Puyallup, WA

Puyallup makes it unlawful to keep an abandoned vehicle or automobile hulk on public or private property in the city. A vehicle left 24 hours or longer without the property owner's…

Puyallup requires vehicles to park parallel and within 12 inches of the curb, and bars stopping in intersections, crosswalks, on sidewalks, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or within…

Puyallup limits curb loading zones to their designated purpose: three minutes for passenger loading and 30 minutes for freight, during posted hours. A business can request a signed…

In Puyallup's single-family (RS) zones, a recreational vehicle, defined to include boats and boat trailers, cannot sit in the front yard if a rear or side yard has room for it. Any…

Puyallup bars storing an oversized commercial truck, tractor, or trailer, over two axles or wider than 84 inches, on RS-zoned residential property unless it is inside a building or…

Puyallup Municipal Code Chapter 20.56 sets standards for electric vehicle charging stations in parking lots and on-street spaces. A standard space can double as a charging station, no…

Puyallup has no single citywide overnight parking ban, but it caps how long a vehicle may sit on any public street at 72 consecutive hours, and it separately closes specific downtown…

Puyallup bars any parking area from taking access off an unpaved alley or street. City code requires off-street parking areas, driveways and access aisles to be paved with asphalt…

Puyallup issues parking permits under PMC § 10.40.028 to allow parking in specific restricted zones otherwise closed by time limits or no-parking rules. In residential areas the permit…

In unincorporated Pierce County, curb colors and no-parking markings are established by the County, not private residents. Under RCW 46.61.570, parking restrictions are effective only…

Washington caps what a private-property tow can cost. Under RCW 46.55.118, a class A, D or E tow truck operator's filed hourly towing rate cannot exceed 135 percent of the State…

Puyallup Municipal Code Chapter 8.20 bans possessing exotic animals in the city, including venomous or constricting snakes, primates, bears, and nondomesticated cats and canines…

Puyallup's park code makes it unlawful to tease, molest, catch, injure or kill any bird, fowl, animal or fish in a city park, including throwing stones or striking one with a stick…

Puyallup bans feeding fowl in city parks except at spots the parks director has designated for it. The rule sits inside the same section that bars molesting or injuring park wildlife…

Puyallup allows chickens and other small farm animals as an accessory residential use with lot-area-based density limits and 50-foot setbacks, while large farm animals like horses or…

Puyallup requires every cat seven months or older to be licensed annually, treats a feral cat in the shelter as a euthanasia case rather than a candidate for release, and declares an…

Puyallup has no breed ban: Chapter 8.18 declares individual dogs potentially dangerous or dangerous based on documented behavior, requiring a permit, a proper enclosure, and liability…

Veterinary clinics with outdoor dog kennels in Puyallup's C commercial and M industrial zones must comply with PMC §§ 20.30.045(9) and 20.35.035(14): any exterior dog-impound area…

Puyallup does not require every pet to be spayed or neutered, but an unaltered dog or cat impounded more than once in a 12-month period can't be redeemed until the owner posts a $75.00…

Puyallup Municipal Code caps household pets at a combined total of five cats and dogs over three months old on any property that is not a licensed kennel. Keeping more without a kennel…

Puyallup does not mandate microchipping for every pet, but it is built into shelter adoption fees, is one path to clearing a repeat-impound deposit, and is mandatory identification for…

Dogs must be leashed on any public street, sidewalk, parkway or public place in Puyallup, with the leash capped at eight feet, and dogs are barred outright from food establishments and…

Puyallup allows honey bee hives as an accessory residential use with state registration required and hive counts scaled to lot size, from two hives on a quarter acre up to two more per…

A grooming parlor in unincorporated Pierce County must hold a county license under PCC 5.24.030, the same chapter that licenses kennels, catteries, and pet shops, and it undergoes…

Pierce County pet shops fall under Washington's statewide ban on retail dog and cat sales. RCW 16.52.360, adopted into county law at PCC 5.24.075, bars any retail pet store from…

Certain noises like lawn equipment, blasting, and bells are only exempt from Puyallup's noise code between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on…

Puyallup bars business sound amplifiers, loudspeakers, and pagers from being audible beyond the property line. Under PMC § 6.16.050(2)(d), any such device used to attract customers or…

