School buses serving Seattle Public Schools have been parked illegally along the Ballard waterfront. City investigators are checking whether fueling at the site may have polluted nearby water.

The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) issued a Notice of Violation on Aug. 27 to the Ballard Mill Marina property, KING 5 first reported. The violation requires buses to be removed from a protected 60-foot shoreline setback and requires proper permits for how the site is being used.

The property is owned by Wing Point Partners and leased to Zum Services Inc., the transportation contractor that operates the majority of Seattle Public Schools bus routes. Zum said it had no idea.

The company told KING 5 it learned about the violation only after the station contacted them.

Wing Point Partners founder Ned A. Carner said in a statement the company did not know about the setback requirement.

Carner said Wing Point received notice from the city on Aug. 28 and called the zoning code "complex." The company committed to completing changes within the 30-day compliance window.

Beyond the zoning violation, the city is investigating reported mobile fueling of buses at the site and whether that activity affected stormwater or water quality.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) said its Pollution Prevention team is in the early stages of assessing potential environmental impacts. SPU is coordinating with SDCI, the Seattle Fire Department and the Washington Department of Ecology.

An inspection is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21, focused on compliance with mobile fueling standards in the Seattle Stormwater Manual.

Officials have not said whether any pollution has reached the water.

Zum said in a statement that its fueling procedures include drip mats, absorbent materials and shutoff equipment, with personnel required to stay at the fueling point throughout the process. The company said it is working with the property owner to establish a designated fueling location and adjust bus parking.

The violation comes as Zum scales up its SPS operations. The district consolidated bus routes with Zum for the 2026-27 school year, according to The Seattle Times.

Zum added 130 new routes and hired 150 additional drivers, operating more than 280 routes. The other SPS bus contractor, First Student, reduced its service to roughly 20% of district routes.

Rebecca Morgenroth, who lived on a boat at Ballard Mill Marina, said the buses brought early-morning noise and traffic to the waterfront, including buses backing up around 5 a.m. She said the situation was one reason she felt forced to leave.

"It doesn't seem like the exhaust of a bunch of school buses, and sound, noise, and all the rest of it is a good use of waterfront," Morgenroth told KING 5.

Washington's Shoreline Management Act requires cities with shorelines to develop and enforce Shoreline Master Programs. Puget Sound is designated a shoreline of statewide significance under the law.

Seattle Public Schools has not publicly addressed the violation. The District 6 council member, who represents Ballard, has not publicly commented. The Sept. 21 inspection is the next scheduled milestone.