City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 02
Chapter 02.04
Section 02.04.045
 

Title 02 Council and Legislation

Chapter 02.04 Civil Emergencies

Section 02.04.045 Inclement Weather Centers
  1. The City may establish inclement weather centers, regardless of the declaration of a civil emergency, when necessary to protect vulnerable individuals and families from extreme cold, extreme heat, poor air quality conditions, and severe weather events.
  1. Consistent with prior budget appropriations, the City shall establish inclement weather centers based on the following criteria:
    1. Any days during which the wind chill is forecasted by the National Weather Service (Spokane) to be thirty-two (32) degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
    1. Any days during which the heat index is predicted by the National Weather Service to be 95 (ninety-five) degrees Fahrenheit or higher for two (2) consecutive days or more.
    1. Any day when the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency forecasts the current air quality index to reach 201 or higher.
    1. Any day in which an extreme storm or weather condition exists or is predicted to occur and which, in the determination of the Mayor or the Mayor’s designee, poses a severe threat to the health or safety of vulnerable and unsheltered individuals and families in the city of Spokane.
  1. The Community, Housing, and Human Services (“CHHS”) Department, in coordination with the City of Spokane’s Director of Emergency Management, shall issue either a request for proposals, notice of funding availability, or both, no later than August 1 of each biennium or annually to establish specific locations to be used as inclement weather centers.
  1. The Community, Housing, and Human Services (“CHHS”) Department, in coordination with City of Spokane Director of Emergency Management, shall publish and disseminate an annual inclement weather plan no later than September 30, designating specific locations to be used as inclement weather centers.
  1. Nothing shall prohibit the City from extending the hours of operation, increasing the activation threshold for warming centers, or lowering the activation threshold for cooling centers and clean air centers.
  1. Absent declaration of a civil emergency pursuant to this Chapter, the award and execution of contracts to operate and/or fund inclement weather centers shall be pursuant to Title 7 of the Spokane Municipal Code and the timelines set forth in this section.

Date Passed: Monday, June 16, 2025

Effective Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2025

ORD C36692 Section 2