Spokane, WA

Spokane STR operators must obtain a city business registration via Taxes and Licenses Division and a WA state UBI through the Business Licensing Service. Registration is annual with a…

A short-term rental in Spokane County collects Washington retail sales tax plus local sales tax on lodging under 30 days, and a special hotel/motel tax under RCW 67.28. The King County…

Spokane County has no STR-specific parking count. For a bed-and-breakfast home industry, SCC Title 14 states parking, traffic, and storage requirements 'shall be as approved by the…

There is no STR-specific noise rule in the county. A rental's noise is subject to Spokane County's public-disturbance nuisance provisions and Washington's maximum environmental noise…

Unincorporated Spokane County has no blanket primary-residence-only STR mandate, but the bed-and-breakfast pathway is defined as a home industry 'in association with a primary…

The county does not require a host to be on-site during stays. However, the bed-and-breakfast home industry is a family-operated use: only members of the family residing on the…

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…

Livestock keeping in unincorporated Spokane County's agricultural and forestry zones is capped at three livestock units per gross acre. A horse, cow, or hog equals one unit; a goat or…

Beekeeping is allowed as a primary or accessory use on agricultural and forestry lots in unincorporated Spokane County. Hives must sit 25 feet from any right-of-way and 5 feet from…

Unincorporated Spokane County requires an annual license to harbor or own an 'inherently dangerous mammal' (wild cats, bears, wild canids) or dangerous reptile, and only adults 18+ may…

Spokane County regulates cats under SCC 5.04.067. Owners must keep cats from roaming while unaltered at six months or older, from trespassing on private property, from menacing people…

Development within one-quarter mile of a documented den or nest site of a non-game priority bird species in unincorporated Spokane County triggers habitat protection standards under…

Spokane County does not ban any dog breed; SCRAPS instead declares an individual dog dangerous under SCC 5.04.020(13) based on what it actually did, severe injury, multiple bites, or a…

Spokane County does not require microchips on ordinary pets, but a dog SCRAPS has declared dangerous must be identified with a microchip implant at the owner's expense under SCC…

Spokane County bans letting a dog run at large anywhere in the county, licensed or not, under SCC 5.04.070(1). Walking or exercising a dog in public is fine only on a leash, tether or…

Keeping five or more dogs or cats over six months old in unincorporated Spokane County triggers a kennel classification. Five to eight dogs (or five to ten cats) is a private kennel…

Spokane County bars selling, giving away, or even advertising an animal for sale on public property or on private property that's open to the public, such as a parking lot, sidewalk…

A veterinary clinic in Spokane County's rural R-5, RAC or UR zones must keep all treatment rooms, cages and runs inside a fully enclosed, soundproofed building and cannot board healthy…

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…

Spokane County's zoning code does not mandate a specific fence material for standard residential fences, but it distinguishes sight-obscuring from non-sight-obscuring fences and allows…

In unincorporated Spokane County, fences over 7 feet in height require a building permit. Fences at or under 7 feet do not need a building permit, but must still meet the zoning height…

Spokane County requires fences to comply with the clear view triangle so intersections stay visible. No sight obstruction, including fencing, is permitted within a clear view triangle…

Spokane County regulates retaining walls two ways: any wall inside county road right-of-way must be engineered to AASHTO bridge standards under Section 9.75.510, while a wall on…

Spokane County's general yard-setback rule keeps buildings out of required front, side and rear yards, but SCC 14.810.200(3) carves out a specific exception for smaller structures. Any…

Industrial and commercial noise reaching homes in Spokane County is governed by WAC 173-60. An industrial (Class C) source may emit up to 60 dBA at a residence, 65 dBA at commercial…

Unincorporated Spokane County outlaws sounds from a radio, television, musical instrument or sound amplifier that annoy or disturb a reasonable person of normal sensitivity under SCC…

New homes and other residential structures built inside Fairchild Air Force Base's Military Influence Area 3/4 must meet a hard interior-noise standard: forty-five decibels day/night…

Washington's Department of Ecology sets Spokane County's nighttime quiet hours under WAC 173-60-040: residential (Class A) properties get a mandatory 10 dBA cutback between 10:00 p.m…

Unincorporated Spokane County exempts construction-site noise from its general noise-disturbance ban only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., or at any hour if the work is more than…

