Seattle rent control 2026 Washington HB 1217 (RCW §59.18.700): 2026 cap 9.683% (7% + 2.683% Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue CPI-U, June–June). WA’s first-ever rent cap. Prescribed Commerce form required — non-conforming notices void. First-year protection: no increase in first 12 months of any tenancy. 12-year rolling exemption. Cap sunsets July 1, 2040.

Washington’s path to its first rent cap: 1981–2024

Understanding Seattle’s 2026 rent cap requires understanding why it took until 2024 for Washington to have one at all.

In 1981, the Washington State Legislature enacted RCW §35.21.830, which explicitly preempted all local rent control ordinances in Washington. The law stated that cities and towns could not enact any regulation controlling the amount of rent for residential premises — a blanket prohibition that remained on the books for 43 years. Seattle’s City Council explored, voted on, and passed resolutions supporting rent control multiple times during this period, including a high-profile 2023 vote, but each effort was blocked by state preemption. Washington’s renters had no rent-cap protection of any kind during this period.

In 2024, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1217, signed into law by Governor Inslee. HB 1217 created the statewide rent cap framework now codified at RCW §59.18.700. The law simultaneously modified RCW §35.21.830 to allow cities to enact local rent control ordinances that are as protective as or more protective than HB 1217, though as of 2026 no Washington city has enacted a separate local RSO.

HB 1217’s structure was influenced by Oregon SB 611 (ORS §90.323, 2023 revision) and California AB 1482 (Cal. Civ. Code §1947.12, 2019), but it incorporates several features absent from those frameworks — particularly the first-year protection, the prescribed-form requirement, and the AG enforcement mechanism — that reflect lessons from Oregon’s and California’s implementation experience.

HB 1217 formula: Seattle’s 2026 cap calculation

Under RCW §59.18.700(2), the maximum annual rent increase for a covered Washington residential rental unit is the lesser of:

1. 7.0% plus the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area for the 12-month period ending June 30 of the year prior to the increase (the June-to-June window); OR
2. 10.0% absolute ceiling.

For 2026, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA CPI-U (June 2024–June 2025) is approximately 2.683%. Calculation: 7% + 2.683% = 9.683%, below the 10% ceiling. Seattle’s 2026 HB 1217 residential cap is 9.683%.

This cap is statewide — it applies identically to Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Spokane, Olympia, Everett, and all other Washington cities and counties. There is no Seattle-specific CPI adjustment or cap formula. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue MSA CPI is used for the formula because Seattle is the largest city in the MSA; the same CPI series is used for all WA statewide calculations.

Compare to Oregon SB 611: Oregon’s 2026 cap is 9.5% (7% + 2.5% West-Region CPI). Oregon and Washington share the 7% base additive but draw CPI from different regions: Washington uses the Seattle MSA CPI (which captured 2.683% for June–June); Oregon uses the West Region composite (which captured approximately 2.5% for the same period). In most years Seattle MSA CPI and West-Region CPI track closely, but in 2026 Seattle MSA slightly exceeded the West-Region composite, producing a 0.183pp difference in the two caps.

Prescribed Commerce form: the most critical operational requirement

Washington HB 1217 imposes a prescribed-form requirement that has no parallel in any other U.S. rent-cap regime.

Under RCW §59.18.700, every rent increase notice for a covered Seattle residential unit must use the notice form prescribed by the Washington State Department of Commerce. A notice that does not use the Commerce form, or that deviates from the required form content in a material way, is void — it has no legal effect.

Practical consequences of a void notice:

• The purported rent increase does not take effect on the stated effective date.
• The landlord must serve a new, conforming notice using the Commerce-prescribed form, starting a new notice period (90 days for covered increases under RCW §59.18.140).
• Any rent collected above the prior lawful rate during the period when a void notice was in effect constitutes an unlawful rent increase subject to the penalty provisions of RCW §59.18.730.

