Seattle homeowners who want unsolicited offers to buy their property to stop could soon put their names and addresses on a city-run Do Not Solicit list.
The Seattle City Council passed Council Bill 121259 as amended on Aug. 4. The measure would make it an unfair housing practice to continue soliciting a residential property owner after the owner has made clear that they do not want to sell or do not want further solicitations.
The Seattle Office for Civil Rights would maintain a public list of property owners who have been solicited and want the contacts to stop. A homeowner’s appearance on the list would constitute notice to prospective buyers and their representatives 30 days after the name and address first appear. Homeowners could also tell a solicitor directly, either orally or in writing, that they do not want further contact.
The ordinance broadly defines solicitation to include communications seeking to buy or acquire an interest in residential property, including mail, phone calls and electronic communications. It includes some exceptions, such as communications requested by the homeowner, government or utility contacts and certain generic bulk mailings from licensed real estate brokers.
Violators could face a $1,000 civil penalty for a first violation and $2,000 for each subsequent violation within a 12-month period. Homeowners injured by a violation could also file a civil lawsuit and seek damages and other relief.
Councilmember Dionne Foster, who sponsored the measure, says repeated home-buying solicitations can pressure owners into selling property for less than it could command on the open market and can contribute to displacement. The legislative record says 66 respondents to a form distributed by Foster’s office reported receiving unwanted solicitations. Of those respondents, 36% reported receiving at least 41 solicitations during the previous two years.
The proposal follows homeowner protections Seattle adopted in 2025 for certain solicited residential property sales. The new legislation also draws on programs in New York and Philadelphia aimed at allowing homeowners to stop unwanted real estate solicitations.
The legislation has not yet become law. As of Wednesday, Aug. 12, the City Clerk’s legislative record lists Council Bill 121259 as “Passed at Full Council” and does not list an ordinance number. If Mayor Katie Wilson signs the measure, it is scheduled to take effect June 1, 2027.
