King County Emergency Prodecures

The King County Superior Couty enacted numerous emergency court orders, some of which affect eviction cases. Here is a quick summary of a few of the key provisions from various emergency orders that impact landlords seeking to evict a tenant. This is a short summary, is not comprehensive, and is not a substitute for legal advice.

  • Parties are required to make a good faith effort to mediate prior to setting a show cause hearing.
  • The landlord must when moving for a hearing date file a declaration that shows the efforts at mediation and verifies the federal CARES act moratorium does not apply.
  • All hearings are conducted by phone unless in rare circumstances the court approves in-person appearances.
  •  If arguing an exception to the eviction moratoriums (state, federal, and local) the landlord must file and serve the tenants with a declaration providing specific facts justifying the exception.

This is a short summary of the many new emergency provision for King County. It is current as of June 12, 2020. These laws have and may during the pandemic continue to frequently change.