Seattle Times: Tenants have the right to install AC units under this new WA law
Reposted from Seattle Times, published July 22, 2026
Seattle Times staff reporter
Amid the hottest temperatures of the year, Washington state now has a law that gives renters the right to install portable air conditioning units.
Senate Bill 6200, signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson and in effect since June 11, does not require landlords to install AC units. But landlords in most cases can’t prohibit tenants from installing the units. The law also applies to mobile homes.
The bill specifies three categories of AC units: Window-mounted devices, saddle-mounted devices and floor-mounted devices.
If one wants to install a window unit, they have to give their landlord two days’ notice. The unit cannot prevent an outside accessible window from being locked, cannot need excessive brackets that would damage the window and must be safely secured.
Landlords can require window AC units to be inspected and may restrict tenants from installing window units if the landlords’ insurance policy explicitly prohibits them.
Other types of AC units have less restrictions.
State Sen. Vandana Slatter, one of the bill’s sponsors, said the bill focuses on updating the laws to a modern climate. With hotter summers and more intense wildfires, there is an increased need for air conditioning, Slatter said.
“As a licensed healthcare professional, I’ve seen that air conditioning is not a luxury, it’s lifesaving during extreme heat,” Slatter said. “The 2021 heat dome made clear that access to cooling is a public health issue, not just a housing issue.”
Oregon has a similar law prohibiting landlords from banning AC units.
Icarus Blethen.