Kennedy v. McGuire

684 P.2d 1359, 38 Wash. App. 237
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 23, 1984
DocketNo. 12348-3-I
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 684 P.2d 1359 (Kennedy v. McGuire) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kennedy v. McGuire, 684 P.2d 1359, 38 Wash. App. 237 (Wash. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

Durham, C.J.

Kenneth and Clara Kennedy appeal the dismissal of their unlawful detainer action against Jan Allan. Allan is the owner of a houseboat which is moored on the Kennedys' property in Portage Bay, Seattle. The Kennedys claim the trial court erred by finding no jurisdiction under the unlawful detainer statute, and by finding that the Kennedys gave inadequate notice of the action to Allan.

This is a continuation of a matter which was before the Washington Supreme Court in Kennedy v. Seattle, 94 Wn.2d 376, 617 P.2d 713 (1980). In attempting to evict the prior owner of Allan's houseboat, the Kennedys had brought a declaratory judgment challenging the constitutionality of the Seattle floating homes ordinance, Seattle Municipal Code 7.20. The ordinance established procedures for setting moorage fees and for the eviction of houseboat owners from moorage sites. On October 2, 1980, the Supreme Court in Kennedy upheld the ordinance's rent control provisions, but held that certain of the eviction provisions unconstitutionally interfered with a moorage owner's right to use his own moorage site. On December 3, 1980, the Kennedys gave Allan 3 days' notice to vacate the moorage site. A complaint for unlawful detainer was filed on January 7, 1981 and the matter was tried in September 1981. At the close of the Kennedys' case, Allan moved to dismiss. The trial court granted the motion, and concluded:

I.
This Court lacks jurisdiction over plaintiffs' claims under Chap. 59.12 RCW because defendant's floating home is located on navigable waters and does not occupy real property.
II.
Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted because plaintiffs have failed to provide notice to defendant Allan as required by the unlawful detainer statutes, Chap. 59.12 RCW.
[239]*239III.
Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted because plaintiffs have failed to provide notice to defendant Allan as required by Ordinance 109280 of the City of Seattle and Ordinance 109630 of the City of Seattle.

The Kennedys appealed to the Washington Supreme Court in October 1981, and the case was transferred to this court on September 13, 1982.

The Kennedys first argue that the trial court erred in ruling that the unlawful detainer statute did not apply to floating homes. We agree. The unlawful detainer action was brought pursuant to RCW 59.12.030(6). That section allows eviction of

A person who, without the permission of the owner and without having color of title thereto, enters upon land of another and who fails or refuses to remove therefrom after three days' notice, in writing . . .

Allan argues that, because her houseboat floats upon navigable waters, she did not enter upon "land of another", nor were the Kennedys the "owners" of the water upon which she floated. This argument is clearly without merit. The Kennedys own the bed land over which Allan is moored, and are "owners" for purposes of RCW 59.12.030(6). For the same reason, Allan's use of the Kennedys' moorage facilities constitutes entry upon "land of another” under this section. It is not relevant here, as Allan claims, that the houseboat is personal property. At issue is Allan's tenancy at the Kennedys' moorage site, which is real property.

Allan cites several cases which hold that private owners of submerged lands beneath navigable waters hold title subject to the public's navigation rights. See, e.g., Wilbour v. Gallagher, 77 Wn.2d 306, 315, 462 P.2d 232, 40 A.L.R.3d 760 (1969), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 878 (1970). However, public rights over private tidelands and shorelands are limited, given an express legislative policy of encouraging development on such lands. See Harris v. Hylebos Indus., Inc., 81 Wn.2d 770, 777, 505 P.2d 457 (1973); Rauscher, [240]*240The Lake Chelan Case—Another View, 45 Wash. L. Rev. 523, 526-27 (1970). In any event, these cases are inapposite since this case involves Allan's rights as a moorage tenant, not as a member of the navigating public. Because Allan's moorage constitutes entry upon the land of the Kennedys, she may be evicted pursuant to the unlawful detainer statute. The trial court erred in ruling that the unlawful detainer statute did not apply to floating homes.

The Kennedys next claim that the trial court erred in dismissing their unlawful detainer action for failing to comply with the notice requirements of the Seattle floating homes ordinance. Again, we agree.

The City of Seattle's floating homes ordinance, first enacted in 1977, established procedures for the eviction of houseboats from moorage sites and provided for fact-finding hearings regarding moorage fee increases. Seattle Municipal Code 7.20. Section 2 of the original ordinance limited the right of a moorage owner to convert a moorage site to personal use. (Ordinance 107012, § 2.) The Kennedys challenged the constitutionality of this section in an earlier action. While that matter was pending before the Washington Supreme Court, Seattle enacted a new ordinance (ordinance 109280) on September 21, 1980, with a substantially similar section. Ordinance 109280 was in effect on December 3, 1980, the date the Kennedys gave Allan notice to evict. Section 3(6) of ordinance 109280 provided, in pertinent part:

The floating home owner is directed by the moorage owner to remove his or her home from its moorage site by a written notice given at least four months prior to the demanded date of removal where the purpose of such demand for removal is to permit the moorage owner to convert the moorage site to a personal or other noncommercial use or to personally occupy such moorage site with a floating home to be used as such owner's residence, provided that such demand for removal is not contrary to any existing lease agreement between the moorage owner and such floating home owner and that such moorage owner locates another lawful moorage site [241]*241within the City for the displaced floating home owner.

One basis for the trial court's dismissal of the present unlawful detainer action was the Kennedys' failure to comply with the 4-month notice requirement of this section. The court also ruled that the notice requirements of a successor to ordinance 109280 were not met. (Ordinance 109630.)

At the outset, we find that ordinance 109630 is not applicable in this case. Ordinance 109630 was enacted on January 26, 1981, whereas the Kennedys gave Allan notice to evict on December 3, 1980. A statute or ordinance is presumed to apply prospectively unless a contrary legislative intent is clearly expressed. Puyallup v. Pacific Northwest Bell Tel. Co., 98 Wn.2d 443, 656 P.2d 1035 (1982).

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Bluebook (online)
684 P.2d 1359, 38 Wash. App. 237, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kennedy-v-mcguire-washctapp-1984.