STLCA is an independent data analytics organization. We analyze the public record of Seattle's housing code enforcement system and report what the data shows — without modification, advocacy framing, or institutional affiliation.
What We Do
Every figure on this site is derived directly from Seattle's public dataset. We do not estimate, project, or editorialize the numbers. If a record shows no inspection date, we report that. If a case has been open for 8,000 days, we report that. The data speaks; we present it.
All records are drawn from the Seattle Open Data Portal — the City's own published dataset of SDCI complaints, violations, and enforcement actions. We do not use private data, leaked documents, or unverified sources.
Landlord-tenant cases are identified using a documented classification rule applied uniformly across all 233,543 records. District assignments use the geocoded district field in the source data. Full methodology is published.
Every figure is independently reproducible using the same public dataset. We publish our classification rules and field definitions. Any researcher can verify or challenge our numbers using the same source.
STLCA has no affiliation with the City of Seattle, SDCI, any housing advocacy organization, landlord association, or political campaign. We do not accept funding that conditions our findings.
Our Position
Why This Work Exists
Seattle maintains independent oversight for several city functions. The Office of Inspector General reviews the Seattle Police Department. The City Auditor reviews financial management. The Ethics and Elections Commission investigates individual employee conduct.
None of these bodies has the mandate to systematically review whether SDCI is properly documenting, inspecting, and closing housing enforcement complaints. The result is a gap in public accountability for one of the city's core tenant protection systems.
Ordinance 125054, passed unanimously by the City Council in June 2016, required SDCI to report annually on enforcement outcomes beginning in 2017. As of March 2026, no such report has been produced — nine consecutive years. STLCA's citywide dashboard is the report SDCI was required to deliver. We built it from SDCI's own data.
Disclaimer: The findings presented by STLCA are analytical in nature and derived from publicly available data. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice. STLCA does not represent tenants, landlords, or any party in any proceeding. Data figures are accurate as of the dataset extract date (December 31, 2025). The public record is the authoritative source; STLCA's analysis is a structured presentation of that record.
STLCA will provide its full extracted dataset and methodology documentation to City Council offices, journalists, researchers, and policymakers upon request. All figures are independently reproducible from the Seattle Open Data Portal.