The City Council today adopted legislation by a 7-1 vote amending the current Chronic Nuisance Properties Ordinance in order to address after-hours venues and establishments that continually violate laws. Council Bill 121006, proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell and sponsored by Public Safety Committee Chair Bob Kettle (District 7), includes adding liquor violations and the possession and sale of stolen property to the list of chronic nuisance offenses, as well as allowing off-property nuisance activity to count toward determining whether a property is a chronic nuisance.  

“Updating the current ordinance is an important part of our broader strategic public safety framework,” said Public Safety Chair Kettle. “The previous ordinance, while useful, lacked the flexibility to address the challenges of present-day chronic nuisance properties. With our amendments, this fix will ensure that Seattle Police have the tools they need to address the violence, trafficking, and other severe public safety issues that come up, while continuing to keep our residents safe.”

“Public safety is our highest priority, and the City must be able to act quickly and decisively when a property becomes a persistent source of dangerous criminal activity and disorder that puts the surrounding community at risk,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “This update to strengthen our chronic nuisance properties ordinance is an important step in the right direction, protecting our neighborhoods from repeated harm and improving the quality of life for residents. I’m thankful for the support and partnership of the City Council on this effort.”

“As co-sponsor of this bill, I am proud to support this important legislation for our city. Building on the authority we gave to our Fire Chief to abate vacant or unsafe buildings, this Council has created another tool for our law enforcement partners to help keep our neighborhoods and communities safe,” said Public Safety Committee Vice-Chair Rob Saka. “Thank you to Mayor Harrell and Chair Kettle for their partnership on this legislation to keep our city safe.”

Background

The current Chronic Nuisance Properties Ordinance was adopted in 2009 and includes drug related activity, assault, prostitution, obstructing traffic, weapons violations and gang-related activity as qualifying offenses, with three or more occurrences in 60 days, to be considered a chronic nuisance property. The law has been applied 17 times since 2009, with the most recent declaration of a chronic nuisance property in April 2025, involving a deadly shooting near an after-hours nightclub in Seattle.

What the legislation does

This legislation amends the current ordinance to (1) add liquor violations, possession or sale of stolen property, and civil violations related to health and safety to the list offenses and (2) allows nuisance activity off the property to be considered in determining that a property is a chronic nuisance if: it occurs adjacent to or in proximity to the property, involves a person associated with the property, and facts and circumstances establish a connection between the property and the nuisance activity.

What’s next

The legislation will be sent to the Mayor for final signature.

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