Motor-vehicle noise in Spokane County is governed by statewide standards in WAC 173-62, not the county noise ordinance (SCC 6.12 exempts vehicles regulated by WAC 173-62). Cars under…

Unincorporated Spokane County makes it unlawful for a dog owner to let their dog howl, whine, or bark so as to unreasonably disturb a person or group of people. SCRAPS, the regional…

A vehicle a tow operator holds for 120 hours is legally abandoned under state law, and a certified junk vehicle can be removed and disposed of. On private property, Spokane County…

Spokane County bans stopping or parking within intersections, crosswalks, sidewalks, and within five feet of a driveway apron, and within twenty feet of a fire hydrant or crosswalk…

In the Spokane County Courthouse Complex parking area and other county-owned lots, SCC 46.48A.040 reserves marked loading zones for authorized commercial vehicles, limiting use to…

Spokane County's zoning code defines EV charging equipment as "electric vehicle infrastructure" and lists it as an outright permitted (P) use in every zoning matrix checked, including…

Front-yard parking for single-family and duplex homes in Spokane County's residential zones is capped at fifty percent of the lot's frontage or forty feet, whichever is less, under…

The unincorporated county has no blanket overnight on-street parking ban, but a 2018 chronic-nuisance code and a public-camping ordinance limit living or camping in vehicles. County…

Spokane County sets no numeric cap on RVs, boats or trailers parked at a home, but an inoperable or damaged RV can become a code-enforceable junk-vehicle nuisance. Living in an RV as a…

Spokane County has no ordinance setting a length or weight cap on vehicles parked at a residence. Oversized or inoperable vehicles are addressed indirectly through the junk-vehicle…

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…

Backyard residential pools need a Spokane County building permit; the barrier is inspected. Public and shared (WRF) pools additionally require a Washington DOH construction permit…

Every private swimming pool in unincorporated Spokane County must meet the barrier standards of IRC Appendix G before it holds any water. Spokane County Code 3.11.010 bars a pool cover…

In unincorporated Spokane County, a one-story detached storage shed under 200 sq ft needs no building permit, but must still meet zoning setbacks. Total accessory-structure floor area…

Spokane County allows one accessory dwelling unit (ADU) per single-family lot. Detached ADUs are capped at 800 sq ft on the ground floor and 2 bedrooms, on lots of at least 10,000 sq…

Converting a garage or attached space into living quarters is treated as creating an accessory dwelling unit or added living area under Zoning Code Chapter 14.606. It needs a building…

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…

A Spokane County "home industry" may put up exactly one sign identifying the business, and that sign must be unlighted and no larger than 16 square feet. SCC 14.616.230(9)(d) sets the…

Selling home-baked or other non-hazardous foods from a Spokane-area home requires a Washington State Department of Agriculture cottage food permit. Products must be made in your home…

Spokane County zoning allows two tiers of home-based business in residential zones: a low-impact "home profession" (often permitted outright) and a larger "home industry" (usually a…

Running a child care in your Spokane-area home requires a Washington DCYF family home license. A licensed family home provider may care for up to 12 children at a time. Providing care…

A "home industry" (a broad-scope home business or bed-and-breakfast operating in agricultural or forest zones) does not get fixed customer-parking numbers. SCC 14.616.230(9)(h) instead…

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's smoke detector law, RCW 43.44.110, requires a working smoke detection device in every dwelling unit rented to a tenant, built after 1980, or sold on or after July 1, 2019…

Consumer fireworks are banned in unincorporated Spokane County under Spokane County Code Chapter 3.17: no sale, possession, or discharge is allowed, even on the state's June 28-July 5…

A backyard fire pit or campfire in unincorporated Spokane County is a "recreational fire" under WAC 173-425-030(21) and does not need a burn permit as long as the fuel area stays at or…

Spokane County Code Chapter 3.16 sets wildfire-hardening construction standards for every home built in the unincorporated county. Section 3.16.020 requires Class C roofing…

Spokane County has no single fixed defensible-space clearance distance for all homes, but Washington DNR can require abatement of extreme fire hazards on forestland, and county fire…

Burning yard and garden debris is NOT allowed for most residents of Spokane County. Burning garbage and burn barrels are banned statewide. Only residents in a few delegated fire…

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…

Spokane County's landscaping code directs developers to use native vegetation and retain existing plantings wherever possible, and it backs that preference with a real credit: any…

Cutting trees for sale in unincorporated Spokane County needs a timber harvest permit under SCC 3.19.050 unless you qualify for an exemption, most notably removing under five thousand…

Spokane County's cable franchise code lets a franchisee trim trees that overhang county streets, alleys, sidewalks and rights-of-way whenever branches threaten to touch its wires or…

State law (RCW 17.10) requires every Spokane County property owner to eradicate Class A noxious weeds and control designated Class B and C weeds on their land. The Spokane County…

Washington requires jurisdictions over 25,000 to provide organics collection and bans certain organic waste disposal under RCW 70A.205.545.

