Washington Administrative Code

(1) The department will provide a checklist of materials that must be included with the submittal of proposed regulations for certification. The checklist will not create new or additional requirements beyond the provisions of this chapter. At a minimum, the submittal must includ…

(1) After making a determination of completeness, the department will notify reviewing agencies listed in WAC 365-191-300 (3)(b) of the county's submittal and the time frame for their formal review and comment.(2) Reviewing agencies shall have thirty days to review and comment on…

(1) The scope of the department's review shall be limited to a review of existing or proposed development regulations submitted for certification and whether the regulations address the protection of critical areas in areas used for agricultural activities.(2) Counties may consid…

After initial certification under WAC 365-191-050, the department has no authority to certify future amendments proposed by counties.[Statutory Authority: RCW 36.70A.735(3) and 36.70A.190. WSR 15-20-041, § 365-191-340, filed 9/29/15, effective 10/30/15.]

(1) The department's decision is subject to appeal under RCW 36.70A.280 to the growth management hearings board.(2) The sixty-day appeal period shall commence upon the date the department's decision is published in the Washington State Register.(3) Only those parties with standin…

(1) Counties and cities planning under RCW 36.70A.040 are subject to continuing review and evaluation of their comprehensive land use plan and development regulations. Periodically, they must take action to review and, if needed, revise their plans and regulations to ensure they …

(1) This section provides assessment criteria to assist counties and cities in determining whether information obtained during development of climate resiliency and critical areas policies and regulations constitutes the "best available science."(2) Counties and cities may use in…

(1) Consultation with state and federal agencies and tribes can provide a quick and cost-effective way to develop scientific information and recommendations. State agencies provide numerous guidance documents and model ordinances that incorporate the agencies' assessments of the …

(1) To demonstrate that the best available science has been included in the development of climate resiliency and critical areas policies and regulations, counties and cities should address each of the following on the record:(a) The specific policies and development regulations …

(1) Where there is an absence of valid scientific information or incomplete scientific information relating to a county's or city's critical areas, leading to uncertainty about which development and land uses could lead to harm of critical areas or uncertainty about the risk to c…

(1) RCW 36.70A.172(1) imposes two distinct but related requirements on counties and cities. Counties and cities must include the "best available science" when developing policies and development regulations to protect the functions and values of critical areas, and counties and c…

Through the Growth Management Act, the legislature provided a new framework for land use planning and the regulation of development in Washington state. The act was enacted in response to problems associated with uncoordinated and unplanned growth and a lack of common goals in th…

(1) Within the framework established by the act, counties and cities may accommodate a wide diversity of local visions. There is no exclusive method for accomplishing the requirements of the act.(2) In light of the complexity and difficulty of the task, the legislature required t…

(1) Where these guidelines apply.(a) This chapter applies to all counties, cities, and towns that are required to plan or choose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040.(b) WAC 365-196-830 addressing protection of critical areas applies to all counties and cities, including those that do no…

(1) Comprehensive plans and development regulations adopted under the act are presumed valid upon adoption. No state approval is required.(2) An appeal of a local comprehensive plan or development regulation alleging a violation of the act must be filed with the growth management…

(1) Regional and local variations and the diversity that exist among different counties and cities should be reflected in the use and application of these procedural criteria.(2) Recognition of variations and diversity is implicit in the act's framework, with an emphasis on a "bo…

The act lists 15 overall goals in RCW 36.70A.020. Counties and cities should design comprehensive plans and development regulations to meet these goals. The goals, where specified, are also intended to guide development of regional policies, plans, and strategies adopted under RC…

The following definitions are contained in chapters 36.70A and 36.70B RCW and provided under this section for convenience. Where definitions from elsewhere in the Revised Code of Washington are included, the definition will note the citation to the applicable statute. If there is…

The following are definitions which are not defined in RCW 36.70A.030 but are defined here for purposes of the procedural criteria.(1) "Achieved density" means the density at which new development occurred in the planning period preceding the analysis required in either RCW 36.70…

(1) The role of urban areas in the act. The act requires counties and cities to direct new growth to urban areas to allow for more efficient and predictable provision of adequate public facilities, to promote an orderly transition of governance for urban areas, to reduce developm…

(1) Purpose of countywide planning policies. The act requires counties and cities to collaboratively develop countywide planning policies to govern the development of comprehensive plans. The primary purpose of countywide planning policies is to ensure consistency between the com…

(1) Requirements.(a) Each county planning under the act must designate an urban growth area or areas within which urban growth must be encouraged and outside of which growth can occur only if it is not urban in nature. Each county must designate an urban growth area in its compre…

(1) Purpose. The review and evaluation program required by RCW 36.70A.215 is referred to as the "buildable lands program." The buildable lands program is intended to determine if urban densities are being achieved within urban growth areas by comparing local planning goals and as…

(1) Urban governmental services.(a) Urban services are defined by RCW 36.70A.030 as those public services and public facilities at an intensity historically and typically provided in cities. Urban services specifically include:(i) Sanitary sewer systems;(ii) Storm drainage system…

(1) Requirements.(a) RCW 36.70A.115 requires counties and cities to ensure that, taken collectively, comprehensive plans and development regulations provide sufficient capacity of land suitable for development within their jurisdictions to accommodate their allocated housing and …