Puyallup requires every motor vehicle on public highways to carry a working exhaust system and muffler that prevents excessive noise, and bans deliberately squealing tires from rapid…

Construction noise is exempt from Puyallup's noise code except between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., under PMC § 6.16.060(2)(b). The public works director can also further restrict or…

A dog whose frequent, repetitive or continuous barking unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's peace, comfort or repose is a "public disturbance noise" under PMC § 6.16.050(2)(a)…

Puyallup's noise code doesn't regulate aircraft. PMC § 6.16.060(1)(a) exempts 'noise originating from aircraft in flight, and sounds which originate at airports and are directly…

For most industrial noise, Pierce County defers to the State. PCC 8.72.120.D states that, apart from motor vehicles, industrial-area noise is regulated by the State of Washington. The…

Puyallup allows common fireworks sales only from noon June 28 through 9 p.m. July 4, and discharge only from noon to 11 p.m. on July 4 itself. Selling or setting them off outside that…

Puyallup Chapter 16.12 adopts Washington's smoke detector statute and administrative rules for dwelling units by reference and backs them with a local penalty: a fine of up to $50 for…

Backyard recreational fires are allowed in Pierce County without a permit, but only small fires burning clean wood or charcoal. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency caps them at three feet…

Outdoor burning in Pierce County is regulated by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which bans all land-clearing fires and prohibits yard-waste burning throughout urbanized areas…

Washington adopts the International Fire Code statewide under RCW 19.27.031, including NFPA 58 standards for liquefied petroleum gas (propane). These rules govern container placement…

Washington adopted the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code statewide under RCW 19.27.560, effective July 1, 2023. New construction in designated WUI areas must meet…

Puyallup treats weeds, grass and other vegetation taller than 12 inches as a public nuisance once the fire chief or a designee determines the growth is a fire hazard or a threat to…

Puyallup Municipal Code § 14.02.110 makes it unlawful to waste water through excessive irrigation or sprinkling that runs off into a street, alley or sidewalk. A broken hose, pipe or…

When a utility or other right-of-way user must trim or remove trees interfering with its facilities in a Puyallup right-of-way, Puyallup Municipal Code § 11.05.230 requires it to…

Removing or significantly pruning a street tree in Puyallup's public right-of-way requires a public works construction permit under PMC § 11.28.035. Destroying, injuring or defacing a…

Pierce County encourages native and drought-tolerant plantings and requires native-vegetation retention on many development sites, but homeowners are free to choose their own yard…

Pierce County credits roof rainwater collection systems against the county's stormwater utility service charge under PCC 11.02.050.B.7. A system that captures at least 1,500 gallons…

Backyard residential composting is allowed and encouraged in Pierce County with no permit, but a compost pile that creates odor, attracts vermin, or otherwise becomes a public nuisance…

Any Puyallup pool 12 inches deep or more needs a barrier at least 6 feet tall with no gap wider than 4 inches and a self-closing gate. Hot tubs and other manmade water bodies need a…

Constructing a residential swimming pool in unincorporated Pierce County requires a building permit under the county's adopted International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, enforced by the…

Home occupations in Puyallup's RS and RM residential zones need a home occupation permit from the development services director under PMC § 20.75.005, unless they meet narrow exemption…

Puyallup allows a family day care provider as a permitted use in every RS single-family zone, meaning no conditional use permit or rezone is required to run one from a house. PMC §…

Puyallup caps home occupation customer traffic with a formula in PMC § 20.75.015(6): lot acreage times a street-classification factor times a zoning coefficient. No matter how the math…

A Puyallup home occupation is allowed exactly one sign under PMC § 20.75.015(3): up to six square feet, mounted flush against the wall of the residence. The sign has to fit within the…

Selling homemade non-hazardous foods from a Pierce County home requires a Washington Cottage Food Operation permit from the state Department of Agriculture (WSDA) under RCW 69.22 and…

Washington has no microenterprise home kitchen permit. WAC 246-215-08300 bars operating a food establishment without a permit from the local health jurisdiction, and the one permit…

Puyallup only issues a fence permit under Puyallup Municipal Code § 11.08.080 for a fence built within the street right-of-way, not for an ordinary yard fence on private property, and…

