Washington — Ch. 26 Art. III Housing § 26-65
Minimum sanitary and safety standards
Operative Text
The owner of any building or structure, as those terms are defined in the city zoning code, within the city shall cause each building or structure owned to comply with the following sanitary and safety standards: (1) Every foundation, roof, exterior wall, skylight, hatchway, window, door, outside stair, porch and every appurtenance thereto shall be weathertight, watertight, and rodentproof; (2) Every foundation, roof, exterior wall, skylight, hatchway, window, door, outside stair, porch and every appurtenance thereto shall be kept free of loose, missing or rotting boards, timbers, bricks, stone and other structural material; and (3) Every foundation, roof, exterior wall, floor, outside stair, porch and every appurtenance thereto shall be safe to use and capable of supporting the load which normal use may cause to be placed thereon.
Washington Ch. 26 Art. III Housing § 26-65 establishes baseline sanitary and safety standards that all buildings and structures within the city must meet. The rule requires that exterior elements—including foundations, roofs, walls, windows, doors, stairs, and porches—be weathertight, watertight, and rodentproof, and kept free of loose, missing, or rotting structural materials. Additionally, load-bearing components such as floors, foundations, and exterior stairs must be structurally sound and capable of safely supporting normal use.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 26-65, property owners are responsible for ensuring that every covered building or structure meets the three enumerated sanitary and safety standards at all times. Compliant operators typically conduct routine inspections of foundations, roofs, exterior walls, windows, doors, stairs, and porches to identify and promptly repair weathering, water intrusion, rodent entry points, and deteriorating structural materials. Maintaining documentation of inspections and repairs is a common practice among operators seeking to demonstrate ongoing compliance with these minimum standards.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 26-65 establishes minimum conditions that the buildings tenants occupy must legally meet, including structural soundness, weather and water resistance, and freedom from rodent entry points. Tenants who observe conditions such as rotting boards, missing structural materials, leaking roofs, or unsafe stairs may have grounds to report these issues to the local code enforcement or housing authority responsible for enforcing § 26-65. General enforcement paths can include filing a complaint with the relevant city department, raising habitability conditions as a defense in certain legal proceedings, or reaching out to a local tenant-rights organization for guidance on available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 10, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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