Sammamish, WA

Sammamish allows recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces as exceptions to its open-burning ban, but each has its own mandatory clearance distance from structures and…

Open burning has been banned in Sammamish at all times since the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's permanent 1992 ban, with only bonfires, recreational fires and portable outdoor…

Sammamish's locally adopted Building and Property Maintenance Code requires smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every story of a dwelling, wired with…

Unincorporated King County lets homeowners clear brush and prune trees near a house for wildfire safety without a clearing permit, but only within fixed distance limits set by county…

Unincorporated King County bans retail fireworks sales outright and bars any use, discharge or display of fireworks without a fire marshal permit: there's no personal-use exception.

Unincorporated King County allows limited tree and brush clearing near homes for wildfire preparedness without a clearing and grading permit, including clearing up to 100 feet with a…

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…

Sammamish requires backyard pools and spas to comply with the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, covering construction, alteration and maintenance, with the plumbing and…

Private pools, hot tubs and spas deeper than 36 inches must have a self-closing, self-latching barrier at least 48 inches high under SMC 16.25.205(2), with gap and latch-height limits…

Sammamish exempts routine tree pruning, limbing and general maintenance outside critical areas from its clearing and grading permit, but the same work inside a critical area or its…

Sammamish requires a clearing and grading permit to remove trees above a set size: cutting a conifer under 8 inches DBH or a deciduous tree under 12 inches DBH is exempt, but larger or…

In Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction, SMC 25.07.080(2)(c)-(d) lets artificial turf count as required "yard" area alongside landscaping and low decks, so long as it isn't paired with…

Unincorporated King County's landscaping code treats stored rainwater as an approved 'alternative water source' for required irrigation and exempts rainwater-fed outlets from the…

Unincorporated King County's litter and dumping law carves out backyard composting: King County Code § 10.04.080(B)(1) says a compost pile or bin is never an unlawful accumulation of…

Unincorporated King County has no fixed inch limit on grass or weeds. Instead, the Fire Marshal or code official can declare overgrown weeds or vegetation a fire hazard, and owners who…

Unincorporated King County requires new landscaping to use native or climate-adapted plants and encourages keeping existing natural vegetation in place rather than ripping it out for…

Washington Department of Ecology administers water rights and may issue drought emergency orders that override local outdoor watering practices statewide.

A dog running at large anywhere in Sammamish is a nuisance violation under Municipal Code 11.05.015, which adopts King County's animal control code. In city parks, SMC 7A.15.020…

Sammamish has no breed-specific ban; instead it adopts King County's conduct-based vicious-animal nuisance rules. Municipal Code 11.05.015 makes it a nuisance for any animal exhibiting…

Sammamish Municipal Code § 7A.18.050 makes it unlawful to feed wildlife anywhere in city open spaces, trails, park areas, park facilities or marine areas, with a narrow carve-out for…

Unincorporated King County has no ban on retail dog or cat sales: pet shops can sell commercially sourced animals. But every pet shop, animal shelter, hobby kennel, and hobby cattery…

Unincorporated King County caps unaltered dogs and cats at three per dwelling unit; other household pets are limited to five, but altered (spayed/neutered) cats face no numeric cap…

In unincorporated King County, keeping an unaltered dog or cat past kittenhood/puppyhood is unlawful unless the owner holds an unaltered pet license for that animal.

Unincorporated King County protects active nests of bald eagles, ospreys, peregrine falcons, marbled murrelets, spotted owls, great blue herons and other species by drawing a…

In unincorporated King County, veterinary clinics are permitted outright only in the Office zone; in Agricultural, Mineral and Urban Reserve zones they are allowed solely as a home…

King County accepts an implanted microchip as a substitute for a metal license tag on licensed pets, and separately requires microchipping before any shelter adoption and before…

In unincorporated King County, not Seattle, Bellevue, or the county's other 27-plus cities, which run their own codes, cat owners must license cats eight weeks and older within 30 days…

