[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6539487,"mediaKeyId","3640848-6c5b17663e76e18b481e36c93e381a26","parentId",3640848,"title","Tacoma committee advances business-license code amendments, holds fees steady for 2025–26","audioSeconds",255,"startMs",173000,"endMs",428000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3640848-6c5b17663e76e18b481e36c93e381a26&start=173&end=428","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3640848-6c5b17663e76e18b481e36c93e381a26/thumbnail_173000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6539487/Tacoma/Pierce-County/Washington/Tacoma-committee-advances-business-license-code-amendments-holds-fees-steady-for-202526","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539487-9a7487e5c85b66d5b86de707d647262d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770436858&Signature=hJijIJRoDT~1IlblJUT85w136YCF0oVr15tYzY9oBFGn7B4mqBhz8NML7Q9LD2MyFhLy2RPTfoTgqHByCPWp9dsMUguzISX4W3g3kTIflZk~rpPFcM~XIKH-QNc-foJC36ytwrAz9HDzSxGXc4hgAr~dvU0tQ0fFqXsl2IkQHX3JayVJ~e-yXADssjfxyj8xkSREdfQnqRNeLeky18q~UILqDddSZwkPmpz5MTVDE5RqxQerKw-zGOxG70dxnYOtJoTqbqUfiuyj47E3BJZhwDS0cdO7~XSrBBO4ImbmbEOYaNjP2cENVcRgoVHojhwFHj35j8UkMLpeyOACBZ6iiA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Tacoma","date","2025-06-03T00:00:00Z","article","The Government Performance & Finance Committee on June 3 voted to forward proposed amendments to Tacoma Municipal Code Title 6B to the full City Council that raise the out-of-city business-license threshold, clarify licensing definitions and make limited procedural changes to appeal timelines.

The changes would raise the minimum threshold for out-of-city businesses from $2,000 to $4,000 and update several regulatory-license fees to better cover inspection and administration costs, Danielle Larson, tax and license manager for the City of Tacoma, told the committee. Larson said staff also proposed renaming the “home occupation” license to “residential business license” and adding a definition of “mailing” to allow three additional days for service when mailed by the U.S. Postal Service to align with a 10-day appeal timeline.

Larson said the state law minimum that allows a city to set a threshold is established in Washington law (RCW), and staff recommended the $4,000 threshold to reduce the number of very small out-of-city sellers required to obtain a Tacoma license. “It’s built in the RCW,” Larson said, explaining why a minimum-exemption threshold exists. She described the increase as targeted at very low-dollar, incidental sales by out-of-city sellers.

The proposal does not change the city’s business-license fee levels for 2025 and 2026. Larson said the City increased annual business-license fees in 2023 and 2024 and directed the Economic Development Department to work with stakeholders in fall 2023 on recommendations for 2025 and beyond; stakeholders expressed a preference for stability, so staff recommended keeping fees at 2024 levels for 2025–26 and returning in early 2026 with a recommendation for the 2027–28 biennium.

On food-truck licensing, Larson told the committee that staff from Community and Economic Development have begun a stakeholder review and that any changes to food-truck licenses should be made in coordination with that process rather than as part of this cleanup. On notification and appeal timelines, staff recommended only the narrow change to the mailing definition for this package because a full alignment across departments would be complex and is beyond the scope of the current cleanup.

Committee members asked several operational questions, including whether sidewalk- or cart-style vendors face a $1 million liability requirement and why that amount was chosen; Larson said the requirement is a risk-management recommendation and that staff will consult Risk Management for further detail. Committee members also discussed when any change to annual fee levels for the 2027–28 biennium should be made; Larson said staff would return during the 2026 budget process with further recommendations after outreach to the business community.

A committee member moved to forward the proposed Title 6B amendments to the full City Council for consideration. The committee approved the motion by voice vote. Larson said the package will be presented at the full council on June 24.

