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 15
Chapter 15.02
Section 15.02.040
 

Title 15 Environmental Stewardship

Chapter 15.02 Carbon Monoxide Nonattainment Area Implementation Plan

Section 15.02.040 Excessive Idling Prohibited
  1. Excessive Idling in the Central Business District Portion of the Nonattainment Area Prohibited.

Unless permitted by subsection (B) of this section it is unlawful for the operator of any vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine while located in the CBD portion of the non-attainment area to cause said engine to idle for a period longer than sixty seconds.

  1. Idling Permitted.

To the extent necessary for the specified purpose, idling is permitted in the following cases:

    1. Police, sheriff, or other law enforcement vehicles, including meter patrols, as required for safe and effective performance.
    1. Fire department vehicles, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles when responding to an emergency or when the use of special equipment requires that the engines remain in operation.
    1. Construction or demolition equipment or other machinery when actually employed at the site of such work, and only to the extent necessary for efficient operation.
    1. Trucks, buses, or automobiles equipped with lift gates, winches, or other devices powered by take-offs from their engines, to the extent necessary to allow use of those devices provided; provided, however, that this subsection does not authorize idling solely for the purpose of operating any heating device, radio, power-assisted brakes, steering, seat adjustment, or any luxury device not then required for safe operation of the vehicle.
    1. Vehicles participating in parades if licensed under chapter 10.39 SMC.
    1. Buses or other mass transit vehicles while operated on a regular schedule.
    1. Insofar as necessary for diagnosis, adjustment, or testing, vehicles undergoing repair or maintenance, but only when on the premises of the owner or person performing the work.
    1. Any vehicle when required in an emergency for the protection of life, health, or property.
  1. Notices.

The street director shall cause to be placed such notices as the director may deem necessary to inform drivers of the prohibition against excessive vehicle idling; however, actual knowledge of the prohibition is not an element of an offense under this chapter.

Date Passed: Monday, June 25, 2007

Effective Date: Saturday, August 4, 2007

Recodification ORD C34055 Section 1