In unincorporated King County, homeowners can keep up to ten poultry, chickens, or squab per lot under 35,000 square feet, adding one bird per additional half acre up to twenty total…

Unincorporated King County requires pet grooming services to hold an operating permit under County Code chapter 11.04 before opening; running one without the permit after a prior…

Unincorporated King County prohibits harboring, keeping, or maintaining exotic animals as pets, dangerous snakes, primates, bears, non-domesticated cats and dogs (including wolf/coyote…

Unincorporated King County caps backyard beehives at fifty on lots under five acres, with no cap on larger parcels, and requires colonies in movable-frame hives.

Sammamish limits construction activity and construction noise to 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays under Municipal Code 16.05.030. No…

Loud car stereos and unmuffled engine noise are a public nuisance in Sammamish. City code bars motor-vehicle audio or public-address sound audible beyond 75 feet and frequent…

Sammamish Municipal Code § 8.15.020 makes it a public nuisance to run audio equipment, radios, tape players or public address systems at a volume audible more than 75 feet from the…

Sammamish adopts King County's animal nuisance definition, naming a dog that 'howls, yelps, whines, barks or makes other oral noises' to an unreasonable degree as a public nuisance…

Unincorporated King County limits industrial-source sound to 70 dB(A) reaching other industrial land, tapering to 65 dB(A) into commercial areas, 60 dB(A) into residential zones and 57…

In unincorporated King County, noise from aircraft and helicopters in flight, plus airport flight operations, is fully exempt from the county noise ordinance's maximum sound level and…

Unincorporated King County tightens its noise limits at night: allowed sound levels drop by 10 dB(A) from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends in rural and…

Sammamish adopts the state's prohibited-parking-places statutes, RCW 46.61.570 and 46.61.575, by reference in SMC 46.30.070(1), and layers on its own $71.00 fine plus separate rules…

Sammamish does not ban overnight street parking outright, but no vehicle may sit on a City street for more than 72 consecutive hours. SMC 46.30.060 makes overstaying a civil…

Sammamish code compliance treats inoperable, wrecked, or disassembled vehicles left on public or private property as a public nuisance under SMC 23.150.010. The community development…

Unincorporated King County requires electric-vehicle charging infrastructure in new off-street parking: EV-ready spaces for townhouses, and EVSE plus EV-ready percentages for new…

In unincorporated King County, drivers may stop in a marked passenger loading zone only to load or unload passengers, and only for a maximum of three minutes: anything longer or any…

Unincorporated King County designates certain arterials and school bus routes as snow emergency routes: the roads plowed and sanded first when winter weather hits, ahead of…

Unincorporated King County requires off-street parking areas, including driveways used for parking, to have dust-free, all-weather surfacing rather than bare dirt or loose gravel.

In unincorporated King County, parking a commercial vehicle wider than 80 inches on any county road between midnight and 6 a.m. is a traffic infraction, punishable by a $20 fine.

The county traffic engineer picks where loading zones, passenger-loading zones, and tow-away zones go on county roads and marks them with signs or words stenciled right on the curb…

Unincorporated King County caps outdoor-stored vehicles at six or eight per lot in R-1 through R-8 zones, but RVs, boats and trailers are explicitly excluded from that cap.

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…

Sammamish lets homeowners skip a building permit for a small tool or storage shed under SMC 16.20.200(2)(a): tool sheds, storage sheds, playhouses and tree-supported play structures…

Within Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction, SMC 25.07.080(7) allows only one accessory dwelling unit per primary single detached home, caps an attached ADU's floor area at 1,000 square…

Unincorporated King County exempts accessory dwelling units from school impact fees under County Code § 21A.43.070.A.9, so building an ADU triggers no per-unit school fee that a new…

Washington allows tiny houses on permanent foundations under IRC Appendix Q (adopted in the state building code) for dwellings 400 square feet or less. RCW 35.21.686 governs tiny…