Puyallup bans barbed wire and razor wire on any fence or wall in the RS single-family zones under PMC § 20.20.040(6)(f), with one carve-out: pastures of at least 40,000 square feet may…

Puyallup limits retaining walls near property lines under PMC § 20.58.005(2)(a). Within 30 feet of a front or street-side line, a single wall tops out at three and one-half feet with…

In Puyallup's RS zones, fences and walls within 20 feet of the front lot line are capped at 3.5 feet, or 5 feet for open styles like chain-link or split-rail. Rear, interior side, and…

Pierce County zoning does not set a shared-cost or boundary fence-ownership rule; those are civil matters between neighbors. The county does require that fences at corners and…

Puyallup permits up to two accessory dwelling units per RS-zone lot that meets the underlying zone's minimum lot area, one where the lot is smaller, under PMC § 20.20.010(11). Each ADU…

On a Puyallup RS-zoned lot up to four acres, only one detached accessory building over 200 square feet is allowed, though sheds of 200 square feet or smaller are unlimited in number…

Puyallup lets homeowners convert a detached garage into living space by turning it into an accessory dwelling unit under PMC § 20.20.010(11)(j), and even a garage that is already…

Unincorporated Pierce County treats a tiny home under 400 square feet on a permanent foundation as a residence permitted like a single-family house, while recreational vehicles cannot…

Pierce County caps traffic impact fees on accessory dwelling units at half the rate charged for the primary house. Under PCC 4A.40.030, an ADU built in unincorporated Pierce County…

Instead of a license, Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B)(6) requires the owner to file a Vacation Rental Affidavit with Planning and Public Works. It states the owner's intent to operate…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B) caps a vacation rental at five guest rooms and two guests per bedroom, not to exceed ten guests lodged at any time. A rental that needs more rooms or…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B)(4) sets no numeric parking-space count for vacation rentals. It requires only that the owner or representative give guests information indicating the…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no rental-specific quiet hours; vacation-rental guests must follow the countywide public-disturbance noise rules in PCC Chapter 8.72 and the Good…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no limit on how many nights per year a vacation rental may operate. A rental meeting the five-room, ten-guest, affidavit, parking, and…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 does not limit vacation rentals to a host's primary residence. It permits rentals in any legally established single-family or accessory dwelling, so…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 does not require a host or manager on-site during a vacation-rental stay. It requires only that the owner or representative supply contact and parking…

Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no local insurance mandate, but Washington's statewide Short-Term Rental Act controls. RCW 64.37.050 requires every operator to carry primary…

Short-term rentals in Pierce County owe the county lodging (hotel-motel) excise tax, set by the Department of Revenue at 2 percent for facilities of 25 or fewer units and 5 percent for…

Puyallup bans drinking alcohol or carrying an opened container on city streets, public highways, roads or any other public place not licensed for on-site drinking. A violation is a…

Puyallup makes it a criminal misdemeanor to urinate or defecate in public. The disorderly conduct chapter reaches any act that could be observed by a member of the public and happens…

Puyallup does not have a general vagrancy-style loitering ordinance. Its one loitering rule is narrow: it is disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, to loiter in or about a restroom that is…

Puyallup prohibits smoking cigars, cigarettes, tobacco or any other lighted material, and vaping, anywhere in city parks, including shelters and structures. The city posts warning…

Puyallup makes it pedestrian interference to aggressively beg, meaning begging with intent to intimidate someone into giving money or goods, in any public place. A first violation is a…

Puyallup pedestrians may not step into a moving traffic lane between intersections in the central business district, any business district, or on an arterial highway, or between two…

Puyallup bans skateboards, roller skates, coasters, in-line skates and motorized foot scooters from every publicly owned parking lot and garage, and separately bars motorized foot…

Pierce County bans cannabis outright in its entire park system, with no permit exception like the one alcohol gets. PCC 14.08.060(M)(3) makes it unlawful to open a package of cannabis…

Anyone wanting to use a Puyallup park facility, hold a religious service or rally, or run an activity for financial gain in a city park must get a written permit from the parks…

Puyallup names block parties directly in its special events definition, and any special event using city streets, sidewalks or property needs a special events permit filed at least 90…

Puyallup requires a special events permit for any parade, march, run, rally, fair or similar event that makes special use of city streets, sidewalks or parks. Applications generally…

Puyallup parks are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in winter and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer citywide, with several named parks on their own extended or sunset-based schedules. Staying past…

Washington does not impose a statewide juvenile curfew; cities may enact local curfews under general police powers, subject to constitutional limits.

