Seattle, WA

Seattle land use law lets a pet grooming center board animals, but SMC 23.47A.039 caps boarding space at 30 percent of the shop's gross floor area and requires a Public Health…

Seattle permits backyard beekeeping outright once the hives are registered with the state, but SMC 23.42.052.E caps lots under 10,000 square feet at four single-swarm hives and…

Seattle does not require pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs or cats. The Seattle Animal Shelter sterilizes every adopted animal and runs a low-cost spay-neuter clinic for…

Seattle requires every cat over eight weeks old to carry a City license under SMC 9.25.051, with fees of $30 altered/$80 unaltered plus a $30 late fee under SMC 9.26.020. Unlike dogs…

Seattle caps household pets at three small animals per dwelling unit under SMC 23.42.052.A, but Neighborhood Residential lots of 20,000 square feet or more get a bump to four, plus one…

Seattle allows cows, horses, sheep and similar farm animals as an accessory use, but only on lots of 20,000 square feet or more, at a density of one animal per 10,000 square feet, and…

A veterinary hospital in Seattle needs a permit under SMC 10.72.020, and SDCI must first confirm the use is consistent with Seattle zoning under SMC 10.72.030(A). One overlay district…

Seattle law defines "at large" as a dog off its owner's property and not under control by a leash of 8 feet or shorter (SMC 9.25.020(E)), and SMC 9.25.084(A) makes it unlawful to let a…

Seattle has no breed-specific ban. Under SMC 9.25.020(G), the Director of Finance and Administrative Services declares an animal "dangerous" only after an unprovoked bite or attack…

Seattle doesn't mandate microchipping citywide, but SMC 9.25.080(B) lets a licensed, microchipped cat skip its physical tag as long as the chip is registered with Seattle Animal…

Seattle makes it unlawful to procure or keep an exotic animal under SMC 9.25.053, a category SMC 9.25.020(M) defines to include primates, big cats, bears, hyenas, crocodilians…

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

Washington bans intentionally feeding or attracting large wild carnivores, bears, cougars and wolves, to any land or building, and treats a first intentional violation as a misdemeanor…

Constructing a residential swimming pool in Seattle requires an SDCI building permit under Table D-2 for SMC 22.900D.010, which sets fees as multiples of the project's base fee: four…

Seattle's Water Recreation Facility Code (SMC 10.12) and Swimming and Spa Pool Code (SMC 10.56) require a Public Health–Seattle & King County permit to build or operate a spa pool, but…

Seattle Municipal Code § 23.54.034 requires new parking built with new multifamily construction to be EV-ready. Surface lots serving multiple dwelling units must make the first 12 of…

No vehicle may sit on a Seattle street or municipal property for more than 72 hours. SMC 11.72.440 sets the citywide limit, with signed shorter limits enforceable 24 hours after…

SMC 23.44.160.D bars parking within 20 feet of a front lot line and 5 feet of a side street lot line in Neighborhood Residential zones, with narrow carve-outs for alley-accessed pads…

Washington pegs most private impound rates to a percentage of the State Patrol's negotiated contract rate, but Seattle writes its own dollar ceilings on top of that framework. SMC…

Seattle bars parking in front of driveways and alley entrances and bars parking against the flow of traffic. SMC 11.72.110 keeps a 5-foot buffer around driveway and alley returns; SMC…

Curb space in Seattle isn't first-come, first-served once the City wants to allocate it: SMC 11.23.420 lets the Director of Transportation issue curb space parking permits for…

Seattle forbids parking a detached trailer or camper, including boat and RV trailers, on any street or alley. SMC 11.72.430 allows only a narrow 24-hour exception after a collision…

Seattle defines four official curb markings in SMC 11.14.140: red is a tow-away zone, red-yellow-red is a bus zone, yellow is a truck loading zone, load and unload zone, taxicab stand…

Seattle bans overnight parking of wide trucks and trailers on residential streets. SMC 11.72.070 forbids parking a truck, trailer or other conveyance over 80 inches wide on any street…

Seattle Municipal Code 11.72.500 bans parking a junk motor vehicle on any street, alley, or public property, backed by a flat $250 civil infraction under RCW Chapter 7.80 that a judge…

