Code Changes: Arlington Haunted House Closes After Permit Denial

For families in Arlington, Washington, the annual October tradition of visiting a neighborhood haunted house has ended. The Arlington Community Haunted House, which operated in the backyard of the Murray family, closed for the 2026 season after officials denied a required permit. The decision forced the stoppage of an event that had grown from a small family activity into a major community fixture over the past decade.

The attraction was approximately 85% complete when the denial arrived. Jackie Murray, who helped run the site with her father Brian Murray, stated that code enforcement sent an email notification regarding the permit rejection. The family later met with local officials and discovered that updated building and fire codes now classify the maze as an amusement structure. Under the new rules, the site was required to adhere to specific building code standards to remain operational.

Brian and Jackie Murray started the event in 2015. They paused operations in 2022 during the pandemic, after which attendance and the scale of the project increased significantly. Volunteers assisted with construction for the 2026 season, which was themed around a circus located near a melted-down nuclear reactor. The original plan called for the attraction to open on Oct. 1, but the permit issue halted operations before that date.

The Murray family could not afford the costs associated with the code updates. Jackie Murray described the emotional toll of the decision, noting that she cried in her car before informing the volunteer team. She emphasized that the event was originally a family affair that expanded into a larger community effort. The closure marks the end of a specific local practice, though the physical props remain in circulation.

The family donated most of the remaining props to Terror for a Cause, a haunted experience located in Stanwood. That attraction operates at the fairgrounds and is open on Fridays and Saturdays. Brian Murray noted that the event helped the family meet many new people. Jackie Murray stated that the core purpose of the house was to bring people together, regardless of the physical structure's fate.