100 local rules on file · Pop. 35,476 · Pierce County
Showing ordinances that apply to Spanaway, WA
Spanaway is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 35,476 in Pierce County, Washington. Because Spanaway is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, Pierce County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in Pierce County may have different rules.
Livestock keeping in unincorporated Pierce County is set by zoning code PCC 18A.37.060 and scales with lot size. Lots under one-half acre allow only two small livestock; lots five…
Backyard chickens and small livestock are allowed in unincorporated Pierce County, with limits scaled to lot size under zoning code PCC 18A.37.060. On lots under one-half acre, up to…
No more than five dogs and/or cats may be individually licensed at a residence in unincorporated Pierce County under PCC 6.04.010. Keeping six or more dogs and/or cats requires a…
Pierce County Code has no ordinance specifically prohibiting the feeding of wildlife in the unincorporated county. Feeding that attracts pests or creates a health or safety problem can…
Pierce County addresses hoarding through animal-cruelty, neglect, and licensing law. Keeping six or more dogs and/or cats requires a kennel license, owners must provide 'adequate…
Pierce County has no breed-specific ban. Dangerous-dog status is determined by an animal's behavior, not its breed, under PCC Chapter 6.07, and Washington law (RCW 16.08.100) bars…
Cats that go off their owner's premises must be licensed and wear a current tag under PCC 6.04.010, issued by the Pierce County Auditor. Cats are subject to the same at-large restraint…
In unincorporated Pierce County it is unlawful to let any animal leave the owner's premises unless it is under physical restraint adequate to the animal's size and nature. There is no…
Beekeeping is allowed in unincorporated Pierce County under PCC Chapter 8.94. Hives must be registered with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, kept in movable-frame hives…
Potentially dangerous wild animals are tightly regulated in unincorporated Pierce County under PCC Chapter 6.16. Species prohibited by state law (RCW 16.30.010) may not be kept at all…
In unincorporated Pierce County, RVs, boats, and trailers may be stored on private residential property, but occupying a recreational vehicle as a dwelling requires a Temporary Use…
Pierce County runs a junk-vehicle removal program in unincorporated areas under the Chapter 8.08 nuisance code, and abandoned vehicles on public roads are handled under RCW Chapter…
Unincorporated Pierce County regulates oversized and large-vehicle storage through the Title 18A zoning code and the Chapter 8.08 nuisance provisions rather than a single size cap. A…
Loading and unloading on public roads in unincorporated Pierce County follows Washington's RCW 46.61.570, which allows parking for loading only temporarily while actually loading or…
Pierce County requires new development in unincorporated areas to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure under PCC 18A.35.040, following Table 18A.35.040-3 for EV charging…
Street parking on public roads in unincorporated Pierce County follows Washington state law, RCW 46.61.570, which prohibits stopping, standing, or parking within intersections…
Unincorporated Pierce County has no blanket overnight on-street parking ban; state law RCW 46.61.570 governs where vehicles may stand, and a vehicle left too long may be tagged and…
In unincorporated Pierce County, commercial vehicle parking is governed through Title 18A zoning use and off-street parking standards; using residential property to dismantle, salvage…
In unincorporated Pierce County, curb colors and no-parking markings are established by the County, not private residents. Under RCW 46.61.570, parking restrictions are effective only…
Driveway and access standards in unincorporated Pierce County are set by the Title 18A zoning and off-street parking code (PCC 18A.35.040), with associated design standards in Title…
Pierce County has real wildfire risk in its eastern Cascade foothills, where homes intermingle with forest in the wildland-urban interface. Washington DNR maps hazard and defends state…
Pierce County promotes defensible space around homes in wildfire-prone areas. County code and DNR guidance urge clearing brush and spacing vegetation, with free hazard assessments…
Recreational fire pits are allowed in Pierce County without a permit if kept small and controlled. Local fire districts cap pits at three feet across and two feet high, set well back…
