FEES FOR SERVICES AND FACILITIES

SEA-MC tit. 18, ch. 18.28

in effect

Seattle Mun. Code § 18.28.010 Fee schedule established

18.28.010 - Fee schedule established A. The Superintendent of Department of Parks and Recreation is authorized to charge the fees substantially in the form set forth in a fee schedule adopted by ordinance for all uses of Department of Parks and Recreation facilities identified therein. B. The Superintendent is also authorized to waive or reduce such fees, establish experimental rates, and engage in special promotional and marketing activities as conditioned in Sections 18.28.020 through 18.28.040. All fees and charges shall remain in effect unless they are repealed, superseded, or amended by ordinance. C. The Superintendent is authorized to set rates for publicly available electric vehicle charging stations in parking facilities owned or controlled by the Department: 1. A per-session fee for public use of electric vehicle charging stations in parking facilities owned or controlled by the Department shall be within rate limits established by this subsection 18.28.010.C. In setting rates, the Superintendent is not subject to Chapter 3.02 of the Seattle Municipal Code. 2. Such per-session fees shall be set based on expected operating costs and expected vehicle charging station use. For the purpose of this sub-section, "operating costs" shall include electricity costs related to the charging stations, and may include the Department's costs of planning and administration, fees charged by vendors for management services and routine maintenance of the charging stations, facility enforcement costs and other reasonable costs associated with vehicle charging station operations. 3. The Superintendent shall consult with the Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment, the Director of Finance and Administrative Services, the Director of the Seattle Center Department, and the Seattle City Librarian to identify a single per-session electric vehicle charging fee to be used by all City departments that is no higher than $4.00 per session (Maximum electric vehicle charging station per-session fee) and, when charging fees are in effect, no lower than $1.50 per session (Minimum electric vehicle charging station per-session fee). The Superintendent is authorized to set the electric vehicle charging fee at the level identified during the consultation. All electric vehicle charging station fees will be in addition to general parking fees and inclusive of any taxes. After December 31, 2016, the Superintendent is authorized to set electric vehicle charging station fees without regard to the maximum and minimum electric vehicle charging station per-session fees set forth in this subsection. (Ord. 125208, § 2, 2016; Ord. 124642, § 2, 2014; Ord. 124344, § 2, 2013; Ord. 124036, § 2, 2012; Ord. 123759, § 2, 2011; Ord. 123712, § 5, 2011; Ord. 123469, § 2, 2010; Ord. 123159, § 2, 2009; Ord. 122850, § 2, 2008; Ord. 122283, § 1, 2006; Ord. 121986, § 1, 2005; Ord. 121662, § 1, 2004; Ord. 121347, § 1, 2003; Ord. 121010, § 1, 2002; Ord. 120986, § 1, 2002; Ord. 120638, § 1, 2001; Ord. 120422, § 1, 2001; Ord. 120168, § 1, 2000; Ord. 119757, § 1, 1999; Ord. 119491, § 1, 1999; Ord. 119249, § 1, 1998; Ord. 119108, § 1, 1998; Ord. 118815, § 1, 1997; Ord. 118474, § 1, 1997; Ord. 118375, § 1, 1996; Ord. 118201, § 3, 1996; Ord. 117887, § 2, 1995; Ord. 117388, § 1, 1994; Ord. 117270, § 3, 1994; Ord. 116929, § 1, 1993; Ord. 116443, § 1, 1992; Ord. 115919, § 1, 1991; Ord. 115440, § 1, 1990; Ord. 114812, § 1, 1989; Ord. 114228, § 1, 1988; Ord. 113736, § 1, 1987; Ord. 113179, § 1, 1986; Ord. 112568, § 1(part), 1985.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 18.28.020 Special promotional and marketing activities.

