Business Licensing & Operations in Washington (2026)

Puyallup requires a separate adult cabaret license before offering live adult entertainment on top of a general…

Spokane Valley requires a separate City license for every adult entertainment establishment, manager, and entertainer…

Thurston County outlaws body studios and on-premises dating services outright under TCC 10.80.010: no permit or license…

Auburn requires a $500-a-year establishment license and $50-a-year manager's license for adult entertainment businesses…

Bellevue requires a city license to operate an adult cabaret, plus separate licenses for every manager and entertainer…

Bellingham requires a separate city license for each adult cabaret, arcade, motel, or motion picture theater, with fees…

Benton County requires a separate Adult Use Business permit from the Planning and Building Director before any adult…

Unincorporated Cowlitz County requires every adult entertainment enterprise, cabarets, bookstores, arcades, theaters…

Operating an adult entertainment facility in Edmonds without a separate city-issued license is unlawful under ECC…

Everett requires a $350 annual city license for every adult entertainment business and bars adult use businesses from…

Federal Way requires separate city clerk licenses for adult entertainment establishments and for every manager or…

Franklin County confines sexually oriented businesses to the Industrial (I-1) zone and keeps them at least 1,320 feet…

Kennewick requires separate Class II licenses to operate an adult concession and to work there as an entertainer or…

Kent requires a city clerk-issued license for every adult entertainment business, plus separate manager and entertainer…

Unincorporated King County requires a business, manager and entertainer license for every adult club, arcade or…

Kirkland requires a city license to run or work as a manager at an erotic performance establishment, on top of a…

Adult entertainment businesses in unincorporated Kitsap County may locate only in regional commercial, urban…

Lakewood, Pierce County, requires a City license for every adult cabaret plus separate manager and entertainer…

Lynnwood requires a separate adult entertainment premises license before any adult entertainment business can operate…

Marysville requires a city license before operating an adult cabaret, adult motion picture theater, or adult drive-in…

Pasco requires a separate annual adult entertainment facility business license from the City Manager before any adult…

Adult entertainment establishments, entertainers, and managers in unincorporated Pierce County must each hold a…

Port Townsend requires a $2,500/year adult business license and confines adult entertainment facilities to the downtown…

Renton requires a City-issued license for every adult entertainment business, manager and entertainer, and bans these…

Operating an adult entertainment premises in Seattle without a license from the Director of Finance and Administrative…

In unincorporated Skagit County, adult entertainment is allowed only in the Bayview Ridge Heavy Industrial (BR-HI)…

Unincorporated Snohomish County requires a separate license for any adult entertainment dance studio and for every…

Every adult entertainment establishment, manager and entertainer operating in unincorporated Spokane County must hold a…

Tacoma requires adult entertainment establishments, managers, and entertainers to hold separate City licenses, with a…

Whatcom County requires a sheriff-issued license before any erotic dance studio can open, with a $500 application fee…

Yakima requires a city license to operate adult entertainment, confines the use to the M-1 zone, and bars it within 800…

Yakima County requires a license from the county licensing official before any adult entertainment facility opens, and…

Massage businesses in Seattle must hold both a state Department of Health practitioner license under RCW 18.108 and a…

Auburn requires a regulatory license for every massage business, health salon and public bathhouse under ACC 5.20.170…

Federal Way requires every massage therapist to hold a valid state license, bans internal warning systems and cash-only…

Kennewick requires a Class II business license to operate a massage or reflexology business under Kennewick Municipal…

Kent requires every massage and reflexology business to verify that anyone providing services holds a valid state…

Operating a massage business in unincorporated Kitsap County requires a license from the board of county commissioners…

Lakewood, Washington requires a massage business license under LMC 5.35.050 before operating; running one unlicensed is…

Renton requires every massage establishment and practitioner to hold a City license before operating, on top of state…

Every massage parlor in unincorporated Snohomish County needs a license under SCC 6.07.020, subject to health authority…

Running a massage parlor or bathhouse in unincorporated Spokane County requires a sheriff-issued license under SCC…

