Tacoma committee reviews rental-housing and Landlord Fairness Code overlay after new state law

Tacoma staff told the Community Vitality and Safety Committee on June 12 that city landlords must follow three overlapping sets of rules — Tacoma’s rental housing code (TMC 1.95), the locally adopted Landlord Fairness Code initiative (LFCI, cited in the packet as TMC 1.1 hundred) and the state’s new rent-stabilization law, House Bill 1217, which took effect May 7, 2025.

The committee’s chair opened the briefing by thanking staff: “I appreciate the work staff did to provide us today's briefing,” and said the session was intended to build a shared factual baseline before any policy decisions. Shaqueta Elder, landlord–tenant coordinator for the City of Tacoma’s Community and Economic Development (CED) department, gave the presentation and described the three regulatory layers, compliance challenges and next steps.

Why it matters: The three sets of rules include overlapping protections but differ in timing, enforcement and triggers for tenant relocation assistance. The differences affect notice periods landlords must give, how late fees are calculated, and when relocation payments are owed — all items that affect tenants’ housing stability and landlords’ operations.

Most important facts

- Tacoma’s rental housing code (TMC 1.95) was updated and went into effect on July 23, 2023; it standardizes tenant screening…