King County, Washington, United States

Places
1

King County is the most populous county in Washington and the 12th-most populous in the United States. Is it legal to wear a thong in King County?

:exclamation: The opinions provided here are for informational purposes only. Laws change frequently; this post may be out of date. Review current codes before wearing a thong and talk to a lawyer if you need legal advice. :balance_scale:

Washington :+1:

Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 9A.88.010

King County :+1:

King County Code

Algona :no_entry_sign:

Algona Municipal Code 9.30.010

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E. “Unlawful public exposure” means:

  1. A public exposure of any portion of the human anus, buttocks or genitals;

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Auburn :+1:

Auburn City Code 9.82.010

Beaux Arts Village :+1:

Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code

Bellevue :+1:

Bellevue City Code 10.04

Black Diamond :+1:

Black Diamond Municipal Code 9.51

Bothell :+1:

Bothell Municipal Code 9.01.070

Burien :+1:

Burien Municipal Code 9.95.200

Carnation :+1:

Carnation Municipal Code 9.28.030

Clyde Hill :+1:

Clyde Hill Municipal Code 9.30.020

Covington :+1:

Covington Municipal Code 9.140.050

Des Moines :+1:

Des Moines Municipal Code 9.76.020

Duvall :+1:

Duvall Municipal Code 7.01.200

Enumclaw :no_entry_sign:

Enumclaw Municipal Code 9.54.030

A. It shall be unlawful for any person 10 years of age or older to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally appear in a public place other than a public place provided or set apart for nudity, or to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally cause or permit another person 10 years of age or older to appear in a public place other than a public place provided or set apart for nudity, in a state of nudity, which includes a state of dress or undress such that any of the following body parts or portions thereof are exposed to view or are covered with anything other than a full and opaque covering which completely covers all of the described area:

  1. The male or female genitals, pubic area, buttocks or anal cleavage.

  2. The nipple or areola of the female breast; and in addition at least one-half of that outside surface of the breast located below the top of the areola, which area shall be reasonably compact and contiguous to the areola.

B. Attire which is insufficient to comply with these requirements includes but it not limited to those items commonly known as G-strings, T-backs, dental floss, and thongs.

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Federal Way :no_entry_sign:

Federal Way Revised Code 6.45.025

(1) A person is guilty of lewd conduct if in a public place the person intentionally:

(a) Exposes any of the following body parts of the person without a full and opaque covering:

(i) Any part of the male or female genitals, pubic hair, pubic area, perineum, anus, or bottom one-half of the anal cleft;

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Hunts Point :+1:

Hunts Point Municipal Code 9.05.010

Issaquah :+1:

Issaquah Municipal Code 9.50.010

Kenmore :+1:

Kenmore Municipal Code 9.05.490

Kent :+1:

Kent Municipal Code 9.02.070

Kirkland :+1:

Kirkland Municipal Code 11.20.020

Lake Forest Park :+1:

Lake Forest Park Municipal Code 9.30.020

Maple Valley :+1:

Maple Valley Municipal Code 9.05.425

Medina :+1:

Medina Municipal Code 9.04.030

Mercer Island :+1:

Mercer Island Municipal Code 9.18.020

Milton :+1:

Milton Municipal Code 9.04.020

Newcastle :+1:

Newcastle Municipal Code 9.05.580

Normandy Park :+1:

Normandy Park Municipal Code 7.04.185

North Bend :+1:

North Bend Municipal Code 9.180.010

Pacific :+1:

Pacific Municipal Code 9.100.050

Redmond :no_entry_sign:

Redmond Municipal Code 9.38

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I. “Unlawful public exposure” means:

1.A public exposure of any portion of the human anus, buttocks or genitals;

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Renton :+1:

Renton Municipal Code 6-18-18

Sammamish :+1:

Sammamish Municipal Code 9.05.340

SeaTac :+1:

SeaTac Municipal Code 8.05.300

Seattle :+1:

Seattle Municipal Code 12A.09.020

Is nudity illegal?

It’s legal to be naked (anywhere) in Seattle

Shoreline :+1:

Shoreline Municipal Code 9.10.550

Skykomish :+1:

Skykomish Municipal Code 9.05.010

Snoqualmie :+1:

Snoqualmie Municipal Code 9.82.010

Tukwila :no_entry_sign:

Tukwila Municipal Code 8.50.030

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  1. “Indecent exposure” means showing, or making open to view, one’s genitals, pubic area, or buttocks, or the mature female breast;

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Woodinville :+1:

Woodinville Municipal Code 9.03.162

Yarrow Point :+1:

Yarrow Point Municipal Code 9.04.010

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Thank you for putting together such an extensive list of local laws. It’s greatly appreciated as I’m looking for more places to be able to wear my thong when swimming or catching rays. Interesting that Federal Way says it’s not legal…For what it’s worth I’ve been swimming laps at K.C.A.C. exclusively in a thong since the start of Covid 4-5 days a week without any issues at all. I don’t even bring a “back up” pair of briefs with me anymore. I’ve also heard that Redmond pool is thong friendly as well, but I haven’t been up there as it’s a bit of a drive for me and I’ve got 3 pools closer that are all thong friendly.

1 Like
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I’m glad the information is useful, @Thonged4Life.

State/County/City codes usually regulate what’s allowed in public, which should be defined. The Federal Way Revised code defines a “public place” as the following.

“Public place” means an area generally visible to public view, and includes streets, sidewalks, bridges, alleys, plazas, parks, driveways, parking lots, automobiles (whether moving or not), and buildings open to the general public, including those which serve food or drink or provide entertainment, and the doorways and entrances to buildings or dwellings and the grounds enclosing them, and businesses contained in structures which can serve customers who remain in their vehicles by means of a drive-up window.

If I want to know whether or not it’s okay to wear a thong at a public beach, I’ll check the associated code. Public pools often have their own rules. I’ve seen city pools that prohibit thongs even though they are allowed at beaches. For example, thongs are not allowed at the Peter Kirk Pool in Kirkland even though they are permitted and commonplace at the city’s waterfront beaches.

Bathing suits must be family friendly, all thongs and revealing attire will not be permitted within the facility.

The Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center has a Federal Way address, but is operated by the county. King County likely owns the facility and the land it’s built on.

The Redmond Pool is owned by the city and operated by Wave Aquatics, a private company.