Bellevue, WA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- BCC 10.06.040
- Offense class
- Misdemeanor
- Who is liable
- Person controlling premises/vehicle
- Maximum penalty
- 90 days jail / $1,000 fine
- Covers
- Premises, automobiles, and trailers
Summary
Bellevue does not punish the marijuana user directly for consuming in a controlled space; instead BCC 10.06.040 makes it a misdemeanor for anyone who owns or controls premises, a car, or a trailer to knowingly let another person use marijuana there.
Any person who knowingly permits any person to use marijuana on or in their premises, automobile, trailer or vehicle, or on or in any premises, automobile, trailer or vehicle under their control, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 6929, passed July 14, 2026).
Full Breakdown
040, Permitting Use of Marijuana, is narrower than a straightforward public-consumption ban: it targets the person in control of a space, not the person consuming. ” That means a landlord, host, vehicle owner, or driver who is aware marijuana is being used in a space they control and does nothing to stop it can be charged, even if they are not the one using it. Because the section covers automobiles and trailers as well as fixed premises, it reaches mobile settings that pass through public streets, giving Bellevue police a tool distinct from a straight public-consumption citation.
010(M)(2) carries up to 90 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. The section dates to the 2005 Title 10 recodification under Ord. 06 Miscellaneous Offenses alongside the disorderly conduct and drug traffic loitering sections. It has not been repealed or amended by Bellevue's later cannabis-licensing ordinances, which regulate state-licensed retail marijuana businesses under a separate title rather than this criminal-code section.
Violations & Fines
A conviction under BCC 10.06.040 is a misdemeanor, exposing the person who permitted the marijuana use to up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine under BCC 10.00.010(M)(2), or both. The person who actually consumed the marijuana is not charged under this specific section; liability falls on whoever knowingly allowed the use in premises or a vehicle they control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be charged for someone else smoking marijuana in my car in Bellevue?
Does Bellevue directly ban smoking marijuana in public?
What is the penalty under Bellevue's marijuana-permitting law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
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Public Marijuana Use in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle public marijuana use.