Washington law expressly permits rooftop rainwater collection for onsite use without a water right permit, preempting any municipal prohibition on basic harvesting.

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

Spokane HOA architectural review committees (ARCs) operate under CC and Rs and must follow reasonable procedures per RCW 64.38. WUCIOA associations (RCW 64.90) have enhanced…

Washington does not have a state HOA regulator. Spokane HOA disputes are resolved through internal procedures, mediation, or civil court (typically Spokane County Superior Court). RCW…

Spokane HOAs enforce CC and Rs through violation notices, fines, and civil action per governing documents and RCW 64.38 / 64.90. WUCIOA RCW 64.90.510 requires notice and a hearing…

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…

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…

Spokane allows licensed cannabis retailers only in commercial and industrial zones, at least 1,000 feet from schools, playgrounds, child care, libraries, and public parks per RCW…

Licensed marijuana production on Large Tract Agricultural, Small Tract Agricultural and Forest Lands parcels in unincorporated Spokane County must clear minimum buffers set by the…

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

Washington RCW 35.21.830 has historically preempted local rent control. In 2024, HB 2114 and related legislation adjusted the landscape. Spokane has no rent-control ordinance and…

Under RCW 59.18.650, Spokane landlords ending tenancies for owner move-in, substantial rehabilitation, or rental-market withdrawal must provide tenants with relocation assistance equal…

WA HB 1236 (2021), codified at RCW 59.18.650, eliminated most no-fault month-to-month terminations statewide, requiring Spokane landlords to cite an enumerated just-cause reason to end…

Spokane landlords must comply with Washington HB 1236 (2021), which requires just cause to terminate any residential tenancy. Sixteen enumerated reasons include nonpayment, lease…

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…

RCW 59.18.060 requires Washington landlords to keep rentals 'fit for human habitation': structurally sound, weathertight, with working plumbing, heat, hot water, electrical systems…

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…

Washington RCW 64.38.055 prohibits HOAs from unreasonably restricting solar panels. HOAs may regulate placement and appearance but cannot effectively ban rooftop solar or significantly…

Washington RCW 64.38.055 and RCW 64.90.510 bar HOAs and condominium associations from prohibiting solar panels. State policy under RCW 64.04.140 encourages solar energy and authorizes…

Maximum building height in Spokane County's Low Density and Low Density Plus Residential zones is 35 feet; Medium Density is 40 feet; High Density is 50 feet (65 feet for…

In Spokane County's urban residential zones, the front/flanking-street and side setback for a residence is 15 feet (20 feet for a garage). The rear setback is 5 feet plus 1 foot for…

In Spokane County, maximum building coverage is 55% of lot area in the Low Density and Low Density Plus Residential zones, 65% in Medium Density Residential, and 70% in High Density…

In unincorporated Spokane County, letting your property fall into a blighting condition is a nuisance. SCC Chapter 6.13 makes anyone in charge maintain their property free of nuisances…

Unincorporated Spokane County treats an unsecured, uncontrolled vacant lot or abandoned building as a nuisance under SCC 6.13.040(2)(K). Code enforcement can issue a $250 civil…

Certificated haulers provide the containers, and materials are collected 'on the improved public road nearest to the residence' when properly set out on the designated collection day…

Dumping litter or solid waste on any public or private land in unincorporated Spokane County is prohibited by SCC 8.26.020 and Washington's litter law RCW 70A.200.060. Penalties scale…

Spokane County runs a mandatory regional solid-waste system. Solid waste generated in unincorporated areas must go to a system disposal site, and it is unlawful to fail to deliver, or…

Certified haulers serving unincorporated Spokane County's urban areas must collect a defined list of recyclables under SCC 8.58.040, must display their business name and phone number…

In unincorporated Spokane County's Commercial zones, every outdoor trash, garbage and refuse storage area, including dumpsters and roll-off boxes, must be screened from public view…

