Properties in unincorporated King County that generate three or more verified noise, disorderly-conduct, or code calls within a 12-month window may be declared chronic nuisances under King County Code Title 14, exposing owners to abatement orders.
King County's chronic nuisance ordinance applies to any property, including short-term rentals, where law enforcement or code enforcement responds three times in a year for verified offenses such as loud parties, illegal parking, illegal fireworks, or assaults. After the third verified incident, the county may issue a notice requiring the owner to submit an abatement plan; failure to comply allows the prosecutor to seek civil penalties up to $500 per day and an injunction halting STR operation. Seattle runs a parallel program with its own STR-specific strike system tied to operator license suspension after repeat platform complaints.
Three verified police or code responses within twelve months may trigger nuisance designation. Continued operation after a county abatement order can result in $500-per-day civil penalties and operator license revocation in cities that license STRs.
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 repeat violator strikes rules stack up against other locations.
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