Unincorporated Pierce County sharply limits consumer fireworks under PCC 17C.60.230. Discharge is legal only on July 4 (10 a.m.-11:59 p.m.) and New Year's Eve into New Year's Day. The…
Propane (LPG) storage in Pierce County follows the adopted International Fire Code and NFPA 58 through the Fire Prevention Bureau. Larger tank installs need a permit, and tanks must…
Washington law (RCW 43.44.110) requires smoke detection devices in all dwelling units. In Pierce County rentals, the landlord must install and ensure working alarms at move-in, while…
Outdoor burning in Pierce County is regulated by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which bans all land-clearing fires and prohibits yard-waste burning throughout urbanized areas…
Backyard recreational fires are allowed in Pierce County without a permit, but only small fires burning clean wood or charcoal. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency caps them at three feet…
In unincorporated Pierce County, the noise limits in Pierce County Code 8.76.060 are reduced by 10 dBA for residential (Class A) receiving property between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Chapter…
Unincorporated Pierce County exempts temporary construction-site noise from the Chapter 8.76 decibel limits during the day, but that exemption stops for residential (Class A) areas…
Pierce County has no leaf-blower-specific ordinance. In unincorporated areas, gas leaf blowers fall under the general Chapter 8.76 decibel limits and the Chapter 8.72 public…
For most industrial noise, Pierce County defers to the State. PCC 8.72.120.D states that, apart from motor vehicles, industrial-area noise is regulated by the State of Washington. The…
In unincorporated Pierce County, PCC 8.72.090.A makes it a public disturbance noise for frequent, repetitive, or continuous animal sounds to unreasonably disturb neighbors' peace and…
In unincorporated Pierce County, outdoor amplified music, band sessions, and social-gathering noise are barred by PCC 8.72.090.F when loud, raucous, and disturbing to neighbors, at any…
In unincorporated Pierce County, PCC 8.72.090.F makes loud and raucous amplified sound - from an instrument, amplifier, band session, tavern, or social gathering - a public disturbance…
Aircraft noise is exempt from Pierce County's noise code. PCC 8.76.070.D.2 exempts sounds from aircraft in flight and airport flight operations. With Joint Base Lewis-McChord and…
In unincorporated Pierce County, PCC 8.72.090.H makes it unlawful for a car or vessel sound system to be clearly heard 50 feet or more from the vehicle in residential or commercial…
In unincorporated Pierce County, PCC 8.76.060 adopts Washington's WAC 173-60 decibel table: for a residential (Class A) source and receiver the daytime limit is 55 dBA, dropping 10 dBA…
Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B) caps a vacation rental at five guest rooms and two guests per bedroom, not to exceed ten guests lodged at any time. A rental that needs more rooms or…
Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B)(4) sets no numeric parking-space count for vacation rentals. It requires only that the owner or representative give guests information indicating the…
Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no local insurance mandate, but Washington's statewide Short-Term Rental Act controls. RCW 64.37.050 requires every operator to carry primary…
Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no rental-specific quiet hours; vacation-rental guests must follow the countywide public-disturbance noise rules in PCC Chapter 8.72 and the Good…
Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 sets no limit on how many nights per year a vacation rental may operate. A rental meeting the five-room, ten-guest, affidavit, parking, and…
Unincorporated Pierce County allows short-term vacation rentals under Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 without a discretionary permit, as long as the owner files a Vacation Rental…
Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 does not limit vacation rentals to a host's primary residence. It permits rentals in any legally established single-family or accessory dwelling, so…
Instead of a license, Pierce County Code 18A.37.040(B)(6) requires the owner to file a Vacation Rental Affidavit with Planning and Public Works. It states the owner's intent to operate…
Short-term rentals in Pierce County owe the county lodging (hotel-motel) excise tax, set by the Department of Revenue at 2 percent for facilities of 25 or fewer units and 5 percent for…
