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Seattle · hotel room cleaner · SMC § 14.27.050 Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury · Ord 125928

Over 4,500 sq ft in an 8-hour day: excess time at 3×.

SMC § 14.27.050 is not Long Beach 2×-all-hours and not Seattle Secure Scheduling. An hourly room cleaner at a Seattle hotel or motel of 100 or more guest rooms who cleans more than 4,500 square feet in an eight-hour workday is owed three times the normal hourly rate only for the proportional excess cleaning time — not 2× every hour of the day. Under eight hours, the cap prorates (~562.5 sq ft/hour). From the 10th strenuous room cleaning, the cap drops 500 sq ft each. The cap does not scale up on a 10-hour day. Washington has no general daily overtime; weekly 40 leftover regular only. An 8-hour day at 5,000 sq ft @ $20 is $192 here; on Long Beach hotel workload the same punches at 4,500 sq ft are $320; FLSA weekly-40 is $160.

Read the ordinance: three times the normal hourly rate, for excess cleaning time only

Official bodies fetched for this page: the Seattle City Clerk Ordinance 125928 (PDF, HTTP 200), the Office of Labor Standards Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury fact sheet (PDF, HTTP 200), the 2026 Notice of Rights for Hotel Employees (PDF, HTTP 200), the OLS ordinance page (HTTP 200), and Municode Chapter 14.27 (HTTP 200, JS shell). The pay line is Ord 125928 / SMC 14.27.050.E and the OLS fact sheet (4,500 sq ft / 3× excess time).

14.27.050.E. If an employee performs room cleanings in excess of the maximum floor space allowed by this Section 14.27.050 the employer shall pay such employee at least three times the employee’s normal hourly rate of pay for the amount of time during that workday the employee performs room cleanings that exceed the maximum floor space allowed by this Section 14.27.050, except as provided in subsections 14.27.050.G and 14.27.050.H.

“Maximum floor space” means 4,500 square feet of guest room floor space (14.27.020). Large hotel means 100 or more guest rooms. OLS: if the workday is 8 hours or more, the limit is 4,500 sq ft; if fewer than 8 hours, the limit is prorated (~562.5 sq ft/hour). From the 10th strenuous room cleaning (checkout; stayover with cot/rollout/hideaway/pet bed/crib; or stayover not cleaned more than 36 hours), the cap drops 500 sq ft for that 10th and each thereafter. Exactly 4,500 is not “in excess.” A 10-hour day still uses the 4,500 cap — the ordinance only prorates down. Excess time is allocated in proportion to square footage over the day’s max (worked × (sq ft − max) / sq ft). Washington has no general daily overtime; weekly 40 leftover regular only (hours already at 3× are not converted again). Punches minus unpaid lunch are hours worked. Enter square feet cleaned and the day’s strenuous room-cleaning count on each day. 14.27.050.G/H force-majeure / early-leave exceptions, team-cleaning splits, and CBA waivers are out of scope.

8h / 5,000 sq ft @ $20 → 7.2 regular + 0.8 TT 3× = $192. Long Beach 8h / 4,500: 8 DT = $320. FLSA: 8 regular = $160.
8h / exactly 4,500 sq ft @ $20 → 8 regular = $160 (at the cap, not over).
4h / 2,400 sq ft @ $20 → prorated cap 2,250 → 3.75 regular + 0.25 TT = $90. FLSA: 4 regular = $80.
8h / 4,200 sq ft + 10 strenuous @ $20 → cap 4,000 → 7.62 regular + 0.38 TT ≈ $175.24.
10h / 4,000 sq ft @ $20 → under the cap → 10 regular = $200 (no WA daily OT).
10h / 5,000 sq ft @ $20 → 9 regular + 1 TT 3× = $240.
Overnight 20:00–08:00 lunch 30 / 5,000 sq ft @ $20 → 10.35 regular + 1.15 TT = $276. Long Beach 11.5 DT = $460.

In scope

  • SMC § 14.27.050: over the day’s max sq ft → 3× only on proportional excess cleaning time
  • 4,500 sq ft / 8-hour-or-longer workday; prorate down under 8 hours; −500 sq ft from the 10th strenuous room cleaning
  • Under the cap, hours are regular (Washington has no general daily OT)
  • Weekly 40 leftover regular only; punches minus unpaid lunch
  • Large hotels of 100 or more guest rooms; hourly employees who perform room cleaning

Out of scope

  • Long Beach 2×-all-hours over 4,000 sq ft — that is /long-beach-hotel-workload/
  • Seattle Secure Scheduling (SMC 14.22) — that is /seattle-secure-scheduling/
  • West Hollywood / Santa Monica / Oakland hotel 2×-all-hours cousins (not 3× excess-only)
  • 14.27.050.G/H exceptions, team-cleaning square-footage splits, hotels under 100 rooms, CBA waivers (14.27.235)
  • Washington prevailing-wage weekend trade look-ups (killed — not a uniform all-hours weekend multiplier)

FAQ

When does Seattle require triple time for hotel room cleaners?

SMC § 14.27.050 (Ord 125928; OLS fact sheet; 2026 HEP Notice of Rights): if an hourly employee at a Seattle hotel or motel of 100 or more guest rooms performs room cleanings in excess of the maximum floor space (4,500 sq ft in an eight-hour-or-longer workday), the employer shall pay at least three times the employee’s normal hourly rate for the amount of time that workday spent on square footage over the max. The cap prorates under 8 hours (~562.5 sq ft/hour). From the 10th strenuous room cleaning, the cap drops 500 sq ft each. Premium is 3× excess time only — not 2× all hours.

Is this the same as Long Beach 2× all hours over 4,000 sq ft?

No. Long Beach LBMC § 5.49.040 pays 2× for ALL hours of the workday once square footage exceeds 4,000. Seattle pays 3× only for the proportional excess cleaning time over 4,500 sq ft. An 8-hour day at 5,000 sq ft @ $20 is $192 here and $320 on /long-beach-hotel-workload/. Washington has no general daily overtime; weekly 40 leftover regular only.

Does the 4,500 sq ft cap go up if the shift is longer than eight hours?

No. SMC 14.27.050.A sets the maximum floor space for a workday that is eight hours or longer. OLS: 4,500 sq ft if the workday is 8 hours or more. The cap only prorates downward if the employee performs room cleanings for fewer than eight hours. A 10-hour day still has a 4,500 sq ft cap; excess time (not all 10 hours) is 3×.

What is a strenuous room cleaning?

SMC 14.27.020: a checkout room; a stayover that includes cleaning, removal, or setting up of a cot, rollout bed, hideaway sofa, pet bed, or crib; or a stayover that has not received a room cleaning for more than 36 hours. From the 10th strenuous cleaning in an 8-hour-or-longer workday, the 4,500 cap drops 500 sq ft for that 10th and each thereafter.