Bulky and 'problem' wastes go to county transfer stations under set rules. SCC 8.56.220 limits loose tires to five per load, bars unaccepted materials, and the county charges by…

In urban unincorporated Spokane County, certified haulers must collect co-mingled recyclables from every eligible single-family residence at least every other week, on the same day as…

Spokane County Zoning Code Chapter 14.826 requires that any outdoor lighting be positioned and shielded so it does not shine directly onto a neighboring residence. Parking-lot lighting…

Under Spokane County Zoning Code 14.826.100, outdoor lights must be shielded so they do not shine directly onto a neighbor's home. Parking-lot fixtures must also be down-shielded to…

Billboards are banned outright in every zone in unincorporated Spokane County under SCC 14.804.050(10), so there is no county standard written specifically for billboard lighting; any…

A charcoal or wood-fired smoker, grill or barbecue used for cooking on private property in unincorporated Spokane County counts as a "recreational fire" under WAC 173-425-030(21), the…

Anyone buying, selling or consigning used goods more than three times a year in unincorporated Spokane County must hold a secondhand dealer license under SCC 7.05.020. The county…

Running a massage parlor or bathhouse in unincorporated Spokane County requires a sheriff-issued license under SCC 7.07.020, and every masseur or bathhouse attendant needs a separate…

Spokane County only lets the sheriff dispatch a towing operator who has been appointed by the board of county commissioners, whether on a rotational, contractual, or noncontractual…

Every adult entertainment establishment, manager and entertainer operating in unincorporated Spokane County must hold a separate county license, and no establishment may open to the…

Retailers in unincorporated Spokane County can't sell, give, sample or market e-cigarettes, liquid nicotine or their components to anyone under eighteen, under Chapter 8.62 of the…

Every pawnshop operating in unincorporated Spokane County must hold a county pawnbroker license before taking in a single pledge or purchase. SCC 7.04.020 makes operating without one…

Spokane County does not issue its own card-room license, but any card room operating in the unincorporated area must file a sworn notice of intent with the county treasurer 15 days…

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…

Spokane County has designated a countywide weed extermination area under Chapter 8.32 of the county code, declaring Russian Thistle, Canada Thistle, Dalmatian Toadflax, Leafy Spurge…

Once Spokane County mails a notice of investigation for a zoning violation, the property owner has fourteen days to respond or show proof of compliance. Missing that window lets the…

Spokane County Code Chapter 6.13 defines a "nuisance" as any unlawful act or condition that endangers others' health, safety, or property, then lists the specific violations code…

When a Spokane County code enforcement officer documents a nuisance, SCC 6.13.070 requires a written notice of nuisance violation naming the address, the code section violated, and the…

Spokane County requires new and substantially improved buildings in a mapped flood hazard area to sit at least one foot above the base flood elevation, the Flood Protection Elevation…

Any development, structure, manufactured home, fill or work placed within a mapped area of special flood hazard in unincorporated Spokane County needs a floodplain development permit…

Unincorporated Spokane County lists floating docks, boat mooring, and buoys as uses permitted without county review under the critical areas ordinance, SCC 11.20.030, Table 11.20.030A…

Spokane County charges every developed parcel in unincorporated areas an annual stormwater service fee based on impervious surface area. Residential lots pay a flat equivalent…

Spokane County requires a stormwater pollution prevention plan and erosion and sediment control best management practices for major land-disturbing activities under SCC 9.14.185…

Spokane County requires wildfire defensible space only within rural cluster developments (RCDs), the county's clustered-lot subdivision option in the Rural Traditional, Rural…

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.

Unincorporated Spokane County bars anyone under fifteen from being out in public after 11 p.m. without a parent, guardian, or written permission, and bars anyone under eighteen from…

Unless a county park posts its own hours, no one may be present, and no vehicle may stay parked, in a Spokane County park after 10:00 p.m. under SCC 6.14.110. Gated parks can post…

A Spokane County planned unit development cannot exceed the underlying zone's base density unless the hearing examiner approves a density bonus under section 14.704.310. Developers…

Spokane County Code 3.02.050 governs every building inspection in the unincorporated county: passing one never excuses a code violation, and the inspector's sign-off creates no duty to…

Spokane County's own building code carves electrical work out of its permitting authority. SCC 3.03.030 deletes the IBC's electrical section, and SCC 3.04.020(b) deletes the IRC's…

