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 10
Chapter 10.57
Section 10.57.010
 

Title 10 Regulation of Activities

Division II. License Code

Chapter 10.57 Regulation of Residential Rental Housing

Section 10.57.010 Purpose and Intent
  1. The purpose of this chapter is to establish regulations supporting housing security to reduce homelessness and to establish standards and enforcement mechanisms as they relate to rental housing within the municipal boundaries of the City of Spokane. It is the intent of the Spokane City Council to continue its long-term commitment to maintain healthy, vibrant and diverse neighborhoods within the City of Spokane. The regulations contained in this chapter balance the needs of all community members to ensure safe, healthy, and thriving rental housing within the City’s municipal boundaries. The City recognizes that the renting of residential property is a commercial venture that supplies the basic human need of adequate shelter. Providing housing for Spokane’s residents directly impacts quality of life at the most basic level, and therefore requires regulations to ensure that this commercial venture is equitably undertaken to meet the shelter needs of City residents. This chapter attempts to ensure housing security for current and future residents and the owners of rental residential properties within the City of Spokane by providing clear expectations and bridging gaps that current state laws and market conditions have created.
  1. In an effort to carry out that intent, the Spokane City Council has determined that it is necessary to implement baseline standards for the rental of residential real property in Spokane, and to streamline and make more affordable the process of obtaining rental housing by establishing portable background checks, tenant relocation, and landlord mitigation programs.
  1. Washington state law and the Spokane Municipal Code already require owners and operators of rental residential properties to secure a business license and the City of Spokane intends to use the revenues from those license fees that would otherwise accrue to the general fund to support tenants and landlords in specific initiatives that will benefit landlords and tenants and increase the supply of habitable residential rental housing.
  1. Washington Law and the Spokane Municipal Code already authorizes Code Enforcement to inspect residential properties within the City for compliance with state and municipal safety and habitability standards with the consent of the resident or by court order.  The City intends to provide additional resources to Code Enforcement for dedicated inspectors to increase inspections regardless of complaints to identify and remedy unsafe and uninhabitable residential conditions regardless of a resident’s willingness to risk complaining.  The City further intends to provide resources to create a position of rental housing navigator to support landlords and tenants in resolving conflicts between each other and City administration in achieving the goals of this chapter.

Date Passed: Monday, February 27, 2023

Effective Date: Sunday, April 9, 2023

ORD C36330 Section 1