Puyallup runs a limited automated traffic camera program under Chapter 10.33, covering stoplight, railroad-crossing and school speed-zone violations. Cameras predating June 6, 2024 are…

Pierce County's Park Code treats Class 1 and 2 electric bicycles, as defined by RCW 46.04.169, as 'micromobility devices' under PCC 14.08.030, putting them on the same footing as…

Unincorporated Pierce County enforces Washington's bicycle riding statute as its own traffic code. PCC 10.12.010 adopts RCW 46.61.770 by reference, requiring cyclists to ride near the…

Washington splits small street-legal vehicles into three statutory classes by top speed, and the rules for each are different. A golf cart tops out at 20 mph and may use public streets…

Puyallup taxes utility businesses at different rates by category under PMC Chapter 5.08: electricity, natural gas and cable television each pay 6 percent of gross subscriber revenue…

Puyallup pawnbrokers must keep a detailed transaction record book, report every transaction to the chief of police by noon the next day, hold pledged property 30 days, and follow the…

Puyallup secondhand dealers, defined as anyone buying or selling used personal property or scrap metal, must hold bought items 30 days before resale and are covered by the same…

Puyallup requires a separate adult cabaret license before offering live adult entertainment on top of a general business license, and its zoning code confines adult uses to the limited…

Puyallup Municipal Code § 20.75.012(1) flatly bars automobile repair, body work, upholstering and similar automobile-related activity from qualifying as a home occupation anywhere in…

Any wrecker or towing operator doing business in Puyallup needs an annual $50.00 towing license from the director of finance on top of a general business license, backed by a $10,000…

Washington RCW 70.345 requires licensing for vapor product retailers, distributors, and delivery sellers, with state Department of Revenue oversight and tax collection.

A posted "No Soliciting" sign is legally binding in Puyallup: ringing a doorbell to solicit past a posted sign is a nuisance under PMC § 5.64.130, and § 5.64.165 flatly bars soliciting…

Puyallup requires a $50.00 annual solicitor's license, on top of any general business license, before going door to door, and confines soliciting to between 9:00 a.m. and dusk or a…

Puyallup's contracted hauler must offer biweekly curbside yard waste pickup year-round, on the same week as recycling service, under PMC § 6.12.190. Yard waste is defined at PMC §…

Puyallup does not run a year-round bulk-item curbside pickup. Instead, the city's solid waste contractor holds a city-wide clean-up twice a year, once in spring and once in fall, under…

Puyallup can drop a customer from recycling service if recyclable materials keep turning up in the regular trash: Puyallup Municipal Code § 6.12.140 requires one written warning, and a…

Dumping, burying or burning solid waste on any Puyallup street, alley, public place or private property is a misdemeanor under PMC § 6.12.060, punishable by up to a $500 fine and 90…

Puyallup requires every commercial and residential property owner to deposit all solid waste in an approved container for weekly collection under Puyallup Municipal Code § 6.12.050…

Puyallup's contractor supplies a city-approved recycling container to any single-family or multifamily property whose owner requests recycling service under Puyallup Municipal Code §…

Puyallup's can-service containers must be insect-proof, capped at 32 gallons, fitted with two handles and a tight lid, and set out where the hauler's service provider has approved for…

Every property inside Puyallup city limits must carry solid waste collection service through the city's contracted hauler under Puyallup Municipal Code § 6.12.030, which makes…

New civic, commercial, and industrial developments in unincorporated Pierce County must hide outdoor garbage and recycling dumpsters from view, either behind a structural enclosure…

Frequent, repetitive or continuous sounding of a motor vehicle horn or siren, including alarm noise, is banned as a public disturbance noise in Puyallup under PMC § 6.16.050(2)(b)…

Puyallup bars idling a motor vehicle over 6,000 pounds GVWR, the size of most delivery and box trucks, for more than 30 minutes an hour within 150 feet of a residential area between…

Loud, raucous noise from music, sound amplifiers, or similar devices that emanates frequently, repetitively, or continuously from a business is a public disturbance noise under PMC §…

