King County Won't Enforce Evictions During Coronavirus Crisis

KING COUNTY, WA — Authorities in King County will not execute any court-ordered evictions during the region's coronavirus crisis, King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht said Tuesday.

The pause on enforcement is effective immediately and will stay in place "until further notice." It is intended to help sheriff's deputies avoid exposure to COVID-19, and to prevent vulnerable people from being left homeless, Johanknecht said in a letter to King County Superior Court Presiding Judge James Rogers.

“This is no time to be putting vulnerable people and families on the street without shelter,” Johanknecht said in a statement. “I have committed to suspending evictions during this difficult time when we need to embrace our neighbors rather than remove them from their homes.”

Deputies handling an eviction are often unable to maintain the social distancing that is now required in King County, Johanknecht said. Instead, deputies in the Civil Unit, which normally handles evictions, will be redeployed.

On Saturday, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed an order halting residential evictions in the city, but no such action had been taken countywide before Tuesday.

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In her letter, Johanknecht said she presumes based on public health information that sheriff's office employees have already been exposed to COVID-19 and "will soon be quarantined and unavailable for duty."

The sheriff's office expects to continue receiving eviction orders from the Superior Court, Johanknecht said, adding that the orders will be enforced "when we can safely devote our resources to this work."

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• Seattle Halts Residential Evictions During Coronavirus Outbreak