Where the wash water goes in Spokane
Spokane puts this in code rather than in guidance, which means you can check it yourself by section number. The dividing line is detergent.
Section 17D.060.190, and the clause inside it that covers this work.
Most cities publish stormwater guidance. Spokane puts the prohibition in the municipal code, which is better for you, because you can read the section yourself instead of taking a contractor's word for it.
Spokane Municipal Code 17D.060.190, Illicit Discharges, states that it is unlawful for any person to discharge, or cause to be discharged, directly or indirectly any pollutants into surface water, stormwater, ground water or within a stream channel.
Then it lists what is allowed anyway. The clause that covers exterior cleaning reads: street and sidewalk wash water, water used to control dust, and routine external building wash down that does not use detergents.
Read the end of that sentence twice. Sidewalk wash water is allowed. Building wash down is allowed. Both carry the same condition, and it is the detergent. The code does not mention pressure washing by name anywhere, so anyone telling you the code bans pressure washing has not read it. What the code addresses is what ends up in the drain.
What else is on the allowed list
The section also permits treated stormwater from the public right of way, discharges from potable water sources including water line flushing and fire hydrant flushing, unintentional discharges from lawn watering and other irrigation runoff, and properly treated swimming pool discharges.
Pool water is where it turns again. The section states that swimming pool cleaning wastewater and filter backwash shall not be discharged. A treated pool discharge and pool cleaning waste are two different things in the eyes of the code.
One number, and the city publishes it.
City of Spokane stormwater takes reports on 509.625.7999.
The practical version of all this is short. Plain water off a house or a sidewalk has a legal path. The moment detergent is in the mix, that path closes, and the water needs to go somewhere other than the storm drain. A crew that knows which of those it is doing is making a decision rather than hoping.
Reviewed September 1, 2026. Section 17D.060.190 was read at my.spokanecity.org on that date. Nothing on this page is quoted from any other source. Rules change. If the date above is old, check the source before you rely on it.
Questions about wash water and the Spokane code
Does Spokane ban pressure washing?
No. Spokane Municipal Code 17D.060.190 does not mention pressure washing anywhere. It regulates what is discharged, and it lists routine external building wash down that does not use detergents as an allowed discharge.
What does the code actually prohibit?
It states that it is unlawful for any person to discharge, or cause to be discharged, directly or indirectly any pollutants into surface water, stormwater, ground water or within a stream channel.
Is washing a sidewalk allowed?
Yes. Street and sidewalk wash water is named on the allowed list, alongside water used to control dust and building wash down, all on the condition that no detergents are used.
What about draining a pool?
Properly treated swimming pool discharges are on the allowed list, but the section separately states that swimming pool cleaning wastewater and filter backwash shall not be discharged.
Where can I read this myself?
Spokane Municipal Code section 17D.060.190, published on the city's own site. It is linked at the top of this page.
Who do I report an illicit discharge to?
City of Spokane stormwater on 509.625.7999.
Want the house or the driveway cleaned without thinking about any of this?
Describe the surface and what is on it, and get a straight answer about what the job needs.
(509) 213-1891