Puyallup enforces plumbing work through the Uniform Plumbing Code adopted under PMC § 17.04.030(5), as incorporated by the Washington State Building Code Council. The same permit…

Puyallup requires a fully automatic sprinkler system in buildings over 10,000 square feet, 40 feet or taller, or four or more stories, under PMC § 17.36.020. Buildings with three or…

Day care centers are a conditional use in Puyallup's RS single-family zones under PMC § 20.20.015(4), requiring a hearing examiner conditional use permit, a 10,000-square-foot minimum…

Puyallup limits how much floor area a house can add relative to its lot through a maximum floor area ratio: RS-10 tops out at 0.45:1, RS-08 and RS-06 at 0.55:1, and RS-04 at 0.6:1…

Puyallup governs building permits through the state-adopted International Building Code and Residential Code, enforced by the city's building official. Permits expire if work is not…

Pierce County will not sign off on a final occupancy or final building inspection for any residential, commercial, or industrial structure until the site's stormwater and drainage work…

Pierce County does not mandate a green building code, but PCC 17C.10.070.F refunds up to 25 percent of a residential building permit fee, capped at $350, when the finished home earns…

Puyallup prohibits marijuana producers, processors, and retailers in every zoning district in the city under PMC § 20.05.060. The city backs the zoning ban with a business-license…

Unincorporated Pierce County keeps marijuana-licensed businesses 1,000 feet away from schools, parks, playgrounds, libraries, transit centers, child-care centers, churches and other…

Washington uniquely prohibits recreational home cultivation of cannabis statewide, with cultivation only permitted by licensed producers and qualifying medical patients.

Puyallup requires a written permit from the city engineer before anyone excavates, tunnels, fills, grades, paves, or places any structure over, under or upon a street, alley or public…

Puyallup Municipal Code § 11.20.040 makes the owner or occupant of property fronting a public sidewalk responsible for keeping it, the curb, gutter, parking strip and driveway apron in…

Puyallup Municipal Code declares any unlawful or overstayed obstruction of a street, alley, crossing or sidewalk, including excavations left in place, a nuisance under § 6.08.050, and…

Puyallup Municipal Code § 11.20.040 puts snow and ice removal squarely on the owner or occupant of the abutting property, right alongside routine sidewalk, curb and driveway upkeep…

Puyallup's public officer, the director of development and permitting services, can declare a decayed, fire-damaged, dangerous or otherwise unsafe building a public nuisance under PMC…

Vacant and rural lots in unincorporated Pierce County fall under Code Chapter 8.08, which makes accumulated solid waste, junk vehicles, abandoned appliances and unsecured hazards…

Puyallup Municipal Code § 11.28.030 requires street trees along the frontage of new commercial, industrial and institutional projects and any new residential development of more than…

Puyallup lets a property owner voluntarily nominate a tree for its heritage tree registry under PMC § 20.58.025, based on age, size, location, species, aesthetics or historical…

Pierce County treats Oregon white oak trees and woodlands as priority wildlife habitat, not ordinary landscaping. A stand at least one acre with 25%-or-more oak canopy, or a single oak…

Food trucks in Puyallup fall outside the mobile-vendor chapter, which covers only ice cream trucks and pedal cabs, and instead run under the city's temporary-use rules. PMC § 20.70.012…

Puyallup licenses food trucks under the city's adopted food truck program guidelines and Chapter 20.70 PMC zoning rules rather than the general mobile vendor chapter, and enforces both…

Puyallup lets multifamily projects in RM zones raise density above the base level, from 10 to 14 units per acre in RM-10, by selecting from a menu of site features. Critical-area…

Any structure built or remodeled in Puyallup's CBD-Core, CBD, or RM-Core zones must follow the Downtown Design Guidelines, adopted separately from the zoning code itself. Preexisting…

Puyallup treats political signs as freestanding temporary signs under Puyallup Municipal Code § 20.60.070: they are allowed in any zone without a permit, capped at eight square feet…

Puyallup bans true billboards outright and instead regulates on-premise digital signs tightly. Electronic message signs cannot blink or change images faster than once every two…

Window signs in Puyallup need no sign permit as long as they, alone or combined, cover no more than 25 percent of a building facade under PMC § 20.60.015(3). Cross that threshold and…

