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 10.57.100
 

Title 10 Regulation of Activities

Division II. License Code

Chapter 10.57 Regulation of Residential Rental Housing

Section 10.57.100 Legal Services, Habitability, and Relocation Programs

 

  1. The City of Spokane is authorized to use monies from the Legal Services, Habitability, and Relocation Fund to expand access to cooling, heating, and weatherization services that improve public health and safety and improve the habitability of the city’s housing stock. Additionally, the City may contract with another entity to provide attorney services for landlord and tenant legal services and mediation costs, with a focus on habitability and violations of the Chapter 59.18 RCW - Residential Landlord Tenant Act (“RLTA”).
  1. The City is further authorized to disburse monies from the Legal Services, Habitability, and Relocation Fund to provide immediate relocation funds to tenants living in rental units that are below the standards of habitability and likely to be able to recover relocation funds from their landlord, which will reimburse the fund.  The City is also authorized to disburse monies from the Legal Services, Habitability, and Relocation Fund to landlords to assist with tenant removal or relocation.
  1. Minimum program requirements:
    1. A program that focuses on pursuing legal remedies for rental housing units that clearly fall below standard of habitability defined in the Spokane Municipal Code and/or violate the RLTA in consultation with Code Enforcement.
    1. A program that provides prompt relocation funds from City directly to the tenant once it appears that a landlord is more likely than not to be held liable under state law and then collects from the landlord and any settlement funds as first priority a reimbursement to the relocation funds advanced
    1. A program that builds increased capacity for cooling, heating, and weatherization services that improve public health and safety and improve the habitability of the city’s housing stock, including education and outreach.
    1. Services provided under this section may only be provided to individuals that meet the criteria established under SMC 08.07C.

 

Date Passed: Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Effective Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026

ORD C36922 Section 2