How this differs from other jurisdictions: California AB 1482 (§827(b) and §1947.13) requires notice content to include the tenant-rights disclosure but allows landlord-drafted notices. Oregon SB 611 (ORS §90.323) has no prescribed-form requirement. Montgomery County Bill 15-23 allows landlord-authored notices with required content. Washington HB 1217 is the only regime where the specific form matters, not just the content — a notice that says all the right things but is not on the Commerce form is still void.

Seattle landlords and property managers should obtain the current Commerce prescribed-form before serving any rent increase notice. The form is available from the Washington State Department of Commerce website and may be updated annually. Using an outdated version of the prescribed form may also render a notice defective.

First-year protection: no increases in the first 12 months of any tenancy

RCW §59.18.700(1)(c) prohibits any rent increase during the first 12 months of any tenancy, regardless of whether the unit is otherwise covered by the HB 1217 rent cap.

This first-year protection is unique among all U.S. rent-cap regimes and has important practical consequences:

• Applies even to exempt buildings. A Seattle landlord with a post-2014 apartment (normally exempt from the 9.683% cap under the 12-year rolling exemption) still cannot raise rent on a new tenant during their first 12 months of occupancy. The first-year protection attaches to the tenancy, not to the building’s coverage status.
• Resets with each new tenancy. When a unit is vacated and a new tenant moves in, the 12-month protection clock resets. A landlord cannot raise rent on the new tenant for 12 months from their commencement of occupancy, even if the prior tenant had been in the unit for years.
• After the first 12 months in an exempt building: the protection expires and the building’s exempt status means the 9.683% cap does not apply either. The landlord may raise rent at market on a covered tenancy that has passed 12 months in an exempt building.

The first-year protection is particularly significant in Seattle’s rental market because of the city’s high tenant-turnover rate in some neighborhoods and the prevalence of short-term leases. In markets with high vacancy churn (e.g., neighborhoods near Amazon’s South Lake Union campus, Capitol Hill, the University District), landlords must track each tenancy’s start date to determine when the 12-month protection expires and when the first increase may be served.

12-year rolling new-construction exemption in Seattle

Under RCW §59.18.700(2)(d), residential units in buildings that received their first certificate of occupancy within the prior 12 years are exempt from the HB 1217 rent cap. For 2026 increases, buildings whose first CoC was issued in or after approximately 2014 are exempt from the 9.683% cap. The window is rolling: a building completed in 2015 becomes HB-1217-covered in 2027.

Seattle’s building-boom context: Seattle built more multi-family residential units per capita than almost any other large U.S. city during the period 2015–2022, driven by Amazon’s corporate campus expansion, tech-sector in-migration, and urban-density policy under the HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda) program. A substantial fraction of Seattle’s current rental housing stock is in post-2014 buildings and is therefore exempt from the 9.683% HB 1217 cap for 2026.

Seattle neighborhoods with significant pre-2014 rental stock (likely to contain HB 1217-covered buildings for 2026):

• Capitol Hill — dense pre-war and mid-century apartment stock; many buildings from 1910s–1970s; significant covered cohort
• First Hill — historic apartment towers and mid-century buildings; pre-2014 stock dominant
• Central District — older single-family and low-rise multi-family housing, largely pre-2000
• University District — pre-war walk-up apartments near UW; post-2015 towers also present but older stock dominant
• Fremont — historic craftsman-era and mid-century buildings; pre-2014 stock concentrated
• Ballard — mixed-era; significant older stock alongside newer post-2014 development
• Rainier Valley — older residential stock including pre-1980 apartments; largely covered under HB 1217
• Beacon Hill — pre-war and mid-century housing; primarily covered under HB 1217
• Wallingford — historic craftsman neighborhood; older multi-family stock largely covered

Seattle neighborhoods with significant post-2014 rental stock (likely to contain HB 1217-exempt buildings for 2026):

