Chapter 9.85
PROPERTY, CRIMES RELATING TO

Sections:

9.85.010    Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property.

9.85.100    Trespass and prowling – Adopted by reference.

9.85.105    Vehicle trespass prohibited – Penalty.

9.85.150    Unlawful public camping.

9.85.200    Theft and possession of stolen property – Adopted by reference.

9.85.300    Roadside stands – Adopted by reference.

9.85.400    Political signs and posters – Adopted by reference.

9.85.500    Throwing objects at moving vehicles.

9.85.600    Attempted forgery.

9.85.610    Definitions – Fraud.

9.85.010 Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property.

(1) A person who, with intent to deprive the owner or owner’s agent, wrongfully obtains, or exerts unauthorized control over, or by color or aid of deception gains control of personal property that is rented, leased, or loaned by written agreement to the person, is guilty of theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property.

(2) The finder of fact may presume intent to deprive if the finder of fact finds either of the following:

(a) That the person who rented or leased the property failed to return or make arrangements acceptable to the owner of the property or the owner’s agent to return the property to the owner or the owner’s agent within 72 hours after receipt of proper notice following the due date of the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan agreement; or

(b) That the renter, lessee, or borrower presented identification to the owner or the owner’s agent that was materially false, fictitious, or not current with respect to name, address, place of employment, or other appropriate items.

(3) As used in subsection (2) of this section, “proper notice” consists of a written demand by the owner or the owner’s agent made after the due date of the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan period, mailed by certified or registered mail to the renter, lessee, or borrower at: (a) the address the renter, lessee, or borrower gave when the contract was made; or (b) the renter, lessee, or borrower’s last known address if later furnished in writing by the renter, lessee, borrower, or the agent of the renter, lessee, or borrower.

(4) Theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property is a gross misdemeanor.

(5) The crime of theft of rental, leased, lease-purchased, or loaned property may be deemed to have been committed either at the physical location where the written agreement for the rental, lease, lease-purchase, or loan of the property was executed under subsection (1) of this section, or at the address where proper notice may be mailed to the renter, lessee, or borrower under subsection (3) of this section.

(6) This section applies to rental agreements that provide that the renter may return the property any time within the rental period and pay only for the time the renter actually retained the property, in addition to any minimum rental fee, to lease agreements, to lease-purchase agreements as defined under RCW 63.19.010, and to vehicles loaned to prospective purchasers borrowing a vehicle by written agreement from a motor vehicle dealer licensed under Chapter 46.70 RCW. This section does not apply to rental or leasing of real property under the residential landlord-tenant act, Chapter 59.18 RCW. [Ord. 611 § 1, 2014]

9.85.100 Trespass and prowling – Adopted by reference.

The following sections of the Washington Criminal Code, as now in effect, and as may subsequently be amended, are adopted by reference to establish the crimes of trespass and prowling under the Burien criminal code:

RCW

9A.52.010    Definitions.

9A.52.060    Making or having burglar tools.

9A.52.070    Criminal trespass in the first degree.

9A.52.080    Criminal trespass in the second degree.

9A.52.090    Criminal trespass – Defenses.

9A.52.100    Vehicle prowling in the second degree.

9A.52.120    Computer trespass in the second degree.

9A.52.130    Computer trespass – Commission of other crime.

[Ord. 63 § 25, 1993]

9.85.105 Vehicle trespass prohibited – Penalty.

(1) A person is guilty of vehicle trespass if he or she knowingly enters or remains unlawfully in a vehicle belonging to another.

(2) As used in this section:

(a) The word “enter” shall include the entrance of the person, or the insertion of any part of his or her body, or any instrument or weapon held in his or her hand.

(b) A person enters or remains unlawfully in or upon a vehicle when he or she is not licensed, invited, or otherwise privileged to so enter or remain.

(3) Vehicle trespass is a misdemeanor. [Ord. 562 § 3, 2012]

9.85.150 Unlawful public camping.

(1) Prohibition and Evening-Night Exception.

(a) Prohibition. It shall be unlawful to use nonresidential public property as a living space in Burien at all hours.

(b) Exception. The prohibition shall not apply if there is no available overnight shelter, as defined in subsection (2)(d) of this section, and only if a person is camping in a nonprohibited location. This exception permitting the use of nonresidential public property as a living space only applies between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following morning. This exception is not a defense to other law violations.

(2) Definitions.

(a) “Nonresidential public property as a living space” means to camp, dwell, lodge, reside, sleep, or exercise nontransitory exclusive control over any portion of nonresidential public property.