A massage or reflexology business in Spokane Valley needs a City business license under Chapter 5.05 SVMC and must…

Thurston County requires a $300-a-year business license for any massage parlor or public bathhouse, plus a separate…

Bellevue requires anyone practicing massage in the city to hold a Washington State Department of Licensing massage…

Unincorporated King County requires a separate license for every massage business, public bathhouse, and individual…

Kirkland requires a $75 annual city license before anyone can operate a massage parlor or public bathhouse, on top of a…

Lynnwood requires anyone practicing massage in the city to hold a business license and to give massages only on a…

No one may operate a massage business or work as a massage practitioner in Pasco without a City business license, and…

Tacoma requires a City business license for every massage business and bars them from serving customers between 10 p.m…

Yakima requires every massage or reflexology business to hold a valid, non-transferable business license under YMC…

Port Townsend requires any massage clinic or center to hold a general city business license under PTMC 5.08.040 before…

Franklin County's zoning code defines a tattoo parlor as an enclosed building for tattooing customers, then bars them…

Lakewood, Washington classifies tattoo and body piercing services as a "restricted" personal service under LMC…

Pasco prohibits tattoo parlors from operating in its central business, retail business, business park, office, and…

Yakima makes it a misdemeanor to tattoo anyone under eighteen, with no separate shop license required since the…

Tattooing anyone under 18 in Kennewick is a misdemeanor unless the artist can prove a documented, good-faith photo-ID…

Marysville requires every tattoo, body-piercing and body art business to hold a Chapter 5.02 MMC business license, and…

Port Townsend requires a city business license for any tattoo parlor and taxes tattoo services as a retail service, not…

Operating a tattoo shop in Seattle without a City license is unlawful under SMC 6.102.020, and the application goes to…

Washington RCW 70.345 requires licensing for vapor product retailers, distributors, and delivery sellers, with state…

Merchants selling tobacco products in Kennewick must obtain a special Tobacco Sales License and post required notices…

Unincorporated King County requires any store selling cigarettes or other tobacco products, including vape and…

Selling any tobacco product in Seattle, pipe tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, snuff, or cigarillos…

Retailers in unincorporated Spokane County can't sell, give, sample or market e-cigarettes, liquid nicotine or their…

Tacoma requires every retailer of cigarettes or other tobacco products to hold a valid annual license from the…

Federal Way requires secondhand dealers, including precious metal buyers and part-time sellers at flea markets or…

Pawn brokers and secondhand dealers in unincorporated Franklin County must register annually with the Planning and…

Secondhand dealers and junk dealers operating in unincorporated Kitsap County must register with the Kitsap County…

Lynnwood, Washington requires anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand jewelry, electronics, firearms or other…

Buying and reselling used goods for a living in unincorporated Snohomish County requires a secondhand dealer license…

Anyone buying or reselling used personal property in Yakima more than twice a year, or running a resale event lasting…

Benton County Code Chapter 4.16 defines a secondhand dealer as anyone engaged primarily in buying or selling used…

Everett secondhand and junk dealers need a $50 annual city license, must operate from a fixed location, and must log…

Kennewick requires pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers to hold a Class II business license, log every transaction into…

Kent second-hand dealers, defined in KCC 5.05.010 as anyone buying, selling, or consigning used property including…

Anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand goods in unincorporated King County must hold a secondhand dealer's…

Kirkland requires secondhand dealers, including those handling metal junk and precious metals, to hold a $100 annual…

Every pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, or secondhand precious metal dealer operating in Lakewood, Pierce County, must…

Marysville requires anyone buying or selling secondhand weapons, tools, electronics, jewelry, or metal junk to hold a…

Pasco requires anyone doing business as a secondhand dealer, including flea market sellers operating more than three…

Buying and reselling used goods for value in unincorporated Pierce County requires a county secondhand dealer license…

Port Townsend adopts the state secondhand dealer and pawnbroker statutes by reference, enforced locally by the police…

Puyallup secondhand dealers, defined as anyone buying or selling used personal property or scrap metal, must hold…