Spokane County Code 3.02.020 makes it unlawful to erect, alter, repair, move, or demolish any building, structure, mechanical, or plumbing system in the unincorporated county without a…

Spokane County enforces Washington's statewide carbon monoxide alarm mandate as part of the state building code it adopts wholesale under SCC 3.01.030. RCW 19.27.530 required new…

Unincorporated Spokane County adopts the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and requires a separate plumbing permit for any plumbing installation tied to a permitted building project. The…

Unincorporated Spokane County treats a child day-care center serving more than thirty children as a conditional use in the Large Tract Agricultural, Small Tract Agricultural and Forest…

Unincorporated Spokane County bars anyone under 15 from loitering or congregating on streets, highways, or public places after 11:00 p.m. without a parent or written permission, and…

Urinating or defecating anywhere in a Spokane County park or facility other than the designated fixtures is a flat, unqualified prohibition under SCC 6.14.070(14), grouped with…

In unincorporated Spokane County, pedestrians who cross a roadway outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles under SCC 46.61.240. Crossing…

Anyone riding a skateboard on a public road, sidewalk, bike path, park or other public area in unincorporated Spokane County must wear an approved helmet with the strap fastened, under…

Spokane County's urban design standards set specific numbers for street trees planted along sidewalks in mixed-use zone development. Under SCC 14.900.720, the walking path must stay at…

Spokane County's Large Tract and Small Tract Agricultural zones exist to keep commercial farmland in production. A parcel with mostly prime USDA soils cannot be rezoned out of the…

Land within a thousand feet of designated agricultural, forest or mineral resource land in Spokane County carries a recorded notice: lawful farming and forestry activity there cannot…

Any temporary tent structure used for an assembly, fair, revival or festival in unincorporated Spokane County needs a permit under SCC 3.18, and if food or drink is served, every food…

Spokane County's road standards put sidewalk repair on the commercial property owner, not the county, whenever the owner pulls a building permit or changes the use of a building on a…

Anyone wanting to install anything or do work within a Spokane County road right-of-way must first get a permit from the county road engineer under SCC 9.40.010, describing the…

Holding a parade, festival, carnival, or fundraiser in a Spokane County park requires a permit from the Parks, Recreation & Golf Department under SCC 6.14.040(9). Applicants must be at…

Reserving any part of a Spokane County park for exclusive use, from a picnic shelter to a full-day gathering, takes a permit from the Parks, Recreation & Golf Department director under…

Spokane County does not license street fairs on public roads by chapter and section, but it does directly regulate festivals, carnivals and vending inside its own park system: SCC…

A garage-sale sign in unincorporated Spokane County is a temporary sign, so it needs no sign permit under SCC 14.804.040(3), but placement is not free-for-all. SCC 14.804.110 bars any…

Political signs never need a sign permit in unincorporated Spokane County: Section 14.804.040(6) exempts them entirely from the permit process that governs every other on-premises…

Spokane County's sign code flatly bans both billboards and video boards in every zoning district, unincorporated countywide. SCC 14.804.050 lists them alongside roof signs and…

Parcels fronting Interstate 90 and seven other named roadways fall under Spokane County's Aesthetic Corridor Overlay sign standards. Freestanding signs there cannot exceed 20 feet and…

Spokane County designates historic landmarks and districts under Spokane County Code 1.48.110, run through a joint city/county Historic Landmarks Commission. A building, site, or…

Flying a drone, model rocket, or hot air balloon in a Spokane County park requires a permit from the Parks, Recreation & Golf Department director under SCC 6.14.040(11). The 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.

On top of the state-authorized hotel/motel tax, lodging businesses in unincorporated Spokane County collect a separate Tourism Promotion Area special assessment of up to $4.00 per room…

Spokane County's default landscaping rule requires an automatic irrigation system on every required planting area, but section 14.806.180 lets the director approve xeriscaping or…

In unincorporated Spokane County, cyclists must ride as near the right side of the roadway as practicable, may use a specially designated bicycle lane or the shoulder where one exists…

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…

Two or more camp facilities within roughly 300 feet of each other on public property meet Spokane County's definition of an "unauthorized encampment" under SCC 6.15.050(11). Once the…

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 WAC 246-215 enforced under RCW 43.20 establishes the statewide retail food code requiring mobile food units including food trucks to obtain permits from local health…

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…