Pierce County Code 18A.37.040 does not require a host or manager on-site during a vacation-rental stay. It requires only that the owner or representative supply contact and parking…
In unincorporated Pierce County, retaining walls may be built within required setbacks to a maximum height of 6 feet under zoning. A building permit is required once a wall exceeds 4…
Fences in unincorporated Pierce County may be placed within required setbacks up to 6 feet without a permit, must be measured from the adjacent ground including all attachments, and…
In unincorporated Pierce County, fences and retaining walls may reach a maximum height of 6 feet within required setbacks, or up to 8 feet for security fencing serving a Utility…
Pierce County zoning does not prohibit specific fence materials for typical residential fences. Barbed wire and other security devices are allowed and counted toward the 6-foot height…
A building permit is not required for fences 6 feet or under in unincorporated Pierce County. Fences taller than 6 feet require a building permit and must meet setbacks. Retaining…
Any typical fence material is allowed in unincorporated Pierce County, since zoning regulates height, setback, and sight distance rather than material type. Wood, vinyl, chain link…
Pierce County zoning does not set a shared-cost or boundary fence-ownership rule; those are civil matters between neighbors. The county does require that fences at corners and…
Routine pruning of ordinary yard trees is unregulated, but trees retained under an approved county landscape or tree-conservation plan must be pruned to code, and significant and…
Pierce County encourages native and drought-tolerant plantings and requires native-vegetation retention on many development sites, but homeowners are free to choose their own yard…
Every Pierce County landowner has an enforceable duty under RCW 17.10.140 to eradicate class A noxious weeds and control listed class B and C weeds. The Pierce County Noxious Weed…
Pierce County government sets no county-wide residential watering schedule; outdoor watering rules are set by your water provider — mainly Tacoma Water and local water districts…
Unincorporated Pierce County has no numeric lawn-height limit, but overgrown vegetation that harbors vermin, blocks sight lines, or becomes a fire or health hazard can be abated as a…
Rooftop rainwater collection is broadly allowed in Washington, and Pierce County has no ordinance prohibiting residential rain barrels or cisterns; larger systems or those used for…
Removing a tree from an ordinary private lot outside a development or critical area is generally unregulated, but trees retained under an approved conservation or landscape plan cannot…
Pierce County has no ordinance specifically prohibiting or permitting synthetic/artificial turf on residential lots. Installation must still meet general zoning, impervious-surface…
Backyard residential composting is allowed and encouraged in Pierce County with no permit, but a compost pile that creates odor, attracts vermin, or otherwise becomes a public nuisance…
In unincorporated Pierce County, a building permit from Planning & Public Works (PPW) is required to construct an in-ground or above-ground residential pool, spa, or hot tub, because…
Above-ground pools in unincorporated Pierce County follow the same rules as in-ground pools: prefabricated pools less than 24 inches deep are exempt, but any above-ground pool holding…
Any outdoor residential pool in unincorporated Pierce County that holds water over 24 inches deep must be surrounded by a barrier at least 48 inches high, per the 2021 International…
Residential pool safety in unincorporated Pierce County follows 2021 IRC Appendix G, adopted through Washington's WAC 51-51, which requires self-closing, self-latching pedestrian gates…
In unincorporated Pierce County, spas and hot tubs fall under 2021 IRC Appendix G, but county guidance provides that a spa or hot tub with an approved lockable safety cover, and a pool…
Selling homemade non-hazardous foods from a Pierce County home requires a Washington Cottage Food Operation permit from the state Department of Agriculture (WSDA) under RCW 69.22 and…
For home occupations in unincorporated Pierce County, signage is regulated by Title 18B of the Pierce County Code (Development Regulations - Signs), as directed by PCC 18A.37.110, so…
A basic home occupation in unincorporated Pierce County is allowed as an accessory use under PCC 18A.37.110 if only the resident performs it and one vehicle up to 18,000 pounds is…
A home-based day care in unincorporated Pierce County may operate from a residence under PCC 18A.37.100, serving up to 12 individuals with a DCYF-approved fence around the outdoor play…
