Graffiti and nuisance property rules in Seattle.
What Seattle and Tacoma expect from property owners about graffiti and repeat criminal activity on a property: the deadlines, the penalties, and how to report it.
What are a property owner's duties for graffiti and nuisance activity in Seattle?
Under Seattle's graffiti nuisance ordinance, once a property is declared a graffiti nuisance and the owner is served notice, the graffiti must be removed within 10 calendar days, or the Hearing Examiner can assess penalties of up to $100 a day, to a maximum of $5,000. Separately, a property with three or more police-reported nuisance activities in 60 days, or seven or more in 12 months, can be declared a chronic nuisance property: the owner has seven days to respond to the Chief of Police, and penalties run up to $750 a day and up to $37,500.
A record for every report
Both laws turn on what can be shown. 911 Sentinel cameras flag a person on the property at night, an operator warns them off within 3 minutes and calls your team and the police, and every alert is timestamped with 90 days of video, so a police report has the time, the place, and a description.
Seattle's graffiti nuisance process
- Report graffiti on the Graffiti Report Line at (206) 684-4243, the online form, or the Find It, Fix It app.
- File a police report at (206) 625-5011 when graffiti appears on your property, and call 911 for graffiti in progress.
- Seattle aims to remove reported graffiti on private property within 45 to 60 days.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Letter | SPU sends the owner a letter asking for the graffiti to be removed, usually after a call to the Graffiti Report Line. |
| Official notice | If it stays, the property is declared a graffiti nuisance; notice is served in person or by certified mail and posted on the property. |
| 10 calendar days | The deadline to remove the graffiti after receiving the official notice. |
| Hearing | If it still isn't removed, the owner is called before the City's Hearing Examiner. |
| Penalty | Up to $100 a day, to a maximum of $5,000, from the correction date. |
Seattle's chronic nuisance property law
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Threshold | Three or more nuisance activities in any 60 days, or seven or more in any 12 months, each resulting in a police incident report. |
| Response | The owner and other persons in charge must respond to the Chief of Police within seven days of the notice to discuss how to correct the nuisance. |
| Daily penalty | Up to $750 a day against the person in charge. |
| Maximum penalty | Up to $37,500. |
Tacoma
- Tacoma's chronic nuisance code covers three chronic nuisance activities in 60 days, four in six months, six in 12 months, or two drug search warrants in 12 months.
- The owner must complete a Correction Agreement drafted with City staff; owners who don't can face criminal charges with a fine of up to $5,000 or up to a year in jail.
- Tacoma's free graffiti removal program runs on a signed permission slip good until January 1, 2027, depends on available funds, and doesn't change that the property owner is responsible for removal.
Common questions
How long do I have to remove graffiti in Seattle?
10 calendar days after receiving the official graffiti nuisance notice. After that, the Hearing Examiner can assess penalties of up to $100 a day, to a maximum of $5,000.
What makes a property a chronic nuisance in Seattle?
Three or more nuisance activities in any 60-day period, or seven or more in any 12 months, each resulting in a police incident report.
What is the penalty for a chronic nuisance property in Seattle?
Up to $750 a day against the person in charge, and up to $37,500, under SMC 10.09 as amended in 2025.
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