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City attorney proposes civil penalty for graffiti; ordinance would allow $1,000 fines plus restitution
Summary
City Attorney Anne Davison presented Council Bill 120,995 on June 24, 2025, proposing a new civil cause of action against graffiti taggers that would authorize $1,000 per violation plus restitution or community-service conversion; city staff cited roughly 28,000 graffiti incidents in 2024 and $6 million in cleanup costs.
City Attorney Anne Davison presented legislation to the Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee on June 24, 2025, seeking new civil tools to hold prolific graffiti taggers accountable and recover cleanup costs.
The proposed ordinance, Council Bill 120,995, would add a civil cause of action to the Seattle Municipal Code (new section 10.07.055) that allows the city attorney to file a civil claim in Seattle Municipal Court against individuals or entities who apply illegal graffiti. The civil remedy would permit judgments of $1,000 per violation plus restitution for labor and materials; the bill would allow courts to convert monetary damages into community service hours in lieu of payment.
Davison told the committee the proposal is intended…
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