Unincorporated Pierce County allows home occupations as an accessory use in urban and rural zones under Pierce County Code 18A.37.110, capping the activity at 500 square feet or 50…
Converting a garage into living space in unincorporated Pierce County requires a building permit, and creating an independent unit is treated as an accessory dwelling unit under PCC…
A building permit is required for all carports in unincorporated Pierce County regardless of size, and carports must meet Title 18A accessory-structure setbacks and the 3-foot minimum…
Unincorporated Pierce County exempts a one-story tool or storage shed of 200 square feet or less from a building permit under PCC 17C.30.040, but larger structures and setbacks under…
Unincorporated Pierce County treats a tiny home under 400 square feet on a permanent foundation as a residence permitted like a single-family house, while recreational vehicles cannot…
Unincorporated Pierce County allows accessory dwelling units under PCC 18A.37.120. Two ADUs are permitted per lot inside an Urban Growth Area and one outside, attached or detached…
Pierce County's countywide exterior illumination standards in PCC 18J.15.085 require hidden light sources, downward-directed shielded floodlights, and a 3000 Kelvin maximum color…
Pierce County's exterior illumination standards in PCC 18J.15.085 require lighting to avoid glare and light trespass onto neighboring properties, keeping illumination on the premises…
Backyard smokers using charcoal, wood pellets, or propane are allowed in Pierce County as recreational cooking, no permit required. They generally stay legal during burn bans, but…
Propane and charcoal barbecues are broadly allowed in Pierce County and are treated as recreational cooking, not regulated burning. They stay legal even during most burn bans, but must…
Maximum building height in unincorporated Pierce County is set by zone. Residential zones such as Suburban Residential (SR), Residential Resource (RR), and ROC are capped at 35 feet…
Building setbacks in unincorporated Pierce County depend on the zone. In the Suburban Residential (SR) zone, the minimums are 25 feet front on an arterial, 15 feet front on a…
Pierce County zoning controls building bulk mainly through yard-area limits rather than a single lot-coverage percentage. Detached single-story accessory structures may cover up to 25…
Pierce County Code Chapter 8.08 sets no numeric grass-height limit for unincorporated properties; overgrown vegetation is addressed only where it creates a public nuisance under PCC…
Pierce County Code 8.08.050(F) makes property where solid waste has accumulated a public nuisance unless the waste is securely stored in receptacles designed to prevent threats to…
Vacant and rural lots in unincorporated Pierce County fall under Code Chapter 8.08, which makes accumulated solid waste, junk vehicles, abandoned appliances and unsecured hazards…
Pierce County requires no permit for occasional residential garage or yard sales in unincorporated areas, treating them as an accessory home activity rather than a business. Sales must…
Pierce County Code Chapter 8.08 declares accumulated solid waste, junk vehicles, unpermitted salvage sites and unfinished structures to be public nuisances in unincorporated Pierce…
Pierce County Code sets no countywide curb setout time, so cart placement in unincorporated areas follows the WUTC-certificated hauler's tariff. Waste must still be securely contained…
Pierce County Code 8.29.030 requires certificated haulers to offer every-other-week, single-stream curbside recycling to all single-family homes in unincorporated areas, using an…
Pierce County Code Chapter 8.30 establishes a county solid waste handling system for all unincorporated areas, but residential garbage collection is provided by private haulers…
Pierce County residents dispose of bulky items, appliances and extra debris either through their WUTC-certificated hauler's on-call bulky pickup or by self-hauling to a county transfer…
Dumping garbage, sewage or debris on any street, public property or private property without the owner's consent is a misdemeanor under Pierce County Code 8.32.020. State law RCW…
Garage sale signs are temporary signs under PCC 18B.10.040 in unincorporated Pierce County. They need no permit, but only one non-yard temporary sign is allowed per road frontage and…
In unincorporated Pierce County, political signs are protected speech treated as temporary yard signs under PCC 18B.10.040, need no permit, must stay under 32 square feet, and may not…
These unincorporated areas are also governed by Pierce County ordinances.