Federal Way, WA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- FWRC 1.15.175 through 1.15.270
- Enforcing officer
- Improvement officer / building official
- First-violation penalty
- $100 per day
- Repeat penalty
- $500 per day, 4th+ violation
- Demolition threshold
- 50%+ damage or decay in taxable value
- Appeal window
- 30 days to appeals commission
Summary
Federal Way deems a property "dangerous or unfit" and a public nuisance if it has trash or junk that attracts rats, unsecured inoperable vehicles, hazardous unsecured conditions, dilapidated structures, or over half its area covered in blackberries or noxious weeds. The improvement officer can order repair or demolition under FWRC 1.15.175 through 1.15.270.
Premises which have any of the following conditions shall be deemed dangerous or unfit: (1) Premises that contain trash, garbage, junk, old wood, building materials, appliances, brush, tree limbs, or other items that may attract rats or other vermin due to a food source or rodent harborage; (2) Premises that have any number of unsecured vehicles, cars, trucks, bikes, farm equipment, construction equipment, boats, trailers, snowmobiles, jet skis or other machinery or implements that are unused and apparently inoperable that are an attractive nuisance and dangerous; (3) Premises that are unsecured and unsafe due to conditions that pose a hazard or attractive nuisance such as but not limited to sink holes; exposed underground vaults, pipes or wires; trenches; unstable slopes; or hazardous materials; (4) Premises that have dilapidated fences, sheds, carports or other such structures that pose a hazard or attractive nuisance; or (5) Developed premises that have over 50 percent of the area covered in blackberries or other noxious weeds.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-1049, passed August 11, 2026).
Full Breakdown
175 lists five conditions that make a premises dangerous or unfit for use, most of it targeted at accumulated junk, unsecured derelict vehicles and equipment, unsecured hazards like sink holes or exposed vaults, dilapidated fences and sheds, and developed lots more than 50 percent covered in blackberries or noxious weeds. 170. 200. 240). 180 sets the remedy standard: repair if reasonably curable, demolition if damage or decay reaches 50 percent of the taxable value or cannot be remedied, and demolition or abatement for an uneliminated fire hazard. 260. 270 and proceeds credited against the removal cost.
Violations & Fines
Under FWRC 1.15.040(5), a monetary penalty accrues per day for each violation that continues past the correction deadline: $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second, $300 for a third, and $500 for each additional violation of the same nature, in addition to abatement costs. FWRC 1.15.040(8) makes each day an unappealed notice and order goes uncorrected a separate misdemeanor, punishable under FWRC 1.10.070 by a fine up to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both. Demolition and cleanup costs become a tax lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a Federal Way property a dangerous nuisance?
Who decides whether to repair or demolish a dangerous building?
Can I appeal a dangerous-premises order in Federal Way?
What are the penalties for not fixing a dangerous property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Federal Way
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