 City of Kenmore police duties are subcontracted through the King County Sheriff's Office; the original City of Kenmore Fire Department's duties were expanded via agreement with nearby Lake Forest Park, becoming the Northshore Fire Department.Shortly after its incorporation in 1998, the city passed a moratorium on cardrooms and other gambling establishments; at the time, Kenmore had a single cardroom, which was later grandfathered into an expanded ban in 2003.After the ban was struck down and reinstated, the issue was decided in a public referendum in September 2004 that did not pass a ban on cardrooms, but the city council kept its ban in place.