Secondhand dealers in Seattle must register under SMC 6.288, comply with WA RCW 19.60 reporting, hold purchases for 30…

Anyone buying, selling or consigning used goods more than three times a year in unincorporated Spokane County must hold…

Tacoma licenses anyone buying, selling, or consigning secondhand goods, requiring a $100 license, daily police…

Anyone buying, selling, trading or storing secondhand goods, antiques or junk in unincorporated Thurston County must…

Whatcom County requires every junk dealer and secondhand dealer operating outside an incorporated city to hold an…

Pawnbrokers in Seattle operate under WA RCW 19.60, capping monthly interest at three percent plus a small fee…

Auburn pawnbrokers must be fingerprinted, keep a written transaction ledger, and report every transaction to the police…

Federal Way requires a city clerk license before anyone runs a pawnshop, caps the number of pawnbroker licenses at one…

Pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers in unincorporated Franklin County must register as a business and pay a $150 annual…

Kennewick requires pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers to hold a Class II business license, report transactions to…

Unincorporated King County requires a $500 annual pawnbroker's license before anyone may operate a pawnshop, caps…

In unincorporated Kitsap County, pawnbrokers are regulated as "dealers" under Chapter 6.12 of the county code and must…

Lakewood, Washington caps pawnshop licenses at four citywide under LMC 5.12.060, requires owners and employees to pass…

Anyone operating a pawnshop in Lynnwood, Washington must hold a city pawnbroker's license under LMC 5.16.020 before…

Pawnbrokers in unincorporated Pierce County need a county license and face a hard population-based cap on how many can…

Renton pawnbrokers must keep a bound transaction log with identifying details on every seller, report daily to the…

Every pawnbroker operating in unincorporated Snohomish County needs a license under SCC 6.19.010, costs $300.00 a year…

Spokane Valley requires anyone operating as a pawnbroker to hold a police department-issued license, keep detailed…

Yakima pawnbrokers must obtain a city license backed by a $1,000 bond before opening, on top of the standard business…

Bellevue caps pawnshop licenses at one per 15,000 residents and charges $100 a year for a pawnshop or dealer license…

Benton County Code Chapter 4.16 requires every pawnbroker operating in unincorporated Benton County to keep a legible…

Everett requires a city license to operate as a pawnbroker, with an annual fee of $250 and a background check for fraud…

Kent pawnbrokers must operate from a fixed place of business, hold a city business license, and follow Chapter 5.05…

Kirkland requires pawnbrokers to hold a $100 annual city license, hold pledged property untouched for 15 days after…

Marysville requires pawnbrokers to hold a city business license under Chapter 5.02 MMC, keep a detailed daily…

Pasco pawnbrokers must hold a City license under PMC 5.80.020, keep a fixed place of business in the city or state…

Port Townsend adopts state pawnbroker law by reference and has its police chief enforce recordkeeping, hold periods…

Puyallup pawnbrokers must keep a detailed transaction record book, report every transaction to the chief of police by…

Every pawnshop operating in unincorporated Spokane County must hold a county pawnbroker license before taking in a…

Tacoma requires anyone pawnbroking or dealing in secondhand goods to hold a City license, keep detailed transaction…

Every pawnbroker doing business in unincorporated Whatcom County must hold an annual license under WCC 5.36.020 before…

Bellingham's home occupation rules flatly prohibit major or minor automotive repair businesses from operating out of a…

Benton County bars auto repair, bodywork or painting as a home occupation whenever the customer doesn't live on the…

Kent flatly bans vehicle repair, body repair, building or servicing as a home occupation. KCC 15.08.040(G)(1)(a) lists…

Pasco outright prohibits vehicle repair, maintenance, motor rebuilding, painting vehicles, and welding as licensed home…

Port Townsend bars vehicle repair, detailing, or servicing from qualifying as a home occupation anywhere in the city.