Garage sale signs are temporary signs under PCC 18B.10.040 in unincorporated Pierce County. They need no permit, but only one non-yard temporary sign is allowed per road frontage and…

Pierce County bans new billboards visible from the main traveled way of ten named state routes and county roads under PCC 18A.55.010.C, including SR 16, SR 512 and Pacific Avenue (SR…

Puyallup requires a development permit before any construction, fill, or land change in a mapped area of special flood hazard along the Puyallup River valley. Violations are a gross…

No one may clear, grade, or fill land in Puyallup without first obtaining a clearing, filling and grading permit and installing erosion controls that keep sediment on site. Slopes are…

New and substantially improved homes in Puyallup's flood hazard areas must have the lowest floor built at least one foot above base flood elevation. Critical facilities must clear the…

Every development, redevelopment, and construction project in Puyallup must follow the Washington Department of Ecology's Stormwater Manual and route runoff to its natural discharge…

In unincorporated Pierce County, a private dock for a single-family or multi-family home skips the Shoreline Substantial Development Permit only if its fair market value stays under…

Pierce County lets property owners clear wildfire defensible space within 30 feet of dwellings, outbuildings, barns and commercial buildings even inside a regulated critical area…

Washington's Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58) requires Shoreline Substantial Development Permits for most construction within 200 feet of marine and freshwater shorelines statewide.

Puyallup's Agriculture, Recreation and Open Space (ARO) zone, established under PMC § 20.36.000, sets aside land for farming, recreation and open space uses on the comprehensive plan's…

PMC § 20.36.030 shields agricultural activity conducted under Puyallup's ARO zoning chapter from nuisance claims unless the activity substantially and adversely affects public health…

Puyallup's Table 20.20.020 sets minimum yard setbacks for every RS single-family zone: front yards range from 15 feet in RS-04 to 35 feet in RS-35, rear yards from 15 to 35 feet, and…

Table 20.20.020 caps outright-permitted residential structures at 36 feet in Puyallup's RS-35 through RS-06 zones and 28 feet in RS-04, while structures needing a conditional use…

Table 20.20.020 caps how much of an RS-zoned lot a structure may cover: there is no fixed percentage in RS-35, but coverage tops out at 40% in RS-10, 45% in RS-08 and RS-06, and 50% in…

Puyallup bars sitting or lying on public sidewalks in its central business district zones from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Exceptions cover medical emergencies, disability devices, permitted…

Puyallup permits religious-sponsored homeless encampments for up to 90 days under Chapter 20.73 PMC, and § 20.73.070(1)(b) requires sanitary toilets, hand washing stations and refuse…

Puyallup Municipal Code § 14.01.140 lets a customer who fixes a leak apply in writing for a billing credit, with repair proof and a meter check by the utilities division. Adjustments…

Pierce County's Water Utility, created by PCC 7.10.010, exists in part "to establish reclaimed water services to protect the environment," with "Reclaimed Water" defined by…

Puyallup's landscaping code forbids using invasive or noxious plant material, as listed by the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board, in any required landscape area. PMC §…

Puyallup levies a 7 percent special excise tax on lodging charges by hotels, motels, rooming houses, tourist courts and trailer camps under PMC Chapter 3.10, collected by the…

Puyallup caps garage and yard sales at four per year and three sale days in any single month under Puyallup Municipal Code § 20.70.010(3). Sales run by the actual residents of the home…

Puyallup's Historic Preservation Board reviews any exterior or interior change to a property on the Puyallup Register of Historic Places before work can begin, and demolition requires…

In Puyallup's multifamily RM zones, building-mounted lighting must be aimed away from neighboring residences and windows, shielded to avoid off-site glare, and cannot cast illumination…

Pierce County bans flashing, intermittent or moving billboard lights outright under PCC 18A.55.010.E. Any other billboard lighting must be shielded so no beam or ray hits the traveled…

New residential, civic, commercial and industrial development in unincorporated Pierce County must shield exterior lighting under PCC 18J.15.085. Fixtures must hide the bulb, use…

Pierce County's drug paraphernalia ordinance bans delivering or selling syringes and other injection equipment, but it expressly protects legal distribution of injection syringe…

Pierce County's rodent control code, Chapter 8.20 PCC, makes it unlawful to keep food, run a dock or warehouse, or live in a residence in the county without complying with rat-proofing…