(b) “Nonresidential public property” means any Burien park, street, sidewalk, or any other open area where Burien or another governmental agency has a property interest, including easements. “Nonresidential public property” does not include apartments, houses, other fixed residential living quarters owned or leased by Burien or King County, or locations explicitly excluded from this definition by the city manager or city council.

(c) Indicia of camping include, but are not limited to, bedding, cots, sleeping bags, tents or other temporary shelters, personal belongings storage, and cooking equipment use or storage.

(d) “Available overnight shelter” means:

(i) Overnight public or private shelter or space to accommodate a person;

(ii) Available or open; and

(iii) At no charge or expense to that person.

(3) After considering the public health, safety, environmental impacts, and the availability of space for the unhoused and related concerns, the city manager may prohibit the use of one or more locations or areas of Burien as nonresidential public property as a living space. This authority is in addition to the emergency authority provided under Chapter 2.75 BMC and any other applicable laws, orders, rules, or guidance.

(4) This section does not restrict or limit Burien’s ability to enforce its police, health, safety, and environmental laws under Washington State Constitution Article XI, Section 11, or any other applicable law, order, rules, or guidance.

(5) Unlawful public camping is a misdemeanor and may be subject to a criminal deferral. [Ord. 832 § 1, 2024]

9.85.200 Theft and possession of stolen property – Adopted by reference.

The following sections of the Washington Criminal Code, as now in effect, and as may subsequently be amended, are adopted by reference to establish the crimes of theft and stolen property under the Burien criminal code:

RCW

9A.56.010    Definitions.

9A.56.020    Theft – Definition, defense.

9A.56.050    Theft in the third degree.

9A.56.060    Unlawful issuance of checks or drafts.

9A.56.063    Making or possessing motor vehicle theft tools.

9A.56.100    Theft and larceny equated.

9A.56.140    Possessing stolen property – Definition – Access, devices, presumption.

9A.56.170    Possessing stolen property in the third degree.

9A.56.180    Obscuring identity of a machine.

9A.56.220    Theft of cable television services.

9A.56.230    Unlawful sale of cable television services.

9A.56.240    Forfeiture and disposal of device used to commit violation.

9A.56.260    Connection of channel converter.

9A.56.270    Shopping cart theft.

9A.56.330    Possession of another’s identification.

[Ord. 737 § 1, 2020; Ord. 562 § 5 (Exh. A), 2012; Ord. 63 § 27, 1993]

9.85.300 Roadside stands – Adopted by reference.

The following sections of the King County Code, as now in effect, and as may subsequently be amended, are adopted by reference to establish crimes relating to roadside stands, except that references therein to the county shall also refer to the city under the Burien criminal code:

KCC

12.28.010    Unlawful to erect structures along roads.

12.28.020    Required distance from right-of-way.

12.28.030    Nuisance declared – Authority of engineer.

12.28.040    Violation – Misdemeanor.

[Ord. 63 § 75, 1993]

9.85.400 Political signs and posters – Adopted by reference.

The following sections of the King County Code, as now in effect, and as may subsequently be amended, are adopted by reference to establish regulations and crimes regarding political signs and posters, under the Burien criminal code:

KCC

    12.74.010    Political signs allowed on private property.

    12.74.020    Removal of signs following election.

    12.74.030    Political signs not allowed on public property.

    12.74.040    Public notices unaffected by chapter.

    12.74.050    Penalty for violations.

[Ord. 63 § 80, 1993]

9.85.500 Throwing objects at moving vehicles.

Any person who throws, pushes, rolls, drops, swings or otherwise propels or projects any object, thing or substance in such a manner as to strike or be likely to strike any moving vehicle on the public highways or streets is guilty of a misdemeanor. [Ord. 63 § 85, 1993]

9.85.600 Attempted forgery.

(1) A person is guilty of the crime of attempted forgery if with the intent to commit the crime of forgery does intend to injure or defraud by:

(a) Falsely making, completing, or altering a written instrument; or

(b) Possessing, uttering, offering, disposing of or putting off as true, a written instrument which the person knows to be forged; and

(c) Does an act which is a substantial step toward the commission of that crime. [Ord. 562 § 1, 2012]

9.85.610 Definitions – Fraud.

The following section of the Washington Criminal Code, as now in effect, and as may subsequently be amended, is adopted by reference as definitions of fraud under the Burien criminal code:

RCW

9A.60.010    Definitions.

[Ord. 562 § 1, 2012]