Sammamish exempts retaining and rockery walls up to four feet from a building permit, but SMC 16.20.200(2)(d)-(e) draws the line there: taller walls, or any wall bracing a surcharge or…

Sammamish lets you build a fence up to six feet without a building permit. SMC 16.20.200(2)(b) exempts fences not over six feet from the City's permit process, but that exemption drops…

Citywide, Sammamish's adopted building code exempts fences up to 6 feet from a building permit under SMC 16.20.200(2)(b). Within shoreline jurisdiction, SMC 25.07.080(5) makes that…

Unincorporated King County bans barbed and razor-wire fences in R-4 through R-48 zones and tightly regulates electric fences with voltage caps and required warning signs.

Washington's partition fence law requires adjoining landowners using a boundary fence for livestock to share construction and maintenance costs equitably under RCW 16.60.

Home occupations in unincorporated King County's R, UR, NB, CB, and RB zones may host customer visits and deliveries only 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends, and…

Unincorporated King County caps home businesses at 20% of a dwelling's floor area and one on-site nonresident employee in residential and commercial zones.

King County's zoning code classifies in-home child care by headcount: up to 12 people in a 24-hour period is "Daycare I," a separate land-use category from home occupations, while any…

Unincorporated King County caps home occupation and home industry signs at one nonilluminated wall sign, no bigger than 10% of the facade it's mounted on.

Washington runs a cottage food permit through the state Department of Agriculture, not through the local health district. Under RCW 69.22.030 the permit is issued for two years 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…

Washington requires short-term rental operators to maintain at least $1 million in primary liability insurance, or to operate through a platform providing equivalent coverage, under…

Washington imposes statewide sales tax and lodging taxes on short-term rental stays under 30 days. Operators must register with the Department of Revenue, collect applicable taxes, and…

Sammamish enforces the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code with local amendments covering pool drainage, sewer connections and drainage piping slope, and every new plumbing installation or…

Sammamish enforces its own Sammamish Electrical Code, the April 1, 2024 Washington Cities Electrical Code, for all wiring and equipment installations, additions and repairs…

Sammamish requires a City permit before almost any construction, alteration, demolition or occupancy change. SMC 16.20.195 obligates the owner or an authorized agent to apply to the…

Unincorporated King County lets state-licensed family day care homes build to the residential code instead of the commercial code; larger stand-alone child care centers still must meet…

Unincorporated King County requires dwelling entry doors to have a dead bolt lock operable from inside without a key, mounted no higher than 48 inches.

Unincorporated King County has no mandatory green building code for private construction. Chapter 18.17 requires LEED Platinum or Living Building Challenge certification only for…

Unincorporated King County requires a posted inspection record card on every permitted job, and charges a reinspection fee whenever work isn't ready or corrections weren't completed…

Unincorporated King County requires automatic fire sprinklers in new IRC-built homes when fire access, floor area, or water supply fall short of set thresholds, with an exception for…

In mapped AE and A1-30 flood zones, Sammamish Municipal Code 15.10.160 requires new residential construction and substantial improvements to elevate the lowest floor, including any…

Sammamish requires erosion and sediment control on any land-disturbing activity, whether or not it needs a clearing and grading permit, and separately requires drainage review under…

Sammamish requires a development permit before any construction, fill, grading or other development begins in a mapped area of special flood hazard, under Municipal Code 15.10.110. The…

Sammamish requires erosion and sediment control on every site that is cleared or graded, whether a permit is needed or not. SMC 16.15.090 makes the property owner responsible for…

Unincorporated King County lets property owners clear brush and prune trees for wildfire defensible space without a clearing permit, but only within fixed distances from the house set…

Unincorporated King County limits shoreline docks to water-dependent uses, caps most residential lots to one dock or moorage facility, and bans new private boat launch ramps entirely.

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.