Clarifying details from the meeting include the proposed $4,000 threshold for out-of-city businesses (up from $2,000), staff recommendation to hold annual license-fee levels at 2024 amounts for 2025–26, and the specific procedural change to the definition of mailing (add 3 days to the 10-day appeal timeline).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Tacoma - 20250603 Government Performance Finance Committee - Jun 03, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Government Performance & Finance Committee on June 3 voted to forward proposed amendments to Tacoma Municipal Code Title 6B to the full City Council that raise the out-of-city business-license threshold, clarify licensing definitions and make limited procedural changes to appeal timelines.","taxTitle","Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington","taxId",2675,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6539482,"Tacoma committee approves after-hours club licensing framework with safety-plan, surveillance requirements",114,868000,982000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3640848-6c5b17663e76e18b481e36c93e381a26&start=868&end=982","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3640848-6c5b17663e76e18b481e36c93e381a26/thumbnail_868000.jpg","/articles/6539482/Tacoma/Pierce-County/Washington/Tacoma-committee-approves-after-hours-club-licensing-framework-with-safety-plan-surveillance-requirements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6539482-3aaf365d66d590c76e52888595efe553/orig.mp4?Expires=1770436858&Signature=faOttJ3tNNFpuverAfcLr7tiRcTI3twtjUsaKgH7NT2OHiCCt~Q0LgewlUNOkG5CSKPLi5ZoYRFEWW~xmL4Q8CCZ7emsAT2nmCWRaqhg~Mu3lR~2DnUz57j99Vu3leAB7NErKacDI6KJ4PE-BktZ3mVrSbtytjX6k5SHlzQoO1yB-0J0RLowjIe57r8CGhuz9aTPv9v0NLidYiEr3ZflZl6ARq0wRd1IAwkXRI2U1a-~RQyJcjDAe4rhQy6UxppQc7TphaPGMYwUG~0skMHVGG8mq2J-gjdfc50lRSu8UBmQtmYfnvu3gaVNytZT~INBu5SBE36PC2wrjSb-rMje4Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Government Performance & Finance Committee voted June 3 to send to the full City Council a package creating a new after-hours club license that would regulate social clubs operating between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. and amend entertainment-license chapters 6B.70 and 6B.80 to clarify enforcement and regulated areas.

Danielle Larson, tax and license manager, told the committee the license responds to a small number of after-hours venues that staff and police say have generated serious incidents and neighborhood complaints. Larson said the three most-recent after-hours venues that operated past 2 a.m. were associated with 27 offenses over five years, including four homicides and multiple aggravated assaults. \"By adding this license, it gives the city a tool to ensure that there are safety measures in place, and we can summarily close the business until they choose to come into compliance with the license requirements,\" Larson said.

Under the proposed after-hours club license: live entertainment and dancing would be prohibited between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.; recorded music would be permitted; applicants must submit a written safety plan that Tax & License and the Tacoma Police Department must approve; surveillance would be required at each point of entry; at least two security personnel would be required during operating hours; and staff recommended measures such as metal detectors in some circumstances. An on-site inspection by police and Tax & License would be required before a license could be approved; if a business denied an inspection, the application would be denied and the business could not operate.

Larson said the annual fee for the license is $300 to cover inspection, criminal-background checks on applicants, and administrative review. The proposed amendments also clarify that outdoor areas under the control of an establishment (its curtilage) are part of the regulated premises and that entertainment regulations differ depending on whether the establishment is licensed to serve alcohol by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Corey Darlington of the Tacoma Police Department’s community-policing division told the committee that Tacoma has had a small number of problematic after-hours sites and detailed recent incidents at one location, Night Owl Tavern, including shootings and assaults earlier in 2025. \"We can't prevent everything, but we feel like...it’s a good step forward to try to have a tool or attempt to regulate some of the activity there,\" Darlington said.

Committee members asked about zoning, occupancy limits (fire/occupancy code controls capacity), whether requirements would apply to private clubs, video-camera quality and retention standards, and how to address disturbances occurring in adjacent parking areas or sidewalks. Larson said staff can add rule-level definitions (for example, a baseline video-quality standard and retention period) and will work with risk and police for operational details. Council members discussed that some late-night events—such as broadcasts of overseas sporting events—could be legitimate uses and asked whether the code should allow one-off or special-event extensions; staff said the proposed package contains a permanent license at a $300 annual fee and does not create a temporary-event option as part of this amendment.

A committee member moved to forward the after-hours and entertainment-code amendments to the full City Council for consideration. The committee approved the motion by voice vote. Staff said the amendments will appear for first reading at full council on June 24 and second reading on July 1.","The committee forwarded proposed amendments creating an \"after-hours club\" license for establishments operating between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., plus clarifications to entertainment-license chapters. The package requires written safety plans approved by police, video surveillance, minimum security staffing and a $300 annual fee.","actionData","errors"]

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Tacoma committee advances business-license code amendments, holds fees steady for 2025–26

Tacoma committee approves after-hours club licensing framework with safety-plan, surveillance requirements