Pinehurst Pets – Scoop Laws

Seattle’s dogs and cats generate about 50,000 pounds of pet waste each day. It is one of the leading causes of bacterial contamination in our streams. Some bacteria in waste can remain in our yards for up to 4 years; children and gardeners are at the most risk of infection.

The rules about scooping poop in Seattle are:

– Waste must be removed immediately from public property or property not owned by the pet owner. Failure to scoop is a civil infraction, $54.00 fine. Not having equipment to scoop poop when you’re in a park or walking a dog in the neighborhood is also a civil infraction, $54.00 fine.

– Waste must be scooped every 24 hours from the pet owner’s property. Not doing so is a civil infraction, $109.00 fine.

For dogs, scoop the poop, put it in a bag, put it in the trash, and wash your hands.

Bag cat litter and put in the trash; it should not be put in the toilet.

If you see a pet owner not scooping the pet’s waste and have the address or license plate information of the pet owner, Seattle Animal Control officers will investigate. Call  386-PETS (7387). But as suggested in earlier posts, if it is your neighbor’s dog pooping on your lawn, it is neighborly to let them know and ask them to solve the problem before going to authorities. If you don’t know whose dog is pooping on your property, you can post a sign if you want to try to get the message across. Animal Control has a printable one here, or you can pick one up at the Seattle Animal Shelter. It’s a bit in-your-face….

Since there’s no leash law for cats, cats can poop in your yard without their owners being there to scoop it (and some may be feral, meaning they are homeless), and it is often impossible to tell whose cat is doing the deed.  There is a long list compiled by Seattle Tilth of ways to keep cats out of your garden here.  If you like cats, you may prefer the chicken wire idea; if not so fond of them, you might like the suggestion to put six-inch bamboo skewers, pointy side up, all through the garden (ouch). Seattle Animal Control recommends that cats be kept indoors.