Unincorporated Pierce County outright prohibits the operation of social card games, the category that covers commercial card rooms under state law. Only bona fide charitable or…

Washington exempts bona fide charitable and nonprofit organizations from Gambling Commission licensing when raffle, bingo, or amusement-game revenue stays under $5,000 a year…

Washington law defines a "player" under RCW 9.46.0265 as someone who gambles on equal terms with no profit beyond personal winnings. A private card game among friends is legal without…

Sports betting is legal in Washington only at tribal casinos operating under a class III gaming compact amended to include it, as RCW 9.46.0364 authorizes following ESHB 2638 (2020 c…

Unincorporated Pierce County lets the FAA govern where drones may fly, but the Parks and Recreation Department bars recreational drone flights inside its own park system unless the…

Pierce County's Park Code bans flying drones, model aircraft, and model rockets anywhere in the park system except in areas the Parks and Recreation Director specifically designates or…

Flying a drone in a Pierce County park, including over a permitted festival, parade or show, requires a permit from the Parks Director first. PCC 14.08.040(L) bars unpermitted drone…

Commercial drone operations in Washington are governed by FAA Part 107, with state law adding criminal liability for invasive uses and limited authority over state-owned land.

Pierce County investigates code complaints under PCC 18.140.035. You must identify yourself when filing; anonymous tips are not the trigger for a case. Staff review every submission…

In unincorporated Pierce County, a home security camera counts as an "alarm system" under PCC 8.64.010.J once it's set up to summon a Sheriff's Department response, and PCC 8.64.030.A…

Propane grilling is allowed across the Pierce County park system, no permit needed for the fuel type itself. PCC 14.08.080(C) says outdoor cooking using compressed gas such as propane…

Charcoal and wood-pellet cooking is restricted in Pierce County parks: PCC 14.08.080(C) confines it to sites equipped with hot coal disposal containers. Bring a charcoal grill or…

Installing rooftop solar panels on a home in unincorporated Pierce County requires a building permit under PCC 17C.10.070, and the fee scales with system size: a base fee plus an added…

Washington RCW 64.38.055 voids homeowner association rules prohibiting solar panel installation, allowing only reasonable placement rules. RCW 64.90.510 gives the same protection to…

Washington RCW 49.46 sets a statewide minimum wage adjusted annually for inflation; as of 2026 it is $17.13 per hour. Washington does not preempt local minimum wages, so several cities…

Washington RCW 49.46.200 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees, and RCW 50A.04 provides paid family and medical leave funded by payroll premiums.

Washington issues concealed pistol licenses under RCW 9.41.070 on a shall-issue basis to qualified applicants, with statewide preemption preventing local concealed carry rules.

Washington RCW 9.41.290 broadly preempts local firearm regulation, reserving authority over firearm laws to the state legislature with very limited exceptions.

Washington allows open carry of firearms by qualified adults without a permit, with limited statutory restrictions and broad preemption barring most local open carry rules.

Washington RCW 9.41.050 governs carrying firearms in vehicles statewide, requiring a concealed pistol license to carry a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle.

Washington has two regimes. Communities created on or after July 1, 2018 fall under WUCIOA (RCW 64.90), whose lien carries a 6-month super-priority over first mortgages and can be…

Washington requires HOA board meetings to be open to owners and gives owners broad record-access rights. WUCIOA communities follow RCW 64.90.445 (open meetings) and RCW 64.90.495…

Washington HOAs may adopt and enforce rules and architectural standards and enforce the recorded declaration. Under WUCIOA, RCW 64.90.405 authorizes rule adoption and enforcement…

This right applies only within Washington homeowners' associations governed by the Homeowners' Association Act, chapter 64.38 RCW: communities formed before July 1, 2018, excluding…

Washington homeowners associations and condo boards may not prohibit or unreasonably restrict a unit owner's electric vehicle charging station installed for personal, noncommercial use…

Washington's older Homeowners' Association Act, chapter 64.38 RCW, applies to HOAs formed before July 1, 2018 that have not opted into the newer Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act…

Both Washington regimes let HOAs impose reasonable fines, but only after notice and an opportunity to be heard and only under a fine schedule already adopted by the board and furnished…