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…

Every licensed short-term rental operator in Seattle must carry liability insurance covering the rental use in an aggregate of at least $1,000,000, or book exclusively through a…

Booking platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo are directly liable under Seattle's short-term rental ordinance for letting unlicensed listings run. SMC 6.600.110 lets SDCI's Director cite a…

Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 6.600 limits a short-term rental operator to a maximum of two dwelling units citywide: the operator's primary residence (where they live more than six…

Seattle doubles the civil penalty for repeat short-term rental violations: a first violation under SMC 6.600.120 draws a $500 citation (or a warning at the Director's discretion)…

Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 6.600 does not impose a dedicated off-street parking requirement on short-term rentals, and SMC 23.42.060 (Land Use Code) does not require additional…

A Seattle short-term rental operator license covers just one dwelling unit unless one of the units is the operator's own primary residence, in which case the cap rises to two. The…

Seattle charges short-term rental operators $75 per dwelling unit annually and bed and breakfast operators $75 per unit, paid when the license application is submitted to the…

Seattle makes it unlawful to run a short-term rental without a Director-issued operator license, and unlawful to operate a booking platform without its own platform license. Both…

Seattle normally caps a short-term rental operator license at one unit, or two if one is the operator's primary residence. A grandfather clause in SMC 6.600.040.B.1 lets operators who…

Seattle's housing code makes landlords install smoke detectors within 4 to 12 inches of the ceiling inside and outside every sleeping room, plus carbon monoxide alarms on every level…

SMC 18.12.270 confines fires in Seattle parks to a designated stove or fire ring, or an approved beach-fire area at Carkeek Park, and bans all park fires between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00…

Seattle requires a Fire Department special event permit for a fireworks show: $1,805 for an outdoor use or display (code 7801.1), $957 for a display before a proximate audience (7802)…

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 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's Clean Air Act (RCW 70A.15) bans outdoor burning in urban growth areas and most cities. The Department of Ecology and clean air agencies enforce statewide standards…

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…

Seattle treats a licensed family child care business as a home occupation under SMC 23.42.050, permitted outright in every zone. The code expressly allows an outdoor play area for the…

A Seattle home business may post exactly one sign in a residential zone, and SMC 23.55.020.D.8 caps it at 5 square feet and requires it to be nonilluminated, no backlighting, neon, or…

Seattle's home-occupation ordinance caps the vehicle traffic a home business can generate rather than counting customers: SMC 23.42.050(G) allows no more than three vehicles tied to…

Seattle allows a home occupation outright in every zone as an accessory use to a residence, so no separate zoning approval is required, but SMC 23.42.050 caps it at three vehicles of…

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…

In Seattle's Neighborhood Commercial and Commercial zones, SMC 23.47A.014.G.5 caps fences and freestanding walls inside a required setback at 6 feet, averaged over sloping grade in…

Seattle prohibits placing or keeping a barbed wire or electric fence along the margin of any public place, the line where private property meets a street, alley, or sidewalk, if it…

Most residential fences in Seattle do not require a building permit. Fences 8 feet or shorter without masonry or concrete above 6 feet are exempt. Fences in flood-prone areas…

Unincorporated King County requires a building permit for any retaining wall over 4 feet tall, or any wall of any height that holds back a surcharge or stores hazardous liquids.

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.

Seattle sets numeric exterior noise limits by zoning district under SMC 25.08.410 Table A, ranging from 55 dB(A) between residential properties up to 70 dB(A) for…

Seattle SMC 25.08 limits construction equipment to 80 dBA measured at the receiving property line, with maximum-noise exemptions during permitted weekday daytime hours. Impact…

SMC 25.08.500.A makes loud, frequent, repetitive, or continuous animal noise an unlawful 'public disturbance noise' in Seattle once a police officer or animal control officer orders it…

Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and legal holidays, SMC 25.08.420 cuts Seattle's exterior sound level limits by 10 dB(A) for any noise…

Outdoor concerts and amplified performances on Seattle public property are capped at a 95 dB(A) one-minute average measured 50 feet from the source. SDCI, Parks, SDOT or Seattle Center…

Seattle requires every motor vehicle to run a working muffler at all times and bans muffler cut-outs and bypasses on any street or alley. Trucks over 10,000 pounds declared gross…