Puyallup Municipal Code § 20.75.012(1) flatly bars automobile repair, body work, upholstering and similar…

Snohomish County bars automobile, truck and heavy equipment repair as a home occupation. SCC 30.28.050(3)(g) prohibits…

Whatcom County's unincorporated zoning code flatly bans automobile, truck, and heavy equipment repair, plus auto body…

Yakima flatly prohibits auto repair as a home occupation, along with kennels, vehicle painting and ten other uses…

Unincorporated Cowlitz County's home occupation ordinance, CCC § 18.10.552, only lists a closed set of low-impact uses…

Federal Way's home occupation rule blocks home-based auto repair from using heavy equipment or power tools not common…

Automobile repair on a residential parcel in unincorporated Grant County is only allowed as a Cottage Industry use…

Kennewick's home occupation permit, which otherwise lets residents run a small business out of any residential unit…

Unincorporated King County bans auto, truck, and heavy equipment repair or auto body work as a home occupation in the…

Kirkland's home occupation rules block auto repair-style work at a residence: KZC 115.65(4)(d) bars heavy equipment…

Lynnwood bans running an automotive repair or detailing business out of a home under Lynnwood Municipal Code §…

Skagit County bars a Home-Based Business 1 or 2 from installing heavy equipment, large power tools or power sources not…

Everett allows home vehicle repair only on the resident's or a family member's own registered vehicle, one at a time…

In unincorporated Franklin County, you can service, repair or restore a vehicle at home in any residential zone, but…

Lakewood, Washington allows noncommercial vehicle repair at a home only under LMC 18A.60.180: one vehicle at a time…

Seattle lets residents run automotive retail sales and services as a home occupation, but SMC 23.42.050(F) bars any…

Tow operators in Seattle need a WA State Patrol registered tow truck operator (RTTO) certificate under RCW 46.55 plus a…

Auburn tow truck operators must run 24/7, reach a collision scene within 5 minutes by day or 10 by night, and get there…

Everett requires tow truck companies to hold a city license, carry at least $100,000 in liability insurance, and keep…

Franklin County only allows towing operators appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, or by the TRAC general…

To join Kirkland's police-dispatched towing list, a wrecker company must register with the chief of police, carry $1…

Registered tow truck operators towing unauthorized vehicles in Pasco must post signage on private lots, obtain written…

Snohomish County does not run an open towing market for abandoned-vehicle work: SCC 10.36.140 lets the Sheriff appoint…

Spokane County only lets the sheriff dispatch a towing operator who has been appointed by the board of county…

Spokane Valley requires every tow operator performing police-initiated impounds to hold a current City registration…

Bellingham police and parking officers may impound vehicles blocking traffic, illegally parked in loading zones, or…

Federal Way's police department contracts with one or more registered tow truck operators under FWRC 8.15.090 to handle…

Kennewick police direct DUI and suspended-license impounds; owners redeem vehicles from the towing agency after paying…

King County's sheriff contracts with licensed tow operators to handle vehicle and watercraft impounds, and those towing…

Lakewood, Washington's Chief of Police, under LMC 10.28.020, sets the specifications towing companies must follow when…

Lynnwood dispatches police-ordered tows only to companies holding a city clerk letter of appointment, not a business…

To join Marysville's police rotation list or tow within city limits, a tow truck business needs a city license, an…

Any wrecker or towing operator doing business in Puyallup needs an annual $50.00 towing license from the director of…

Any tow operator on Renton's approved list must file its rates with the Police Department, mail hearing paperwork to…

When the Skagit County Sheriff orders a vehicle towed for likely disposal as abandoned, SCC 10.20.030 requires using a…

Tacoma requires its contracted tow operator to mail an impounded vehicle's owner a first-class notice within 24 hours…

Tow companies that want Yakima's police-directed impound business must first be appointed as an agent of the police…

Yakima County does not run a general towing license: instead the sheriff appoints qualified tow truck operators as…

Edmonds contracts with tow operators for police-ordered impounds through a bid or rotational-list process under ECC…

Grant County sets no local towing rate schedule of its own for wreckers on the sheriff's rotational call-out list. GCC…