• South Lake Union — substantially redeveloped post-2010; most residential towers post-2014, largely exempt
• Belltown (newer towers) — mixed; pre-2000 buildings covered, post-2014 towers exempt
• Uptown / Queen Anne Hill (newer development) — some post-2014 construction near Seattle Center
• South Seattle (new affordable developments) — many post-2014 construction projects by nonprofit developers; check CoC dates

The effective-date trigger: Under HB 1217, the 12-year exemption cutoff is determined by the effective date of the rent increase, not the date the notice was served. If a building’s 12-year CoC anniversary falls between when the notice was served and when the increase would become effective, the cap applies to the increase. This is the “effective-date trigger” — unlike Oregon and California, where serving notice before the 15-year anniversary locks in the exemption regardless of when the increase takes effect, in Washington the landlord must ensure the effective date of the increase falls within the exemption window.

Notice period for Seattle rent increases

Under RCW §59.18.140 as modified by HB 1217, all rent increase notices for covered Seattle residential units require a minimum of 90 calendar days’ written notice before the increase takes effect. This is materially different from California’s 30/90 split notice rule:

• California AB 1482: 30-day notice for increases under 10% (Cal. Civ. Code §827(b)(2)(A)); 90-day notice for 10%+ increases. With CA’s ~8% cap, most 2026 California increases require only 30 days.
• Washington HB 1217: 90-day minimum notice for all covered rent increases, regardless of the percentage amount. A 1% increase and a 9.683% increase both require 90 days’ notice in Washington.

The longer universal notice requirement in Washington means Seattle landlords must plan rent increases well in advance. Add postal delivery time when serving by mail. The 90-day clock begins when the tenant receives the notice, not when it is mailed — best practice is to allow buffer days for mail delivery when calculating the effective date.

Reminder: All covered rent increase notices must use the Washington Commerce Department’s prescribed form. A 90-day notice served without the prescribed form is void and does not start the notice period. Re-service of a conforming notice restarts the 90-day clock from the new service date.

Manufactured home parks: separate 5% cap under RCW §59.20.120

Manufactured home park and mobile home park lot rents in Seattle and statewide Washington are subject to a separate rent cap of 5% per 12 months under RCW §59.20.120. This cap is distinct from HB 1217’s residential cap in several important ways:

• 5% ceiling — lower than the 9.683% HB 1217 cap for standard residential units.
• No sunset provision — the manufactured home park cap does not expire on July 1, 2040 as the HB 1217 residential cap does.
• No 12-year rolling exemption — the manufactured home park cap applies regardless of when the park was established.
• Separate notice requirements — RCW §59.20.090 governs notice for manufactured home park lot rent increases and requires a minimum of three months’ written notice.

Seattle has a small number of manufactured home parks (primarily in the outer neighborhoods and city limits boundary areas). Owners of manufactured homes on rented lots in Seattle are protected by the 5% cap under RCW §59.20.120 regardless of HB 1217’s status or sunset.

HB 1217 sunset: the residential cap expires July 1, 2040

RCW §59.18.700(8) provides that the HB 1217 residential rent cap expires on July 1, 2040 unless the Washington State Legislature acts to extend or make it permanent.

The sunset provision is a structural feature unique to Washington among the four major rolling-exemption rent-cap regimes. Oregon SB 611, California AB 1482, and Montgomery County Bill 15-23 have no statutory expiration dates — they remain in effect until the legislature or council repeals or amends them. Washington’s 16-year sunset reflects the political compromise required to pass HB 1217 in a legislature that had maintained the preemption statute for 43 years.

Practical implications for Seattle landlords and investors:

• The cap is in effect through June 30, 2040, unless extended earlier. After July 1, 2040, Seattle and all Washington residential rents revert to being fully unregulated at the state level (unless a local ordinance has been enacted by then, now permissible under the 2024 amendment to RCW §35.21.830).
• The legislature may extend the sunset date, make the cap permanent, or repeal it before 2040. Political conditions in 2038–2040 will determine which path is taken.
• Long-term lease modeling and investment underwriting should account for the sunset date. A 15-year proforma for a covered Seattle apartment building should include a scenario where the cap ends in 2040.