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…

Seattle allows tiny houses on permanent foundations as Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs) under SMC 23.42.022 and SMC 23.44.041, subject to the same code as any DADU. Tiny…

SMC 23.44.090(G) lets garages and carports sit in a required setback under specific conditions: a front-setback garage is capped at 300 square feet and 14 feet wide for one space, or…

In unincorporated King County, one Accessory Dwelling Unit is permitted per primary detached dwelling or townhouse under KCC 21A.08.030.B.7.a. ADUs are limited to 1,000 sq ft of heated…

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…

Seattle requires Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections approval in advance before any regulated tree can be removed as hazardous, per SMC 25.11.040, unless the work…

Seattle Municipal Code 10.52.020 declares vegetation constituting a fire, health, or safety hazard a public nuisance on any property, with no set inch limit: the test is whether growth…

Seattle's Green Factor landscaping standard, set out in SMC 23.86.019, awards a 0.1 bonus multiplier to any landscaping that consists entirely of drought-tolerant or native plant…

Seattle has no year-round lawn-watering-day schedule. SMC 21.04.500 lets the Director of Seattle Public Utilities ban outdoor water use, including irrigation of lawns, turf and other…

Property owners abutting a public sidewalk in Seattle must prune the street trees and vegetation fronting their lot so branches don't block streetlights, traffic signs, signals, or…

Seattle does not require a rain barrel or cistern on any lot. Rainwater harvesting is one of the on-site stormwater BMPs that parcel-based projects weigh under Table A of SMC…

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…

Seattle rental units must meet minimum habitability standards under SMC Chapter 22.206, enforced by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections through the Rental…

Seattle's tenant anti-harassment rules under SMC 14.06 and tenant protection chapters bar landlords from using threats, repeated unwanted contact, false statements, or service…

Seattle requires every property with rental housing units to hold a current rental housing registration issued by the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections before renting…

Washington state law (RCW 35.21.830) preempts local rent control, and Seattle cannot impose limits on rent increases, though the city has enacted other tenant protections including…

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…

Seattle treats urban farming as a protected accessory use in every residential zone under SMC 23.42.051, letting a household grow and sell produce on site as long as retail hours run 7…

Seattle's housing code requires anyone repairing painted surfaces in a pre-1978 rental building to follow state lead-based paint rules, and lets the Department of Construction and…

Seattle enforces its own Electrical Code, the 2023 National Electrical Code plus selected portions of WAC 296-46B, adopted by SMC 22.101.010 with local amendments in Attachment C, and…

Owners of Seattle rental buildings must install carbon monoxide alarms outside each sleeping room, on every level of the dwelling, and inside any bedroom with a fuel-burning appliance…

Seattle's Energy Code SMC 22.901 is among the strictest in the U.S., paired with the Living Building Pilot SMC 23.40.060 offering zoning incentives for ultra-green projects. Building…

Seattle requires a building permit from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) for new construction, additions, alterations, and repairs to existing buildings…

Childcare facilities in Seattle must hold a Washington DCYF license under WAC 110-300 and meet Seattle Building Code Group E or I-4 occupancy provisions in SMC 22.601. Inspections by…

Seattle's Plumbing Code is chapter 51-56 WAC as in effect March 15, 2024, plus City Council amendments and a locally drafted Chapter 1, adopted by SMC 22.502.016 and filed with the…

SMC 22.206.140 requires multi-unit building entrance doors to be self-closing and self-locking with a 1-inch-throw deadlatch, and every individual housing unit's entrance door to carry…

Seattle requires permits for scaffolding erected on public rights-of-way through the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). The Seattle Building Code and Washington Industrial…

Seattle regulates elevators through the Seattle Building Code Chapter 30 and Washington state conveyance regulations. All elevators must be registered with the state, inspected…

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…

Seattle Municipal Code 12A.10.100 makes it unlawful to intentionally urinate or defecate in any public place, streets, sidewalks, alleys, parks, parking lots, or even a parked car…

SMC 12A.20.100 makes it unlawful to open a package of, or consume, marijuana, useable marijuana, marijuana-infused products, or marijuana concentrates in view of the general public or…

Seattle Municipal Code 12A.10.010 makes it a misdemeanor to remain in a public place while intentionally soliciting, inducing, enticing, or procuring another person to commit…

