City of Tacoma Initiative No. 1 — Safe Homes For All Initiative Measure No. 1 (Pierce County)
Ballot measure · November 3, 2026 · Tacoma voters
Results: the official election results site. Counts are unofficial until certified.
- What it does
- Initiative Measure No. 1 concerns tenant safety and protection laws. This measure would improve compliance with tenant safety and protection laws through: landlord education and training, recognizing tenants’ right to organize, requiring landlords to bargain in good faith with tenant unions, establishing a public landlord information database, providing for City and private enforcement of tenant safety and protection laws, imposition of penalties and cost recovery, requiring landlord rental licensing and fees, authorizing revocation of landlord business licenses, prohibiting retaliation, and establishing certain exemptions. Should this measure be enacted into law?
- A YES vote means
- Tacoma would add tenant protection rules, including landlord training and licensing with fees, a public landlord database, a duty for landlords to bargain with tenant unions, City and private enforcement with penalties, and bans on retaliation, with some exemptions.
- A NO vote means
- Tacoma would not enact these tenant safety and protection rules.
- Needed to pass
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Left–right lean
- A YES vote leans strongly left; a NO vote leans the other way (AI-estimated from the official ballot summary, 92% confidence).
Explained
Today
- Tacoma has a rental housing code and a landlord fairness code. KNKX reports that the 2023 voter-approved Tenant's Bill of Rights banned excessive fees, restricted winter evictions and required relocation assistance for rent increases over 5%.
- Supporters told KNKX that compliance is spotty and that going to court is often a tenant's only recourse.
If it passes
- Makes certain provisions of state landlord-tenant law enforceable under Tacoma's rental housing code, and adds an administrative complaint process that the City must investigate and enforce.
- Requires the City to run a tiered rental licensing program for all landlords with per-unit fees, expand the landlord database, and add landlord and tenant education requirements.
- Recognizes tenants' right to organize and requires landlords to bargain in good faith with tenant unions; prohibits retaliation and waivers of tenants' rights.
- Allows private enforcement by tenants and representative organizations, transfers penalties to affected tenants, and requires the City to reimburse tenants' costs and attorney's fees when they successfully enforce or defend the measure.
- Authorizes revocation of landlord business licenses for certain violations, requires inspections for habitability or safety violations, and gives a right to appeal relocation decisions. It includes certain exemptions.
Who would notice
Tacoma renters and landlords, including owners of rental units who would pay the new per-unit licensing fees, and the City departments that would run the programs.
How it got here
It is a citizen initiative led by Tacoma for All, the group behind the 2023 Tenant's Bill of Rights, per KNKX. Supporters gathered petition signatures in spring 2026, and the city placed it on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
In the news
Background
This is a citizen initiative: according to Resolution No. 41956, petitioner Tyron Moore filed the Safe Homes for All petition with the City Clerk on February 10, 2026, and the Pierce County Auditor found 5,998 valid signatures, above the 4,989 required (10% of votes cast in the last mayoral election).
Under Section 2.19 of the City Charter, once a petition is validated the Council may enact the initiative or else must send it to voters without amendment; the City's action memo lists adopting it by ordinance as the only alternative to an election.
The memo states the initiative, if passed, would have an ongoing fiscal impact and require additional staff for enforcement; staff made no recommendation and said election costs in past elections have ranged from about $75,000 to $300,000.
The City Council adopted the resolution sending the measure to the ballot 9–0 on July 7, 2026.
Next elections here
Also on Pierce County ballots
Quick answers
- What does a YES vote on City of Tacoma Initiative No. 1 mean?
- Tacoma would add tenant protection rules, including landlord training and licensing with fees, a public landlord database, a duty for landlords to bargain with tenant unions, City and private enforcement with penalties, and bans on retaliation, with some exemptions.
- What does a NO vote on City of Tacoma Initiative No. 1 mean?
- Tacoma would not enact these tenant safety and protection rules.
- How much would the licensing fees be?
- The explanatory statement says the City would set per-unit fees for a tiered licensing program; it does not give an amount. The two sides' pamphlet statements dispute what the fees would need to be.
- Can tenants sue landlords under it?
- Yes. It authorizes private enforcement by tenants and representative organizations, in addition to City enforcement.
- Who gets the penalty money?
- The explanatory statement says penalties imposed for violations would be transferred to the affected tenants.
- How many votes does City of Tacoma Initiative No. 1 need to pass?
- A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.
- Should I vote yes or no on City of Tacoma Initiative No. 1?
- SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.
- When is the vote?
- The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.
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