No new detention centers or involuntary confinement facilities can be built in unincorporated Pierce County for six months starting Oct. 4. The Pierce County Council voted 7-0 on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to approve the extension.

The same meeting produced a second unanimous vote on a new law setting mandatory jail time when adults expose children to controlled substances like fentanyl.

Moratorium gets six more months

Ordinance No. O2026-556 extends a freeze on the siting, expansion or establishment of correctional institutions, immigration detention centers, civil commitment facilities and secure behavioral health treatment centers in unincorporated Pierce County.

The original moratorium passed in March by a 5-2 vote, with Councilmembers Amy Cruver and Dave Morell dissenting.

Both voted yes this time.

County Executive Ryan Mello proposed the original freeze after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a pre-solicitation notice for a new 1,600-bed detention center to serve its Seattle field office. Pierce County already hosts the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Western State Hospital and the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island, according to the county.

Cruver introduced 10 amendments before the Sept. 8 vote. Four were adopted, including requirements that the county study whether it carries a disproportionate share of regional detention and involuntary treatment facilities.

The amended work plan directs Pierce County Planning and Public Works to examine the cumulative concentration of those facilities and the burden on county services.

If the department recommends prohibiting a category of facility countywide, it must explain the public safety, infrastructure, fiscal, environmental and public health reasons.

Councilmember Rosie Ayala said the remaining amendments arrived too late for review. "We received these in written form at 2:10 p.m. … We had two minutes to review 16 different amendments," Ayala said at the Sept. 8 meeting, as reported by the Tacoma Weekly.

Senior planner Justin Patterson said the department was already studying many of the issues Cruver raised and cautioned that prescribing outcomes too early could reduce the role of community input.

The moratorium will end sooner if the council adopts permanent regulations before the six months expire. No deadline for the study's completion has been announced.

New penalties for exposing children to fentanyl

Ordinance No. O2026-534s, sponsored by Councilmembers Paul Herrera and Cruver, amends Pierce County Code Chapter 9.57. The offense of knowingly or recklessly allowing a child or dependent person to ingest, inhale, absorb or contact a controlled substance other than cannabis remains a gross misdemeanor.

The new law sets a 90-day jail sentence for a first conviction and 180 days for a second or subsequent conviction.

Alternatives to confinement are available when both parties agree. Diversion, drug court and treatment programs remain options before conviction.

County staff reported that four cases have been filed under the existing code since its adoption in 2024. Each allegedly involved a child who tested positive for fentanyl.

Herrera cited the recent conviction of a Bonney Lake father whose baby died after ingesting fentanyl. He said the judge questioned why the father had not sought help during 15 years of addiction.

The ordinance also requires annual reporting from the Prosecuting Attorney's Office so the council can review case outcomes and flag possible racial disparities. The moratorium runs up to six months from its Oct. 4 effective date, or until permanent regulations are adopted.