Seattle's noise code SMC 25.08 sets nighttime residential quiet hours of 10pm-7am weekdays (10pm-9am weekends) and authorizes officers to cite or shut down loud parties as public…

Washington's 2024 Free to Walk Act amended RCW 46.61.250 so police may not stop pedestrians solely for crossing outside a marked crosswalk when no immediate hazard exists, though…

SMC 12A.24.025 bars opening, possessing an open container of, or consuming liquor in any public place in Seattle, except as specifically permitted under Title 66 RCW. SMC 12A.24.150.A…

SMC 12A.12.015 makes it a misdemeanor "pedestrian interference" offense to aggressively beg in a public place: defined as begging with the intent to intimidate another person into…

SMC 11.40.255 requires skateboarders and roller-skaters on Seattle sidewalks and public paths to move in a careful, prudent manner at a reasonable speed, factoring in pedestrian…

Washington's Smoking in Public Places Act (RCW 70.160) bans smoking and vaping inside public places and within 25 feet of entrances, while Seattle SMC 10.30 and Parks rules add bans in…

A Seattle tenant who reports a problem can trigger a City inspection directly: SMC 22.214.050.C requires SDCI to send an inspector into any rental unit a tenant complains about, and if…

Seattle's Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance requires the Department of Construction and Inspections to inspect at least 10 percent of registered rental properties every year…

SMC 23.42.058 bans major cannabis activity, production, processing, or retail sale, in neighborhood residential and multifamily zones, NC1, Pioneer Square Mixed, the International…

Washington RCW 69.50.331 requires cannabis retailers to sit at least 1,000 feet from elementary and secondary schools, playgrounds, parks, libraries, and child-care centers. Seattle…

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

Seattle's business license (B&O-style) tax sorts every business into rate classifications under SMC 5.45.050, extracting, manufacturing, retailing/wholesaling, printing/publishing…

Seattle taxes every commercial parking transaction at 14.5% of the parking fee, effective July 1, 2022, under SMC 5.35.030. The tax applies citywide to any covered or uncovered…

SMC 11.50.570 authorizes Seattle's automated traffic safety cameras to catch stoplight violations at signaled arterial intersections, railroad-crossing violations, and speeding in…

SMC 11.53.190 bars any motor vehicle operator from driving in a Seattle bicycle lane except to make a turning maneuver, and even then the driver must yield to every bicyclist in the…

SMC 11.14.055 adopts three e-bike classes by motor behavior, Class 1 and 3 assist only while pedaling (cutting off at 20 and 28 mph), Class 2 can propel without pedaling up to 20 mph…

Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 11.46 lets motorized foot scooters, gas or electric, ride on roadways, shoulders, alleys, bicycle lanes and public paths, but not on sidewalks. 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…

SMC 23.55.014(E)(3) caps how brightly Seattle billboards and other off-premises signs can be lit: incandescent illumination is limited to 1.25 watts per square foot of sign area…

Seattle's Land Use Code requires exterior lighting on commercially zoned lots to be shielded and pointed away from neighboring properties. SMC 23.47A.022 also caps light poles at 30…

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…

SMC 18.12.245 sets general park operating hours from 4:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. citywide; individual parks are closed to the public between 11:30 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. unless the…

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

Seattle Public Utilities runs residential garbage collection on a fixed once-a-week schedule under SMC 21.40.050, billing every subscribed service unit monthly whether or not the can…

SMC 23.54.040 sets exact placement, paving, and access standards for commercial dumpsters and roll-off containers at Seattle developments. Staging and collection areas must be paved…

Seattle requires every residence to keep a sufficient number of garbage containers under SMC 21.36.050, with at least one service unit as a garbage can, mini-can, or collector-supplied…

Every commercial establishment in Seattle, including self-haulers, must separate paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles/jars, aluminum and tin cans, food waste, compostable paper…

Dumping solid waste anywhere in Seattle without authorization is unlawful under SMC 21.36.420. Anything over 1 cubic foot is a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor depending on volume, and…

Seattle's curbside compostable-waste program is mandatory, not optional: SMC 21.36.085.A requires food scraps and other compostable waste to be 'set apart from refuse for pickup in a…

Seattle bars mixing yardwaste with garbage, refuse or rubbish. Curbside compostable waste must be set apart so collectors can identify it, limbs over four feet long are excluded from…

