Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act and Seattle's Renting in Seattle ordinance prohibit landlord harassment of tenants, including utility shutoffs, lockouts, repeated entry without notice, and threats designed to force a tenant to vacate.
RCW 59.18.290 makes it unlawful for a landlord to remove a tenant by force, change locks, shut off heat, electricity, water, or gas, or remove the tenant's belongings without a court order. RCW 59.18.150 limits landlord entry to reasonable times with at least 48 hours written notice for inspections and 24 hours for repairs. Seattle's anti-harassment ordinance (SMC 22.206.180) goes further, banning verbal threats, false statements about immigration status, and discriminatory steering, with civil penalties up to $11,000 per violation. King County's unincorporated areas rely on the state statute. Tenants may sue for actual damages, statutory damages up to $1,000, and attorney fees.
Self-help eviction, utility shutoff, repeated unauthorized entry, or coercive threats violate RCW 59.18.290 and expose landlords to actual damages, $1,000 statutory damages per violation, and attorney fees in superior court actions.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Auburn, WA
Federal law preempts local aircraft noise. Auburn Municipal Airport follows FAA Part 150 and Sea-Tac overflights are under FAA and Port of Seattle. ACC 8.28 ...
Auburn, WA
Industrial sources into residential zones are capped at 60 dBA day and 50 dBA night under WAC 173-60 via ACC 8.28. The Boeing Auburn plant and Valley warehou...
Auburn, WA
Outdoor concerts and festivals must meet ACC 8.28 limits and often need a special event permit. Downtown Auburn and Les Gove Park events follow a written noi...
Auburn, WA
Auburn applies WAC 173-60 EDNA limits through ACC 8.28. Residential: 55 dBA day, 45 dBA night. Industrial receiving: 60 dBA day, 50 dBA night. Measured at th...
Auburn, WA
Auburn restricts RV, trailer, and boat parking on public streets to 72 hours and sets additional limits on driveway and front-yard storage of recreational ve...
Auburn, WA
Auburn does not impose a citywide overnight parking ban, but enforces the 72-hour rule, signed time-limited zones, and no-parking signs at parks, trailheads,...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in King County.
See how Auburn's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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