King County, WA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Fire marshal or code official finding
- Owner duty
- Cut and destroy weeds after notice
- Enforcement code
- K.C.C. Title 23
- Applies to
- Unincorporated King County only
Summary
Unincorporated King County requires owners to cut and destroy weeds once cited as a fire hazard, or face prosecution under Title 23.
Fire hazard (IPMC 302.4). Any building or portion thereof, device, apparatus, equipment, combustible waste, or vegetation that, in the opinion [of the] Fire Marshal or the Code Official, is in such a condition as to cause a fire or explosion or provide a ready fuel to augment the spread and intensity of fire or explosion arising from any cause shall be considered substandard. Upon failure of the owner or agent having charge of a property to cut and destroy weeds after service of a notice violation, they shall be subject to prosecution in accordance with the provisions of K.C.C. Title 23.
Full Breakdown
King County Code 16.14.460 makes vegetation a code violation when the fire marshal or code official finds it likely to cause or spread fire. This covers overgrown weeds on vacant and improved lots alike. After the county serves a notice of violation, the owner or agent in charge of the property must cut and destroy the weeds. Owners who ignore the notice face prosecution under King County Code Title 23, the county's civil enforcement code, which can add daily penalties until the lot is cleared. The rule applies only in unincorporated King County; Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Federal Way and the county's roughly 33 other cities enforce their own vacant-lot and weed codes.
Violations & Fines
Prosecution under K.C.C. Title 23 after a notice of violation goes unheeded; penalties can accrue daily until the weeds are cleared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this rule apply inside Seattle or Bellevue?
What happens if I ignore a weed notice on my vacant lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in King County
Compare King County to another location·View the Washington property maintenance overview
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