Sammamish Municipal Code 12.05.050 adopts King County Code 12.36.010, which prohibits dumping trash in waterways, as the City's littering and pollution offense. Because the code…

Sammamish's adopted building code requires every new building to include dedicated storage space for recycled materials, compost, and solid waste, under Municipal Code 16.05.070(3)…

Sammamish requires every dwelling to keep an approved leakproof, covered outside garbage container and bars any accumulation of rubbish or garbage on the property, under SMC 16.25.225.

Unincorporated King County requires yard waste to be kept out of the garbage can. Certificated haulers won't empty a solid waste container with visible yard debris in it: they tag it…

Certificated haulers serving unincorporated King County must collect recyclable materials from every single-family home at least twice a month on the same day as trash pickup, under…

Certificated haulers in unincorporated King County must set their own holiday schedule and tell the county and customers about it in advance: King County Code § 10.18.010(E)(2)…

In unincorporated King County, certificated garbage haulers must pick up recyclables at least twice a month and put recycling on the same weekly day as regular trash collection.

Unincorporated King County has no curbside bulky-item pickup in its code; residents self-haul large items and appliances to county transfer stations, where drop box loads are capped at…

In unincorporated King County, garbage carts can't contain yard waste: haulers are barred from collecting a container with visible grass clippings or branches mixed in with regular…

Sammamish requires a fire department operational permit for any mobile food preparation vehicle with appliances that produce smoke or grease-laden vapors, or that use LP-gas or CNG…

Sammamish does not license card rooms itself; state gambling licenses come from the Washington State Gambling Commission under RCW 9.46.030. The city instead taxes them: SMC…

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…

Door-to-door sellers in Sammamish must hold a City solicitor's license before knocking on a single door. SMC 5.06.020(1) bars anyone from acting "as a solicitor within the City limits…

Residents can block door-to-door solicitors simply by posting a sign. SMC 5.06.020(2) makes it "a violation to solicit on premises that conspicuously display a 'no solicitors' sign, or…

Sammamish exempts residential garage sales from its business license requirement, but only up to four sales per calendar year. SMC 5.05.030(4)(c) caps "casual and isolated sales…

Sammamish parks, trails, and open spaces close at a fixed time every night, and staying past closure is a criminal offense. SMC 7A.02.020 sets hours from dawn to 30 minutes after…

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

Community groups wanting to reserve a Sammamish park building or facility need a director-issued permit. SMC 7A.03.010 lets the director "grant permits to community groups to meet or…

Unincorporated King County bans any procession or parade on county roads unless the county first issues a special use permit. Funeral processions are the only exception. Once underway…

Alcohol is banned by default across Sammamish parks, trails, and open space. SMC 7A.05.010 makes it unlawful to open, possess, or consume alcohol anywhere in City park areas except…

Sammamish doesn't write its own marijuana-use ban for parks; instead SMC 7A.05.060 adopts state law by reference, incorporating "RCW 69.50.445... now in effect and as subsequently…

Sammamish adopts Washington's statewide public-place smoking law wholesale: SMC 70.05.010 incorporates RCW 70.160.030, which bars smoking in enclosed public places outside designated…

Sammamish Municipal Code § 7A.07.010 makes loitering in restrooms unlawful across every city open space, trail, park area, park facility and associated marine area, treating a…

Sammamish Municipal Code § 7A.08.010 caps travel speed at 15 miles per hour in every city open space, trail, park area and park facility, and it expressly lists skateboards among the…

Sammamish Municipal Code § 8.20.020 bans underage drinking gatherings outright, treating any party of four or more where minors possess or show effects of alcohol as a public nuisance…

Sammamish treats a first public urination or defecation offense as a civil infraction carrying up to a $250 fine; a second or later violation becomes a criminal misdemeanor under SMC…

Stopping, parking or leaving any vehicle standing in a marked bicycle lane is barred citywide under SMC 46.30.070(2). The rule also closes the travel portion of every street, including…

Sammamish Municipal Code § 7A.10.030 governs electric-assisted bicycles in city parks and trails by adopting two existing local rules by reference: the 15 mph park speed cap and…

King County's traffic code regulates every motorized foot scooter operated on unincorporated county roads, alleys, trails and park property, including shared and dockless units. Riders…

In unincorporated King County, a transportation network company vehicle may not stop, stand or park on a county road except in a designated taxicab stand, unless it is briefly stopped…

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…

Sammamish Municipal Code § 7A.07.060 bars aircraft from landing or taking off anywhere in city open spaces, trails, park areas, park facilities or marine areas except in a bona fide…

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.

