As if things weren't hard enough for Seattle residents and families, Council considers expanded regulations and penalties for households that employ domestic workers

CB 121266 would amend the Domestic Worker’s Ordinance, require written agreements, leave protections, three-year records retention, and two or four-week termination notice for nannies, cleaners and caregivers

The changes follow Domestic Workers Standards Board recommendations and a 2025 OLS report, and partly conform Seattle to a new state law (SHB 2355) effective the same day, July 1, 2027. But in four places the city goes further: the written agreement carries more terms, recordkeeping is broader, termination exceptions are fewer, and the penalty schedule is equivalent to business violations of labor laws. Two provisions shift the burden onto the household miss the recordkeeping and a household is presumed to have violated the law; skip the written agreement and the worker's version of the terms is presumed true. Both can be rebutted only by "clear and convincing evidence."

In four areas the city exceeds state law: agreement terms, recordkeeping, fewer termination exceptions, and a Seattle-specific penalty schedule. Enforcement is thin: OLS runs domestic-worker outreach on a single position and acts on complaints, so the presumptions and penalties (up to $26,637.97 per worker for repeat violations, plus attorney's fees and a City-contract bar) carry the weight. The bill was discussed in the Human Services, Labor, and Economic Development Committee on August 7 and the Committee takes it up again Aug. 21.