Edmonds, WA Privacy & Surveillance: Recording & Consent Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- ECC 5.42.030, Privacy, Violating Right Of
- Core rule adopted
- RCW 9.73.030, all-party consent to record
- Penalty
- Gross misdemeanor, up to 364 days, $5,000 fine
- Police/fire exemption
- RCW 9.73.090, dispatch and 911 recordings
- Enacted
- Ord. 2531 (1985), amended Ord. 2853 (1991)
- Forum
- Edmonds Municipal Court
Summary
ECC 5.42.030 adopts Washington's privacy act, RCW 9.73.010 through 9.73.100, as local law, making it a crime to intercept, record or divulge a private communication in Edmonds without the consent of every party to it. The city folds the state's exceptions and penalty section directly into its own criminal code.
5.42.030 Privacy, violating right of. The following statutes of the state of Washington are adopted by reference: RCW 9.73.010 Divulging telegram 9.73.020 Opening sealed letter 9.73.030 Intercepting, recording or divulging private communication – Consent required – Exceptions 9.73.070 Persons and activities excepted 9.73.080 Penalty 9.73.090 Police and fire personnel exempted from RCW 9.73.030 – 9.73.080 – Standards 9.73.100 Recordings available to defense counsel
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4444, passed August 3, 2026).
Full Breakdown
42 ECC, Public Peace, Crimes Relating To, incorporates seven sections of the state Privacy Act into Edmonds's own criminal code by reference rather than rewriting the text locally. 100 (making unlawfully obtained recordings available to defense counsel in a criminal case). Because Edmonds enacted these sections as municipal law rather than only relying on the state to prosecute, a violation can be charged in Edmonds Municipal Court as a city offense alongside any state charge. 080, which under state law can carry up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
The chapter was originally adopted by Ord. 2531 in 1985 and last amended by Ord. 2853 in 1991. 060, the separate civil-damages provision, so a private civil claim over an illegal recording proceeds under state law rather than this municipal chapter.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the adopted consent-to-record statute, RCW 9.73.030, is a gross misdemeanor prosecutable in Edmonds Municipal Court, carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine under Washington's general gross misdemeanor classification. Police and fire personnel are exempt from the all-party consent requirement for dispatch and emergency recordings under the standards in RCW 9.73.090. Recordings relevant to a criminal case must be produced to defense counsel under RCW 9.73.100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Edmonds require consent to record a conversation?
What happens if someone breaks this rule in Edmonds?
Can Edmonds police record 911 calls or dispatch traffic without consent?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Edmonds
Compare Edmonds to another location·View the Washington privacy & surveillance overview
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