Sammamish's Building and Property Maintenance Code puts sidewalk upkeep on the abutting property owner. SMC 16.25.200(3) requires sidewalks, walkways, stairs, driveways, parking spaces…

Unincorporated King County caps how far a stand, box, platform or similar structure can encroach onto a county road right-of-way: no more than two feet from the right-of-way line…

Private use or improvement of county road right-of-way in unincorporated King County requires a right-of-way use permit before work begins.

Sammamish requires every structure to stay free of rodent infestation, with the owner or occupant on the hook for extermination depending on who controls the space. SMC 16.25.230…

Sammamish makes it a misdemeanor to block a sidewalk by walking, standing, sitting, lying or placing an object in the path of pedestrians or vehicles, or to aggressively beg in a…

Unincorporated King County permits sanctioned homeless encampments only under a temporary use permit that mandates portable toilets, handwashing stations, refuse receptacles, a regular…

Solar photovoltaic systems in Sammamish need more than a routine electrical permit. SMC 16.20.255(2)(f)(ix) names solar PV among the installations that trigger mandatory electrical…

Washington law (RCW 64.38.055 and RCW 64.90.510) prohibits King County HOAs from banning solar panels. Associations may impose reasonable aesthetic rules that do not significantly…

Sammamish's Building and Property Maintenance Code lets the code official condemn a structure the moment it is found unsafe, unfit for occupancy, unlawful or dangerous. SMC 16.25.150…

Unincorporated King County requires owners to cut and destroy weeds once cited as a fire hazard, or face prosecution under Title 23.

Sammamish requires every rental owner to keep habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit. SMC 16.25.270(1)(b) puts the heat-supply duty directly on any…

Washington state law (RCW 35.21.830) preempts local rent control in King County and all Washington jurisdictions. Neither King County nor any city within it may cap rent increases…

Since 2021, Washington's just-cause statute RCW 59.18.650 prohibits no-fault evictions of month-to-month tenants. Landlords in King County must cite one of sixteen enumerated causes…

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…

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…

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…

Within Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction along Lake Sammamish, Pine Lake, and Beaver Lake, SMC 25.06.020(6) bars exterior lighting from shining directly onto the water and requires…

In the North Highline/White Center design-standards area of unincorporated King County, new and substantially improved buildings must minimize night-sky illumination and use fully…

Unincorporated King County allows billboards to be illuminated, but light sources must sit no farther from the sign than its height and can't shine directly into homes or streets.

Within Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction, SMC 25.06.020(9) sets the shoreline setback at 50 feet landward of Lake Sammamish's ordinary high water mark (45 feet on Pine and Beaver…

Inside Sammamish's shoreline jurisdiction, the Shoreline Master Program caps single-family residences at 35 feet and detached accessory structures at 10 feet, under the bulk standards…

Unincorporated King County caps impervious surface, pavement, roofs, decks, by zone under Code § 21A.09H.030: 55% in R-4, 70% in R-6, 75% in R-8, and up to 90% in R-48, measured per…

Unincorporated King County requires any store selling cigarettes or other tobacco products, including vape and e-cigarette retailers, to hold a $210, three-year county tobacco license…

Unincorporated King County requires a business, manager and entertainer license for every adult club, arcade or theater, and zoning bars them within 330 feet of homes, schools or parks…

Anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand goods in unincorporated King County must hold a secondhand dealer's license under King County Code § 6.60.010. The $40-a-year license…

King County's sheriff contracts with licensed tow operators to handle vehicle and watercraft impounds, and those towing contractors must file their rates with the sheriff and keep…

Unincorporated King County bans auto, truck, and heavy equipment repair or auto body work as a home occupation in the R, UR, NB, CB, and RB zones under County Code section 21A.30.080.

