Seattle’s clothing-optional beach at Denny Blaine Park will remain open— but a King County judge has ordered the city to crack down on inappropriate behavior. The order comes as the latest update in a legal battle between the neighborhood association Denny Blaine Park for All and the City of Seattle.
The group sued the city in 2025, alleging that years of inappropriate and illegal behavior, including public sex acts, vandalism and illegal parking, had taken place on the beach.
Wednesday, Judge Samuel Chung found public nudity and sex acts that took place in the park to be a public nuisance and said that the city must now “develop and implement a park-specific user plan and code of conduct to address overcrowding, safety, prohibited and acceptable behaviors,” according to court documents.
Additional requirements were put in place, including increased staffing in the park to monitor behavior, clear signs telling visitors what is and is not allowed, and barriers to prevent beachgoers from trespassing on nearby properties and to block the view of nude visitors from outside the park.
The judge declined neighbors’ requests to close the park, stating closure would not bring long-term change.
Nudity is legal in Seattle according to city law. In past conflicts over the park, the city has acknowledged its significance to Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community.
The city previously implemented changes last summer, including installing a fence to separate clothing-optional and clothing-required areas. While court documents say the number of lewd acts went down slightly, they were not eliminated.
Both sides celebrated the judge’s finding on Friday.
“It’s important to celebrate the fact that the verdict states that Washington State’s first LGBT historic site will remain open,” said Jesse Miranda, a spokesperson for Friends of Denny Blaine.
“It requires the city to actually do something,” said Lee Keller, a spokesperson for Denny Blaine Park for All. “To make this go away and to make it so that the park can be really enjoyed by everybody.” Keller added, “We appreciate the fact that the judge did recognize that this behavior has got to end.”
As of Friday, the city has not released more precise details on what exactly it plans to include in its park-specific plan.
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