Seattle provides bulky item collection through Seattle Public Utilities and operates transfer stations for large items that do not fit in regular collection carts, with special rules…

Seattle requires every resident in a single-family home, multifamily building, or mixed-use structure to separate paper, cardboard, glass and plastic bottles/jars, aluminum and tin…

SMC 21.36.080 tells Seattle residents exactly where to put garbage containers for pickup and how long they can sit there. Backyard-collection cans go near the rear of the building or…

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)…

Seattle requires new construction in A-zone flood hazard areas to sit at least three feet above the base flood elevation, per SMC 25.06.030's definition of 'flood protection…

Seattle grading permits require erosion control from cut and fill slopes and cleared areas, per SMC 22.170.070. SDCI can demand a written plan for minimizing sediment, requires…

Seattle's Stormwater Code requires every development project to maintain natural drainage patterns and prevent adverse impacts to receiving waters, under SMC 22.805.020. Discharge…

Seattle requires a floodplain development permit before any construction, fill, or substantial improvement in FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas, per Seattle Municipal Code Chapter…

Installing or modifying boat docks in Seattle requires permits under the Shoreline Master Program (SMC 23.60A), federal Army Corps Section 10 permits, and potentially Washington…

Seawall and bulkhead maintenance in Seattle is regulated under the Shoreline Master Program (SMC 23.60A) and the Washington Shoreline Management Act. Work on seawalls within the…

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…

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.

Massage businesses in Seattle must hold both a state Department of Health practitioner license under RCW 18.108 and a city massage business license under SMC 6.290, with background…

Tow operators in Seattle need a WA State Patrol registered tow truck operator (RTTO) certificate under RCW 46.55 plus a Seattle business license, and must follow city impound-rate…

Operating a tattoo shop in Seattle without a City license is unlawful under SMC 6.102.020, and the application goes to the Director of Finance and Administrative Services with review…

Seattle lets residents run automotive retail sales and services as a home occupation, but SMC 23.42.050(F) bars any "substantial increase in on-street parking congestion or...traffic…

Operating an adult entertainment premises in Seattle without a license from the Director of Finance and Administrative Services is unlawful under SMC 6.270.040, and every entertainer…

Pawnbrokers in Seattle operate under WA RCW 19.60, capping monthly interest at three percent plus a small fee, requiring 90-day loan terms, daily SPD reporting, and a 30-day police…

Secondhand dealers in Seattle must register under SMC 6.288, comply with WA RCW 19.60 reporting, hold purchases for 30 days, photograph and electronically transmit transaction details…

Selling any tobacco product in Seattle, pipe tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, or cigarillos, without a City tobacco product retailer's license is unlawful under SMC…

Washington permits open carry of firearms without a permit for adults 21 and older. Seattle cannot ban open carry in most public spaces due to state preemption, but RCW 9.41.300…

Under RCW 9.41.050, you may not carry a loaded pistol in a vehicle in Washington without a Concealed Pistol License. Long guns must be unloaded. Seattle follows state rules without…

Washington requires a Concealed Pistol License (CPL) to carry a loaded handgun concealed off your premises. King County Sheriff issues CPLs to Seattle residents under RCW 9.41.070. The…

Washington RCW 9.41.290 reserves firearms regulation to the state, blocking most city-level gun rules. Seattle has tested narrow ordinances on storage and parks, but courts have struck…

Seattle Office of Film + Music issues a free citywide Master Film Permit for productions including student films. Small handheld shoots may proceed without paperwork; tripods, crews…

Seattle requires film permits for any production activity on public property at a flat rate of $25 per day regardless of filming impact. Three impact levels determine the application…

Seattle SMC Title 15 requires a Special Event Permit from the Special Events Committee for parades, races, and festivals using city streets. Applications must be submitted at least 30…

SMC 15.16.010 bars anyone from operating a café in a Seattle public place without a Street Use permit from the Director of Transportation. The applicant must be the owner or occupant…

Seattle Parks and Recreation requires permits for outdoor events in city parks including festivals, concerts, and walk/run events. Applications must be submitted through the Parks…

Washington RCW 69.06 requires every food worker to obtain a Food Worker Card within two weeks of starting work. King County Public Health issues the card after a free online course and…

Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 10.34 makes it unlawful for a building owner or occupant to leave storerooms, warehouses, docks, or residences unprotected against rats, mice, and other…

Seattle's sign code SMC 23.55 bans new off-premises billboards citywide, prohibits digital conversion of existing billboards, restricts on-premises electronic message centers to…

SMC 23.55.012 sets Seattle's limits on political and other noncommercial signs. Real estate, contractor, and noncommercial fabric or rigid signs are allowed in every zone at all times…

SMC 23.55.042 bars new off-premises and business signs within 660 feet of designated scenic freeway sections, including I-5, I-90, the West Seattle Freeway, and SR 520, and within 200…

Hanging decorative or seasonal string lights on a Seattle street tree is allowed without a permit if the installation doesn't damage the tree or block the sidewalk. But once the lights…

Seattle requires street trees for any development adding a dwelling unit under SMC 23.44.120.G. SDCI's Director and the Seattle Department of Transportation jointly set the number…

Seattle's overhauled Tree Protection Ordinance, SMC 25.11 (effective 2023), creates a tiered system. Tier 1 exceptional trees, Tier 2 heritage trees, and Tier 3 trees over 12-inch DBH…

Seattle designates heritage trees as Tier 1 under SMC 25.11.050 and bars removing or topping them on any lot, developed or undeveloped, unless the tree is hazardous or an emergency…

Seattle bars sitting or lying on a public sidewalk, or on a blanket, chair, or stool placed on one, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the Downtown Zone and in Neighborhood Commercial zones…

Seattle Municipal Code 23.42.054 lets a transitional encampment operate as an accessory use on property owned or controlled by a religious organization, capped at 100 residents, but…

Seattle's Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinance SMC 14.16 requires every employer to give workers paid leave that accrues from the first hour worked, usable for illness, family…

Seattle's Secure Scheduling Ordinance SMC 14.22 requires large retail and food-service employers (500+ employees worldwide; 40+ for full-service restaurants) to give 14 days advance…

Seattle sets its own minimum wage under Seattle Municipal Code 14.19, and the 2026 rate is $21.30 for every employer, whatever the size of its schedule. The rate rises on January 1 of…

Seattle SMC 25.12 empowers the Landmarks Preservation Board to designate individual landmarks. Approved landmarks require a Certificate of Approval before any controlled-feature…

Seattle SMC 25.12 and 25.16-25.30 establish historic districts including Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, Ballard Avenue, Columbia City, Harvard-Belmont, Fort Lawton, International…

Seattle's Housing and Building Maintenance Code declares that substandard, deteriorating buildings 'in danger of causing or contributing to the creation of slums or otherwise blighted…

Seattle's weed nuisance chapter, SMC 10.52, applies to vacant and unplatted land as much as built lots. "property" is defined to include unimproved parcels. SMC 10.52.040(E)…

Seattle puts snow-and-ice removal squarely on the property owner or occupant, not the City. SMC 15.48.010 requires clearing the sidewalk abutting the property in a timely manner and…

FAA controlled-airspace rules govern Seattle drone flights. Sea-Tac (KSEA) and Boeing Field (KBFI) blanket most of the city in Class B or D airspace, requiring LAANC pre-authorization…

Unmanned model aircraft, rockets, and drones are banned in King County parks and trails unless the county specifically designates and posts an area for that use or the parks director…

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.

SMC 23.44.080 caps structure coverage at 50 percent of the lot in Seattle's Neighborhood Residential zones, rising to 60 percent for stacked dwelling units or for low-rise courtyard…

SMC 23.44.090's Table A sets Neighborhood Residential front setbacks at 15 feet for lots with one or two units and 10 feet for three or more, rear setbacks of 10-15 feet (waived at an…

SMC 23.44.070 caps most structures in Seattle's Neighborhood Residential zones at 32 feet, rising to 42 feet for developments with three or more units and a 20-foot front setback, or…

Bars, clubs and other non-residential properties in Seattle cannot let amplified sound carry into a neighbor's home overnight. SMC 25.08.501 bans amplified noise plainly audible inside…

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…

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)…

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…

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…

Seattle residents can post No Soliciting signs that solicitors must legally respect, and trespass laws protect homeowners who ask solicitors to leave their property.

