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.
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, fences 6 feet or less in height may be built on or within property lines without a building permit. Fences over 6 feet require...
King County, WA
Unincorporated King County's marine shoreline along Puget Sound and Vashon-Maury Island is regulated under the Shoreline Management Act (RCW 90.58), the King...
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, an above-ground pool that can hold water more than 24 inches deep is regulated as a swimming pool under the Washington State R...
King County, WA
In unincorporated King County, a one-story detached storage shed of 200 square feet or less, accessory to a residential or agricultural use, is exempt from a...
King County, WA
Unincorporated King County requires private swimming pools to be enclosed by a barrier at least five feet high under K.C.C. 16.70.020, with self-closing/self...
King County, WA
King County Ordinance 18467 (2017) limits county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and Washington's Keep Washington Working Act (RCW 10.93.16...
See how King County's relocation assistance rules stack up against other locations.
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