Inglewood Right of Way
The Inglewood neighborhood was platted in 1889, and records show most of its streets were never formally opened to the public. As a result, under Washington’s Non-User Statute, ownership of these streets reverted to the adjacent property owners.
The City has no choice but to cease street maintenance of and parking enforcement on Inglewood’s roads by June 30, 2025.
The City will host a public meeting for the Inglewood neighborhood on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at City Hall. This will be an opportunity for Inglewood residents to learn more about the historical statutes and the laws that require this outcome, as well as ask questions of staff. At the meeting we will review services that the City can no longer perform, such as vegetation management, street sweeping, plowing during snow and ice, pothole repair, ditch maintenance, parking enforcement, etc.
Inglewood residents are invited to submit questions via this Jot Form. Staff will attempt to respond to them and post them to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below. Please review the existing FAQs to see whether questions have been previously answered.
Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of its streets were never formally opened to the public. These streets were likely vacated by operation of a law known as Washington’s Non-User Statute, which reverts ownership rights back to abutting private property owners if the street was not formally opened to the public within a specific timeframe in accordance with Washington’s Non-User Statute.
These roads were previously maintained by King County, and the City continued that practice after incorporation. The issue surfaced most recently during a permit review process where staff unearthed the private ownership due to the Non-User Statute issue. The City has no authority to maintain private roads nor use of City funds for this purpose.
State law prohibits the use of public funds for maintaining private roads. In addition, without public ownership, the City does not have the authority to maintain these roads.
No. It is not feasible for the City to purchase the roads from adjacent property owners.
The City will no longer pave, remove snow and ice, maintain vegetation ditches, or sweep these roads. In addition, the Sammamish Police Department cannot provide parking enforcement. However, please note that the Sammamish Police Department can and will continue to respond to 911 calls within the Inglewood neighborhood.
The City will stop maintaining these roads on June 30, 2025. Once this issue came to light, the City had a responsibility to immediately cease maintenance of private property. The end of June was chosen to allow sufficient time to provide notice to the neighborhood, but to act quickly as required by law. This date was chosen in an effort to provide the public with notice and education as well as to mitigate any possible liabilities.
Please click on the image below to view the full map showing the impacted streets.
Neighbors may choose to create a Homeowner’s Association or similar organization charged with maintaining the area.
Inglewood residents are invited to submit questions via this Jot Form.