-way permits to the same applicant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Snohomish County Council approve each license plate reader location?
Can one permit cover a whole ALPR camera network?
Does county code set data retention or ICE-sharing rules for license plate readers?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
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