(1) Purpose of development phasing. Development phasing is the sequencing of development subareas within a city or urban growth area over the course of the 20-year planning period. Development phasing should be considered a way to achieve one or more of the following:(a) Orderly …

(1) Requirements.(a) Each county or city planning under the act must identify open space corridors within and between urban growth areas. They must include green space and other lands useful for recreation, wildlife habitat, trails, and connection of critical areas as defined in …

(1) Requirements. Each county and city planning under the act must identify land useful for public purposes such as utility corridors, transportation corridors, landfills, sewage treatment facilities, stormwater management facilities, recreation, schools, and other public uses. T…

(1) Any county planning under the act may reserve a portion of its 20-year population projection for new fully contained communities, located outside of the designated urban growth areas.(2) Proposals to authorize fully contained communities must be processed according to the loc…

(1) Requirements: The Growth Management Act does not prohibit a county planning under RCW 36.70A.040 from authorizing the extension of public facilities and utilities to serve a school sited in a rural area that serves students from a rural area and an urban area so long as the f…

(1) Requirements.(a) The comprehensive plan must include, at a minimum, a future land use map.(b) The comprehensive plan must contain descriptive text covering objectives, principles, and standards used to develop the comprehensive plan.(c) The comprehensive plan must be an inter…

(1) Requirements for counties and cities not subject to the amendments in the land use element of RCW 36.70A.070 set forth in chapter 228, Laws of 2023, based on the applicability requirements in RCW 36.70A.095(3) and WAC 365-196-443(2), Table 1. The land use element shall contai…

(1) Requirements. Counties and cities must develop a housing element ensuring vitality and character of established residential neighborhoods. The housing element must contain at least the following features:(a) An inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing needs th…

(1) Requirements. The capital facilities element of a comprehensive plan must contain at least the following features:(a) An inventory of existing capital facilities owned by public entities, including green infrastructure, also referred to as "public facilities," showing the loc…

(1)(a) Requirements. The utilities element shall contain at least the following features: The general location, proposed location, and capacity of all existing and proposed utilities including, but not limited to, electrical, telecommunication, and natural gas systems.(b) The cou…

Counties must include a rural element in their comprehensive plan. This element shall include lands that are not designated for urban growth, agriculture, forest, or mineral resources. The rural element shall permit land uses that are compatible with the rural character of such l…

Each comprehensive plan shall include a transportation element that implements, and is consistent with, the land use element.(1) Requirements for counties and cities not subject to the amendments in the transportation element (RCW 36.70A.070) set forth in chapter 228, Laws of 202…

(1) Requirements.(a) The economic development element should establish local goals, policies, objectives, and provisions for economic growth and vitality and a high quality of life. An economic development element should include:(i) A summary of the local economy such as populati…

(1) Requirements.(a) The park and recreation element of the comprehensive plan must contain at least the following features:(i) Consistency with the capital facilities element as it relates to park and recreation facilities;(ii) Estimates of park and recreation demand for at leas…

(1) Requirements. Each comprehensive plan shall include a climate change and resiliency element ("climate element") designed to, where applicable, result in reductions in overall greenhouse gas emissions and that must enhance resiliency to and avoid the adverse impacts of climate…

(1) A comprehensive plan may include additional elements, items, or studies dealing with other subjects relating to the physical development within its jurisdiction, including, but not limited to:(a) Conservation;(b) Solar energy.(2) A comprehensive plan may include, where approp…

(1) RCW 36.70A.020(13) calls on counties and cities to identify and encourage the preservation of lands, sites, and structures that have historical or archaeological significance, herein referred to as "cultural resources." Although the act does not require a separate historic pr…

(1) Requirements:(a) Counties and cities in which there is located a general aviation airport operated for the benefit of the general public must, through their comprehensive plans and development regulations, discourage the siting of incompatible uses adjacent to such an airport…

(1) The act allows for master planned resorts to provide counties with a means of capitalizing on areas of significant natural amenities to provide sustainable economic development for its rural areas. The requirements allow for master planned resorts without degrading the rural …

(1) General authority for major industrial developments. A county required or choosing to plan under the act may establish, in consultation with cities under the countywide planning policies outlined in RCW 36.70A.210, a process for reviewing and approving proposals to authorize …

(1) In addition to the major industrial development allowed under RCW 36.70A.365, a county planning under RCW 36.70A.040 that meets the criteria in subsection (2) of this section may establish a process for designating an industrial land bank consisting of no more than two master…

(1) Military installations are of particular importance to the economic health of the state of Washington. It is a priority of the state to protect the land surrounding military installations from incompatible development. Military training, testing, and operating areas are also …

(1) Requirements.(a) In the initial period following adoption of the act, and prior to the development of comprehensive plans, counties and cities planning under the act were required to designate natural resource lands of long-term commercial significance and adopt development r…

(1) Relationship to the comprehensive plan.(a) The act requires that the planning goals in RCW 36.70A.020 guide the development and adoption of comprehensive plans and development regulations. These goals include retaining open space and green space; enhancing recreation opportun…

(1) Comprehensive plans must be internally consistent. This requirement means that differing parts of the comprehensive plan must fit together so that no one feature precludes the achievement of any other.(2) Use of compatible assumptions. A county or city must use compatible ass…