Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and King County tenant-protection ordinances require landlords to pay relocation assistance when displacing tenants for substantial rehabilitation, demolition, or change of use, with amounts varying by city and tenant income level.
RCW 59.18.440 authorizes cities to require relocation assistance for low-income tenants displaced by code-enforcement-driven closures. Seattle's Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance (SMC 22.210) requires landlords to pay $4,553 (2026 figure) per qualifying tenant household for displacements due to demolition, substantial rehab, or change of use, split with the city. Unincorporated King County does not impose a separate relocation payment but does enforce RCW 59.18.085 protections for tenants displaced by condemnation. Tenants must receive at least 120 days written notice in Seattle, 90 days under state law, before the displacement event.
Failing to pay relocation assistance or provide proper notice exposes landlords to double the assistance amount, attorney fees, and an injunction halting the displacing project until compliance is achieved.
Bellevue, WA
Outdoor music must comply with BCC 9.18 limits. Special events with amplified sound require a noise variance from the City Clerk and typically must end by 10...
Bellevue, WA
Aircraft noise is federally preempted by the FAA. Bellevue sits in the Sea-Tac contour near Renton Municipal Airport. Complaints go to Port of Seattle Aviati...
Bellevue, WA
Bellevue treats habitual barking as a nuisance under BCC Title 8 and BCC 9.18. King County Regional Animal Services investigates complaints and issues warnin...
Bellevue, WA
Bellevue enforces RCW 46.55 and BCC 11.23 against vehicles left on streets more than 72 hours or stored inoperable on private property, with impoundment and ...
Bellevue, WA
RCW 16.60 governs boundary fences and cost-sharing in Washington. LUC 20.20.400 controls height and placement. Spite fences allow civil remedy. Get a survey ...
Bellevue, WA
Bellevue prohibits barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing in residential zones; chain link is allowed but discouraged in front yards by design guid...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in King County.
See how Bellevue's relocation assistance rules stack up against other locations.
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