Kent adopts King County for‑hire rules, authorizes interlocal agreement

Kent City Council adopted ordinance 4518 on June 30, replacing Chapter 5.03 of the Kent City Code with King Countyfor‑hire transportation provisions and authorized the mayor to sign an interlocal agreement delegating licensing and enforcement to King County.

Why it matters: the action moves Kent onto the regional licensing model King County updated this year and clarifies which licensing and enforcement functions will be handled by the county rather than the city.

Deputy City Attorney Christina Shook told the council that the cityhas partnered with King County on for‑hire regulation since 1975 and that KingstonCountyrecent code updates "modernize the provisions to address how these services have evolved" and create a regional licensing model. "King County doesn't charge the city for these these services. They just keep the fees and the fines that they collect," Shook said.

The ordinance adopts King Countycode provisions by reference and confirms the city may still collect a general business license fee where applicable. Shook said the interlocal agreement (ILA) delegates authority to King County to issue, deny, restrict and revoke licenses and medallions, and to conduct administrative appeals. She added the ILA renews annually unless terminated and is a standardized contract used by multiple cities.

Council members asked clarifying questions about when a city business license would still be required. Shook said that depends on city code language but that companies likely remain responsible for a Kent business license if applicable.

Council action: The presiding officer moved to adopt ordinance 4518; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote. The presiding officer then moved to authorize the mayor to sign the interlocal agreement with King County; that motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.

The ordinance and ILA are intended to implement the countystandards locally rather than change the citypractice; Shook said the city has delegated these functions to King County for decades. The new local code references King Countyrequirements for fees, driver conduct and vehicle safety; specific King County code language is adopted by reference rather than reprinted in Kent's code.

Next steps: The ILA will take effect according to its terms; King County will administer licensing, collect fees and enforce the adopted provisions. The city attorney's office and business licensing staff will coordinate to confirm where Kent business licenses remain required.