Penalties for HB 1217 violations in Seattle

RCW §59.18.730 provides the penalty framework. A Seattle landlord who collects rent above the 9.683% HB 1217 cap may face:

• Rent rollback to the lawful HB 1217 rate.
• Refund of all unlawfully collected rent above the cap.
• Damages equal to up to three times the monthly unlawful rent amount, not to exceed three months of the unlawful portion.
• Reasonable attorney fees and court costs to a prevailing tenant.
• Civil penalties up to $7,500 per violation — the highest per-violation civil penalty of any U.S. rent-cap regime. California AB 1482’s treble damages (minimum $250) and Oregon SB 611’s 3 months’ rent multiplier are significant, but Washington’s $7,500/violation ceiling is unique.
• Washington Attorney General parens patriae enforcement: The AG may bring a civil action on behalf of a class of Washington tenants statewide for systematic violations. This AG enforcement authority is unique among U.S. rent-cap regimes and creates systemic compliance pressure on large multi-property operators.

Civil actions for HB 1217 violations are filed in King County Superior Court for Seattle matters. The standard Washington statute of limitations for civil claims applies. Tenants who have paid rent above the HB 1217 cap may recover the excess, treble damages, civil penalties, and attorney fees in a single civil action.

Cross-state comparison: Seattle vs. Portland vs. California

Seattle and Portland are the two largest cities in the Pacific Northwest and the primary markets for their respective statewide rent-cap regimes. Key differences in 2026:

• Seattle (WA HB 1217): 9.683% cap for 2026. 12-year rolling exemption. First-year protection (unique). Prescribed Commerce form (non-conforming notices void). 90-day universal notice. Cap sunsets 2040. AG enforcement + $7,500/violation civil penalty.
• Portland (OR SB 611 / ORS §90.323): 9.5% cap for 2026. 15-year rolling exemption. No first-year protection. No prescribed form. 90-day notice. No sunset. 3 months’ rent multiplier for violations + ORS §90.427 just-cause eviction separately.
• San Francisco (CA AB 1482 + local RSO): SF RSO applies to pre-1979 buildings at a separately set AGA (~60% × CPI); AB 1482 applies to the intermediate cohort at ~8%. No first-year protection. No prescribed form. 30-day notice for sub-10% increases. No sunset. Two-tier local+state structure.

The formula comparison: Seattle and Portland both use 7% + CPI as the base. California AB 1482 uses 5% + CPI. This structural difference means Seattle and Portland caps are consistently higher than California’s statewide cap for equivalent CPI readings, reflecting the legislative judgment in each state about the appropriate balance between tenant protection and landlord return.

The first-year protection gap: A Seattle tenant who moves into a new apartment is protected from any rent increase for the first 12 months, even in an exempt building. A Portland or San Francisco tenant moving into an equivalent new apartment has no equivalent first-year protection under ORS §90.323 or AB 1482 — a landlord in those jurisdictions can raise rent on a new tenant after the first lease term if the building is exempt.

UW students and Seattle rentals

The University of Washington in the University District enrolls approximately 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students, generating significant demand for residential rentals in the U-District and adjacent neighborhoods (Roosevelt, Ravenna, Wallingford, Eastlake). Key HB 1217 considerations for this market:

• On-campus UW housing (dormitories, residence halls, UW-operated graduate apartments) is exempt from HB 1217 as institutional dormitory housing.
• Off-campus private apartments near UW are subject to HB 1217 if in a pre-2014 building. The U-District has substantial pre-war and mid-century apartment stock (many buildings from the 1920s–1960s) that is HB-1217-covered at 9.683%.
• First-year protection is particularly relevant for students who sign year-long leases starting each August–September: the protection ensures no increase during the first academic year of occupancy.
• High-turnover student housing in post-2014 buildings near UW is exempt from the 9.683% cap but still subject to the first-year protection for each new tenancy.

Frequently asked questions