18.28.020 - Special promotional and marketing activities. A. The Superintendent of Parks and Recreation is authorized to undertake special promotional and marketing activities for the use of departmental facilities including but not limited to the Zoo, the Aquarium, swimming pools, golf facilities, community centers, ballfields and tennis center and to reduce or waive fees in connection therewith. A waiver or reduction from the established fees for special promotional or marketing purposes shall comply with the following five (5) criteria: 1. The waiver or reduction of the fee shall accord with sound management practices for municipal facilities of like character. It shall fulfill a declared objective furthering a departmental purpose such as acquainting the public with the facility or the service provided by the department thereby establishing or broadening public usage; reaching out to people who would not otherwise make use of the facility; or securing advertising, services or other benefits from a sponsor or those attending. 2. The promotion and the fee waiver or reduction shall appear appropriate to the City's facility. It should avoid the appearance of a City endorsement or approval of a private product, service, or activity; the use of public facilities for electoral purposes prohibited by RCW 42.17.130; or the granting of special privileges to a particular portion of the populace. 3. The promotion and attendance under the waiver or lower charge shall respect the use and enjoyment of the facility by people paying the established fee. In addition, those attending under the promotion should have an opportunity to use and enjoy the facility, without overcrowding. 4. Waivers or reduced fees shall be treated as special or extraordinary occurrences. Their frequency and extent, in aggregate, shall not have the effect of subverting the established fee schedule through a multiplicity of special rates or by inducing the public to anticipate and defer usage of a facility in order to take advantage of recurrent promotions. 5. The opportunity to sponsor an arrangement under conditions set forth in Exhibit B, [3] shall be made available to individuals, associations, and businesses, similarly situated, on an equal basis, in accord with and subject to the Superintendent's rules. B. The circumstances when waivers or reduced fees are available shall be defined by rules promulgated by the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation pursuant to the Administrative Code, Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 3.02. (Ord. 118375 § 2, 1996; Ord. 112568 § 1(part), 1985.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 18.28.030 Waiver of fees for individuals or groups.

18.28.030 - Waiver of fees for individuals or groups. A. The Superintendent of Parks and Recreation may waive or reduce an entry or use fee contained in the established fee schedule for an organization, association, group of individuals, or an individual, and authorize the supervisor of a facility to do so, irrespective of any special promotion or event whenever: 1. Such a waiver vindicates a constitutional right guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution through its Fourteenth Amendment or Article I, Section 3 of the Washington Constitution; 2. The user, including but not limited to departmental advisory councils or societies organized to assist the Woodland Park Zoo or the Aquarium, the conservatory in Volunteer Park, the Arboretum at Washington Park, or horticultural areas provides services or assistance to the Department in lieu of the fee that would otherwise apply, or provides in-kind services or leaves improvements to the facility that offset the reduced fee revenue; 3. The user is poor or infirm or is a charitable organization assisting the poor or infirm, and charging the fee would have the effect of depriving the individual of reasonable access to the facility or of opportunity to participate in a public event, and would cause hardship or directly reduce the assistance such organization provides to the poor or infirm; 4. The user is an organization serving the public or the community, lacks its own facility as a result of a calamity or other temporary distress, and there is a perceived moral obligation toward the organization or its members at a moment of crisis; 5. Another government requests use of the facility for a public purpose; or the use is granted under a reciprocal use of facilities agreement with another municipal government; 6. Free admission to the facility furthers a departmental purpose, e.g., the person is a volunteer for a department-sponsored or co-sponsored event, participates in an athletic event for public spectators, or enters in connection with a work assignment or to assist a concessionaire or as a parent or guardian to assist the Department in the instruction or care of a minor or ward; 7. The entry is under authority of law (e.g., governmental inspectors, law enforcement officers, officials with subpoenas who act in the scope and course of their duties) or under a contract right or privilege; or 8. In the opinion of the Superintendent, the waiver or reduction is in the overall public interest due to extraordinary facts or circumstances. B. In determining whether a fee should be waived or reduced, the Superintendent shall be guided by the benefit to the public and the Department when granting the request, the frequency and amount of usage requested, the effect on and fairness to other users, its consistency with policies underlying the fee schedule and this chapter, and the consequences of denying the request. (Ord. 112568 § 1(part), 1985.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 18.28.035 Refunding of certain fees

18.28.035 - Refunding of certain fees Whenever a fee is paid for the use of Department of Parks and Recreation facilities or property or for participation in a Department of Parks and Recreation sponsored class or program, and no use or rights have been exercised pursuant thereto and application is made for refund, the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation may authorize such fee refunded. ([Renumbered from 3.106.020]; Ord. 105631, § 1, 1976.)

Seattle Mun. Code § 18.28.040 Experimental rates.

18.28.040 - Experimental rates. A. With the concurrence of the City Budget Director, the Superintendent of Parks and Recreation is authorized to adjust the fee or charge contained in the established fee schedule for any particular facility on a temporary basis of up to 60 days in order to increase public attendance or usage and the resulting revenues. Temporary rates may take the form of special price during a special time, e.g., a half-price rate for entry to a park facility during the final hour before closing, a lower rate for children when half or more of the allotted time for family or children's usage has expired, or a two for one entry for a handicapped individual and a person who accompanies and assists a handicapped individual. B. The Superintendent shall report to the City Council in conjunction with the presentation of the Department's proposed budget, the Department's experience with any experimental rates during the preceding 12 months. (Ord. 123361, § 271, 2010; Ord. 112568 § 1(part), 1985.)

Source: City of Seattle, Seattle Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT18PARE_CH18.28FESEFAFetched: 11/1/2026