Seattle regulates door-to-door solicitation through its business license requirements and consumer protection regulations, requiring commercial solicitors to carry identification and…

Seattle property owners and lessees must keep service pipes and connections in good repair and protected from freezing, and are financially responsible for all damage from leaks and…

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

SMC 15.04.010 makes it unlawful to occupy or encroach on any Seattle public place, sidewalk, planting strip, alley, or roadway, without a written Street Use permit from the Director of…

SMC 15.46.010 lets SDOT's Director of Transportation remove any obstruction, hazard, or nuisance from a sidewalk or other public place whenever it serves public safety or convenience…

When Seattle's Director of Transportation finds a sidewalk unfit or unsafe for public travel, SMC 15.72.010 puts the fix on the abutting property owner: the Director serves a notice…

Before Seattle Police or any city department can acquire an automated license plate reader or similar surveillance technology, SMC 14.18 requires City Council ordinance approval plus a…

Washington is a two-party (all-party) consent state under RCW 9.73.030. Recording any private conversation without consent from all parties is a gross misdemeanor. This applies to…

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

Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability program (SMC 23.58B-C) grants extra height and FAR in upzoned areas in exchange for on-site affordable units or in-lieu fees. MHA evolved from…

Seattle requires Design Review before permitting most downtown development: full design review applies at 50,000 square feet of gross floor area in DOC1, DOC2 or DMC zones, and at…

SMC 12A.22.110 flatly bans running a public cardroom anywhere in Seattle: "It is unlawful for any person to conduct a public cardroom in the City." A companion ban at SMC 12A.50.010…

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…

Seattle charges $490 for the annual 8206-TRK fire permit on a mobile food preparation vehicle that burns LPG, CNG, or solid fuel and is inspected by the Seattle Fire Department, and…

Seattle designates specific food-vehicle vending zones, most commonly in curb spaces adjacent to sidewalks. Zones are established by SDOT considering pedestrian flow, traffic safety…

Mobile food carts and trucks in Seattle must comply with SDOT vending permits, King County Health requirements, Seattle Fire Department regulations, and the Seattle Municipal Code…

Washington state law (RCW 64.38.055) prohibits HOAs from banning solar installations, and Seattle's building code supports solar access with height exemptions, making it one of the…

Unincorporated King County waives a building permit for roof-mounted home solar panels weighing under 4 pounds per square foot and rising no more than 18 inches above the roof; bigger…

HOA assessments in Seattle are governed by WUCIOA (RCW 64.90). Associations must adopt an annual budget and may levy regular and special assessments. Special assessments require member…

HOAs in Seattle are governed by the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA), RCW 64.90. Board meetings must be open to all unit owners. Boards must begin each meeting…

CC&R enforcement in Seattle HOAs is governed by WUCIOA (RCW 64.90). Associations may impose fines, suspend privileges, and pursue legal action for covenant violations. The board must…

HOA architectural review in Seattle is governed by WUCIOA (RCW 64.90) and each association's declaration and CC&Rs. Architectural committees must apply standards consistently and…

WUCIOA (RCW 64.90) provides structured dispute resolution procedures for HOA conflicts in Seattle. Owners and associations may pursue internal grievance procedures, mediation, or…

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…

Seattle has identified over 1,100 unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings that pose earthquake collapse hazards. SDCI maintains a public database of all known URM buildings. The 2021…

Washington state requires seismic gas shutoff valves for buildings where a building permit was first issued on or after January 26, 1995. Valves must be installed downstream of the gas…

Seattle adopted the 2021 Existing Building Code recognizing URM retrofits on November 15, 2024. The city has identified over 1,100 collapse-hazard unreinforced masonry buildings…

Seattle SDCI prioritizes code complaints by severity. Emergency life-safety issues receive immediate response. Standard building and housing complaints are typically investigated…

Seattle's most common code violations include unpermitted construction, overgrown vegetation and weeds, substandard housing conditions, illegal use of property, and work exceeding…

Seattle accepts code violation reports through the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) by phone at (206) 615-0808, online via the Seattle Services Portal, or by…

Seattle follows the Washington State Noxious Weed List and King County's noxious weed regulations. Property owners must control Class A, B, and C noxious weeds. Common prohibited…

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 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.

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…