Washington associations do hold a super-lien. Under RCW 64.90.485(3)(a)(i) of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act, an association's lien jumps ahead of a first…

Washington condominium and HOA boards cannot cap or ban unit leasing by ordinary board rule. RCW 64.90.510(10)(c) lets a board restrict leasing only to the extent the rule mirrors…

Washington does not operate sobriety checkpoints, and no section of the Revised Code of Washington authorizes one. The only suspicionless power to stop a driver that the Legislature…

Washington is an all-party consent state, and the rule lives in the Washington Privacy Act at RCW 9.73.030. That section reaches only a private communication or a private conversation…

Washington has no general stop-and-identify statute. Someone stopped on a sidewalk in Seattle, Spokane or Tacoma and asked who they are has no statutory duty to answer, and staying…

Washington has no statute telling an adult driver what happens when an officer asks to search the car, and there is no logging or written-consent requirement of the kind Texas and…

For nonpayment of rent, a Washington landlord must serve a 14-day pay-or-vacate notice in the form set by RCW 59.18.057 before filing an unlawful detainer under RCW 59.12.030…

RCW 59.18.060 requires Washington landlords to keep rentals 'fit for human habitation': structurally sound, weathertight, with working plumbing, heat, hot water, electrical systems…

Washington RCW 59.18.650 requires landlords to have one of 16 enumerated lawful causes to terminate most residential tenancies statewide.

RCW 59.18.150 requires a Washington landlord to give at least two days' written notice before entering to inspect, repair, or maintain the unit, and at least one day's notice to show…

Under RCW 59.18.170, a Washington landlord may not charge any late fee on rent paid within five days of its due date; a fee may begin only once rent is more than five days past due…

Under RCW 59.18.200, a Washington tenant may end a month-to-month tenancy with at least 20 days' written notice. A landlord, however, cannot end a periodic tenancy at will: RCW…

Washington bars cities from passing local rent control under RCW 35.21.830, and that preemption still stands. But in 2025 the state enacted its first statewide rent-increase cap. Under…

Under RCW 59.18.140, a Washington landlord must give at least 90 days' prior written notice before raising rent (30 days for income-based subsidized housing). The 2025 Rent…

Washington sets no dollar cap on residential security deposits, but it controls how they are collected and returned. A landlord may collect a deposit only with a written rental…

Washington's general adverse possession period is 10 years under RCW 4.16.020, requiring possession that is actual, open and notorious, exclusive, hostile, and continuous. A shorter…

Washington RCW 70A.530 bans single-use plastic carryout bags statewide and requires retailers to charge a pass-through fee for compliant paper or reusable bags.

Washington RCW 70A.245 bans expanded polystyrene foam food service containers, packing peanuts, and coolers in phases starting June 2024 to combat plastic pollution.

Washington RCW 70A.550 limits single-use food service ware including plastic straws and utensils to upon-request distribution at restaurants and food service businesses.

Washington RCW 26.28.080 sets the minimum age for purchasing tobacco and vapor products at 21, aligning with federal Tobacco 21 standards statewide.

Washington has not enacted a statewide flavored tobacco ban, leaving flavor restrictions to limited Department of Health authority and federal FDA enforcement on flavored vapor…

Washington splits its extra-lighting rules between the statute and the State Patrol's rules, and the part most drivers care about lives in the rules. RCW 46.37.180 allows up to two…

Washington has no statute that names dash cameras, so mounting one is governed by a single test in RCW 46.37.410(2): no sign, poster or other nontransparent material may sit on the…

Lane splitting is expressly illegal in Washington. RCW 46.61.608(3) states flatly that no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows…

Washington bans license plate covers outright. RCW 46.16A.200(7)(c)(i) makes it unlawful to use license plate holders, frames, covers, or other materials that conceal, obstruct…

Nothing in Washington law restricts a radar detector in a private passenger vehicle. Chapter 46.37 RCW, the vehicle equipment chapter that fixes fog lamp mounting heights to the inch…

Washington allows metal studded tires only in the winter half of the year. RCW 46.37.420(2) makes it unlawful to use metal studs imbedded within the tire between April 1st and November…

Washington lets you tint every window except the windshield down to 24 percent light transmission, with outward reflectance capped at 35 percent, but RCW 46.37.430(5)(a) measures that…