Seattle (Sept. 16, 2025) – Seattle (Sept. 16, 2025) – Today, Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison filed three civil cases under the City’s new graffiti ordinance against three prolific taggers responsible for thousands of dollars in damage to private and public property in Seattle.
City Attorney Davison is seeking some $40,000 in civil penalties and restitution from the defendants. Final restitution will be based on abatement costs, which are expected to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
“These civil lawsuits will help hold prolific graffiti taggers accountable for the damage they do in Seattle, while we continue to prosecute taggers through the City’s criminal code,” said City Attorney Davison. “My message is simple: if you vandalize the Emerald City, you will pay. These three lawsuits filed today are just the beginning. We fully intend to aggressively enforce this new law against taggers and expect to file more cases in the near future.”
The graffiti ordinance, which was approved in July by a 7-1 Seattle City Council vote, subjects taggers to a civil penalty of up to $1,500 per graffiti violation.
The complaints filed today involve 25 violations committed by taggers using the names “ALURE,” “LABRAT,” and “NOMAS.” All three have been identified by Seattle Police and are known to be extremely prolific, vandalizing property throughout Seattle.
The restitution amounts enable the City to recoup money spent on abatement of the identified acts of vandalism.
The City of Seattle’s Graffiti Restitution Ordinance went into effect in August of this year. In addition to civil penalties and restitution, the ordinance also includes measures to allow the City to seek penalties for up to three years retroactively.
In 2024, there were a reported 28,816 instances of graffiti vandalism in Seattle. Graffiti costs small businesses and property owners tens of millions of dollars per year to clean up, and the City of Seattle spends approximately $6 million annually on graffiti abatement.
###