Unincorporated King County requires a separate license for every massage business, public bathhouse, and individual massage practitioner before any massage is performed.

Unincorporated King County requires a $500 annual pawnbroker's license before anyone may operate a pawnshop, caps licenses at one per 15,000 residents, and closes shops between 8 p.m…

Unincorporated King County has not opted out of retail cannabis: the zoning code permits cannabis retailers under King County Code § 21A.08.070.B.26, capping floor area at 2,000 square…

State law and King County Code require licensed cannabis retailers, producers, and processors to sit at least 1000 feet from schools, playgrounds, recreation centers, child care…

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

King County administrative offices and executive departments are banned from obtaining, retaining, accessing or using facial recognition technology, with narrow exceptions.

King County treats license-plate-reader data as personal information and bars county agencies and contractors from handing it to ICE, CBP, or USCIS for civil immigration enforcement…

In unincorporated King County, loud or raucous sound from a bar, nightclub or similar venue that reaches a residential or rural area, including band sessions or social gatherings, is a…

In unincorporated King County, air conditioners, heat pumps and other stationary equipment noise must stay under the county's district-based sound level table, dropping 10 dB(A)…

In unincorporated King County, amplified bass that's plainly audible or felt 50 feet from the source (300 feet for watercraft) in a residential or rural district is a public…

In unincorporated King County, generators count as regulated 'equipment,' so their noise can't exceed the county's maximum permissible sound levels: as low as 49 dB(A) reaching a rural…

Unincorporated King County treats a frequent, repetitive or continuous horn or siren on a motor vehicle, including a car alarm, as unlawful public disturbance noise unless it's warning…

Unincorporated King County limits electronic changing-message signs to commercial and industrial zones and freezes the total count of billboard faces at 1988 levels, so a new digital…

Political signs on private property need the owner's written consent, and unincorporated King County requires them removed within ten days after the election under County Code chapter…

In unincorporated King County, billboards facing traffic corridors may only sit on CB, RB, or I zoned land, must be within 100 feet of the adjacent arterial, and are capped at five…

Unincorporated King County protects farmland with a dedicated Agricultural (A) zone that limits residential density and restricts uses to those compatible with farming.

King County agencies and the sheriff's office won't spend resources on civil immigration enforcement or hold people on ICE detainers without a judicial criminal warrant.

King County's wastewater utility must actively pursue reclaimed water reuse and keeps exclusive ownership of all reclaimed water its treatment plants produce.

In unincorporated King County, no one may plant trees, shrubs or other objects in the road right-of-way planting strip without a variance from the county road engineer, and abutting…

Unincorporated King County has no countywide downtown design code: only the North Highline subarea (the White Center activity center) has adopted urban design standards under K.C.C…

Unincorporated King County developments get bonus density or floor area for adding improved child daycare slots, up to 25% more dwelling units than the base zone allows.

King County levies a 1% tax on vehicle parking charges at the stadium and exhibition center owned by the Washington State Public Stadium Authority, rising to 10% once construction…

Altering a significant feature of a King County-designated landmark requires a certificate of appropriateness from the county's Landmarks Commission before work begins, whether or not…

King County's sales-and-use-tax chapter doesn't set a standalone hotel tax rate. Instead it exempts hotel and short-term lodging sales from each add-on county tax once the combined…

King County targets citations within 60 days of a complaint and notice-and-orders within 120 days, per code enforcement guidelines.

Unincorporated King County residents report suspected code violations through the county's online Permitting portal or by calling code enforcement at 206-296-6600; the code authorizes…

Unincorporated King County treats any plant on Washington's official noxious weed list, WAC chapter 16-750, as a regulated noxious weed under county code, regardless of the list's…

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…

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…