About Public Accommodations

ABOUT PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS

Q: What is a place of public accommodation?

A: Any place, store or other establishment, either licensed or unlicensed, which supplies goods or services to the general public. This includes (but is not limited to) the following types of services or facilities:

Places of temporary lodging (hotels, inns, motels, etc.)
Food and/or drink establishments (restaurants, cafeterias, lunchrooms, lunch counters, soda fountains, taverns, bars, etc.)
Places of entertainment (motion picture houses, theaters, concert halls, sport arenas, stadiums, amusement parks, museums, gardens, etc.)
Public meeting places (auditoriums, convention halls)
Sale and/or rental establishments (grocery stores, department stores, video rental stores, etc.)
All public transportation carriers (buses, trains, etc.)
Mobile home parks
Service establishments (barber shops, beauty shops, gas stations, medical offices, etc.)
Social service establishments (food banks, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers)
Recreation or fitness centers (gymnasiums, golf courses, bowling alleys, etc.)
Public burial facilities owned and operated by any cemetery corporation or burial association

Q. Who has protection under this law? Is it only minorities?

A. No. Everyone is covered. Under the King County Public Accommodations Ordinance (K.C.C. 12.22), there are several "protected class" groups:

race (all races)
color
gender
religion
national origin (country where you were born
ancestry (country where your parents, grandparents, etc., are from)
age
marital status (married, separated, divorced, engaged, widowed, single or cohabiting)
parental status (being a parent, step-parent, adoptive parent, guardian, foster parent or custodian of a minor child)
sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and gender identity; having or being perceived as having a gender identity different from that traditionally associated with the sex assigned to that person at birth -- “gender identity” includes self-image, appearance, behavior or expression)
disability (physical, mental, sensory)
use of a service or assistive animal (dog guide, signal or hearing dog, seizure response dog, therapeutic companion animal or other animal that does work, performs tasks or provides medically necessary support for the benefit of an individual with a disability)

Q. Are there exceptions to this law?

A. Yes. The ordinance does not apply to any non-commercial facility operated or maintained by a bona fide religious institution. The law allows businesses to treat people with disabilities more favorably than non-disabled persons, and to treat senior citizens (55 and older) more favorably than non-senior citizens. The ordinance does not prohibit offering discounts, special prices, or other special arrangements to children or families or imposing age limits up to 21.

Q. Are there limits to a person's rights enter or use places of public accommodation?

A. Yes. Along with the right to go to public places comes the responsibility to act in a manner that does not infringe upon other people's rights. In addition, the owner can to establish reasonable requirements, such as an admission fee or prohibition of concealed weapons, as long as these rules are applied equally to all customers and clients regardless of whether they belong to a protected class.

Q. What other laws protect people in places of public accommodations?

A. There are public accommodations laws at the federal, state and local levels. For a complete list of enforcement agencies in our state, see www.metrokc.gov/dias/ocre/PAlaws.htm (PDF).

If you have questions about Public Accommodations laws and enforcement, contact the King County Office of Civil Rights at 206-296-7592 or 206-296-7596 TTY.

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Updated: Jan. 25, 2007

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