Vacant building rules in Seattle.
What Seattle requires of owners of empty buildings, what the monitoring program costs each month, and how to keep a vacant property out of it.
What does Seattle require of vacant building owners?
In Seattle it is legal for a building to be vacant, but not open to unauthorized entry. Broken windows and doors must be covered with plywood, metal, or hardened polycarbonate firmly screwed and bolted in place, one operable door must be kept, the property must be free of graffiti with no parking, and firefighters must be able to get in safely. Buildings that fall short go into SDCI's vacant building monitoring program, inspected monthly at $332.36 to $781.84 a month until three clean inspections in a row, and violations can bring fines starting at $150 a day.
Closed to entry, and watched
Plywood keeps most people out; cameras tell you about the ones who try. 911 Sentinel watches a vacant building through the night: an alert reaches our team within 30 seconds, an operator warns the person off through the camera within 3 minutes, then we call your team and the police. Every alert is timestamped, with 90 days of video, so you have a record of each night.
What owners must do
- Keep it closed: "While it is legal for a building to be vacant, we do not allow owners to leave a building open to unauthorized entry."
- Cover openings where glass or locks are broken with plywood, metal, or hardened polycarbonate, firmly screwed and bolted in place.
- Keep one operable door into the building.
- Keep the building free of graffiti; parking is not allowed at vacant properties.
- Make sure firefighters can safely get into the building.
- For buildings broken into again and again, SDCI says owners will need to go beyond the minimum standards.
The vacant building monitoring program
A vacant building lands in the program when SDCI receives a complaint, when SPD or the fire department complains, or when the property is in the development process. SDCI inspects every building in the program monthly and bills the owner each time.
| Condition of the property | Monthly fee |
|---|---|
| Closed to entry and in compliance with codes | $332.36 |
| Closed to entry, not in compliance with codes | $651.82 |
| Not closed to entry, regardless of compliance | $781.84 |
A building leaves the program after three consecutive monthly inspections with no violations.
Fines, liens, and the fire department
- Violations can bring fines starting at $150 a day.
- If the City has to board up or demolish a vacant building at its own expense, it seeks reimbursement, and a tax lien may be placed on the property.
- Fires in vacant buildings rose from 77 in 2021 to 91 in 2022 and 130 in 2023, when three people died. A 2024 law lets the Fire Chief order and complete remediation or demolition of dangerous vacant buildings.
- Vacant commercial property can also be enrolled in SPD's Trespass Warning Program, so police can warn and remove people on your behalf.
Common questions
How much is Seattle's vacant building monitoring fee?
Under the 2026 fee subtitle, $332.36 a month for a building closed to entry and in compliance, $651.82 if closed but not in compliance, and $781.84 if it is not closed to entry.
How does a building get out of Seattle's vacant building monitoring program?
After three consecutive monthly inspections with no violations found, the building is removed from the program.
Is it legal to leave a building vacant in Seattle?
Yes. SDCI says it is legal for a building to be vacant, but owners may not leave it open to unauthorized entry.
Sources
Checked .
- SDCI Tip 605, vacant building maintenance standards
- SDCI, vacant building standards
- SDCI, common questions: vacant buildings
- Seattle 2026 fee subtitle (SMC 22.900F)
- SDCI Tip 601, vacant buildings
- Office of the Mayor, legislation on dangerous vacant buildings (June 6, 2024)
- Seattle Police Department, Trespass Warning Program
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