Denial, revocation of, or refusal to renew business license
Seattle Mun. Code § 6.208.020
in effect6.208.020 - Denial, revocation of, or refusal to renew business license
A. In addition to any other powers and authority provided under this Title 6, the Director, or the Director's designee, has the power and authority to deny, revoke, or refuse to renew any business license issued under the provisions of this Chapter 6.208. The Director, or the Director's designee, shall notify such applicant or licensee in writing by mail of the denial, revocation of, or refusal to renew the license and on what grounds such a decision was based. The Director may deny, revoke, or refuse to renew any license issued under this Chapter 6.208 on one or more of the following grounds:
1. The license was procured by fraud or false representation of fact.
2. The licensee has failed to comply with any provisions of this Chapter 6.208.
3. The licensee has failed to comply with any provisions of Chapters 5.35, 5.37, 5.38, 5.39, 5.40, 5.45, 5.46, 5.48, 5.50, or 5.52.
4. The licensee is in default in any payment of any license fee or tax under Title 5 or Title 6.
5. The property at which the business is located has been determined by a court to be a chronic nuisance property as provided in Chapter 10.09.
6. The applicant or licensee has been convicted of theft under subsection 12A.08.060.A.4 within the last ten years.
7. The applicant or licensee is a person subject within the last ten years to a court order entering final judgment for violations of chapters 49.46, 49.48, or 49.52 RCW, or 29 U.S.C. 206 or 29 U.S.C. 207, and the judgment was not satisfied within 30 days of the later of either:
a. The expiration of the time for filing an appeal from the final judgment order under the court rules in effect at the time of the final judgment order; or
b. If a timely appeal is made, the date of the final resolution of that appeal and any subsequent appeals resulting in final judicial affirmation of the findings of violations of chapters 49.46, 49.48, or 49.52 RCW, or 29 U.S.C. 206 or 29 U.S.C. 207.
8. The applicant or licensee is a person subject within the last ten years to a final and binding citation and notice of assessment from the Washington Department of Labor and Industries for violations of chapters 49.46, 49.48, or 49.52 RCW, and the citation amount and penalties assessed therewith were not satisfied within 30 days of the date the citation became final and binding.
9. Pursuant to relevant provisions in Title 8, subsections 14.16.100.A.4, 14.17.075.A, 14.19.100.A.4, 14.20.080.A.4, 14.22.115.A.4, 14.23.115.A.4, 14.26.210.A.4, 14.27.210.A.4, 14.28.210.A.4, 14.30.180.A.4, 14.33.210.A.4, and 14.34.210.A.4, the applicant or licensee has failed to comply, within 30 days of service of any settlement agreement, with any final order issued by the Director of the Office of Labor Standards, or any final order issued by the Hearing Examiner under Title 8, Chapters 14.16, 14.17, 14.19, 14.20, 14.22, 14.23, 14.26, 14.27, 14.28, 14.29, 14.30, 14.33, and 14.34 for which all appeal rights have been exhausted, and the Director of the Office of Labor Standards has requested that the Director deny, refuse to renew, or revoke any business license held or requested by the applicant or licensee. The denial, refusal to renew, or revocation shall remain in effect until such time as the violation(s) under Title 8, Chapters 14.16, 14.17, 14.19, 14.20, 14.22, 14.23, 14.26, 14.27, 14.28, 14.29, 14.30, 14.33, and 14.34 are remedied.
10. The business is one that requires an additional license under this Title 6 and the business does not hold that license.
11. The business has been determined under a separate enforcement process to be operating in violation of law.
B. Within 30 days from the date that the notice of denial, revocation or refusal to renew notice was mailed to the applicant or licensee, the applicant or licensee may appeal such refusal to issue, revocation or refusal to renew by filing a written notice of appeal ("petition") setting forth the grounds therefor with the Office of the Hearing Examiner. The applicant or licensee must provide a copy of the petition to the Director and the City Attorney on or before the date the petition is filed with the Hearing Examiner. The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures for hearing contested cases in Chapter 3.02. The Director or the Director's designee shall have the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that grounds for denying, suspending, or revoking a license existed. The Hearing Examiner shall set a date for hearing said appeal and notify the licensee of the time and place of the hearing. After the hearing thereon the Hearing Examiner shall, after making appropriate findings of fact and conclusions of law, affirm, modify, or overrule the denial, revocation or refusal to renew, and issue or reinstate the license. The Hearing Examiner may impose any terms upon the issuance or continuance of the license that may be advisable. No denial, revocation of, or refusal to renew a license issued pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter 6.208 shall take effect until 30 days after the mailing of the notice thereof by the Director, and if appeal is taken as herein prescribed, the refusal to issue, revocation or refusal to renew shall be stayed pending final action by the Hearing Examiner. All licenses that are revoked or refused to be renewed by the Director shall be surrendered to the City on the effective date of such revocation or refusal to renew. No business license shall be renewed and no new license shall be issued to the licensee or to any person (as defined by Section 5.30.305) in which the licensee is a principal for a period of one year where the license has been revoked or not renewed by a decision of the Director pursuant to this Section 6.208.020. The decision of the Hearing Examiner shall be final. The licensee and/or the Director may seek review of the decision of the Hearing Examiner in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County within 14 days from the date of the decision.
C. Upon revocation of any license no portion of any license fee shall be returned to the licensee.
D. The period of denial, revocation or non-renewal for grounds stated in subsections A.1, A.5, A.6, A.7, A.8, and A.11 of this Section 6.208.020 shall be at least one year, and the licensee or any person (as defined in Section 5.30.305) that is or was a principal of the licensee shall not again be licensed during such period.
E. The period of denial, revocation or non-renewal for grounds stated in subsections A.2, A.3, A.4, A.9, and A.10 of this Section 6.208.020 shall last until the violation or default is cured. If the violation cannot be cured, the period of denial, revocation or non-renewal shall last until the end of the license period in which the non-issuance, revocation or non-renewal occurred.
(Ord. I-137, § 11, 2025; Ord. No. 126880, § 13, 2023; Ord. 126595, § 6, 2022; Ord. 126373, § 4, 2021; Ord. 126274, § 4, 2021; Ord. 126108, § 11, 2020; Ord. 126189, § 5, 2020; Ord. 126094, § 3, 2020; Ord. 126091, § 3, 2020; Ord. 125930, § 3, 2019; Ord. 125929, § 3, 2019; Ord. 125928, § 3, 2019; Ord. 125923, § 3, 2019; Ord. 125627, § 2, 2018; Ord. 125684, § 3, 2018; Ord. 125203, § 4, 2016; Ord. 124963, § 1, 2015)
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=TIT6BURE_SUBTITLE_IVNELICO_CH6.208LIRE_6.208.020DEREREREBULIFetched: 11/1/2026