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Shoreline council adopts truck-route ordinance to restrict heavy trucks on non-designated streets
Summary
Ordinance 1038 establishes new Shoreline Municipal Code chapter 10.12 to prohibit heavy trucks on streets that are not designated truck routes except for local deliveries or permitted use; enforcement will be by police and code enforcement, and permits will generally run one year.
Shoreline — The Shoreline City Council unanimously passed Ordinance 1038 on July 28, creating a new Shoreline Municipal Code chapter (SMC 10.12) that restricts heavy-truck use on streets that are not designated truck routes.
The ordinance, which amends SMC chapter 12.15 (use of right of way), prohibits heavy trucks from traveling on nondesignated streets except when making local deliveries or when the city issues a permit. The council approved the ordinance after a motion to adopt by a councilmember and a second; the motion passed unanimously.
Staff described enforcement options during the presentation. "Police can enforce the heavy truck violations after signs are installed prohibiting trucks on certain streets," a staff member said, noting that officers can check a vehicle’s gross vehicle weight via registration. The staff member also said the city’s code-enforcement team can address violations tied to construction permits.
Councilmembers asked practical questions about enforcement and penalties. Deputy Mayor Mark asked whether fees for repeat violations increase; staff said the fee schedule is fixed under state law (Revised Code of Washington) and that the city can pursue code-based repeat-offender mechanisms and could deny future permits to entities found in violation. Staff clarified that most permits related to construction will be tied to construction permits and that the standard permit term is intended to be one year.
Council members also sought a reporting mechanism on enforcement activity. Staff responded that code-enforcement actions should be straightforward to track and that moving violations tied to disobeying traffic signs would be coordinated with King County courts and police records; staff said they expect to be able to coordinate that data for periodic reporting to council.
The ordinance defines heavy trucks by gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR); staff noted the 20,000-pound GVWR threshold means common delivery vans (for example, Amazon "Sprinter" vans) generally will not meet the heavy-truck definition. The ordinance will be implemented with signage and the city’s existing enforcement resources under current budget assumptions.
The council recorded unanimous aye votes on the ordinance; no amendments were made on the floor.
