New Jefferson County Shoreline Management Plan
There is a new Shoreline Management Plan nearing completion for Jefferson County. Mandated by Washington State under the Washington State Shoreline Management Act of 1971, the new plan fulfills the requirement for each county to develop a plan governing the saltwater and freshwater shorelines within its boundaries. Jefferson County approved the new plan in December 2009 and has submitted it to the state for final review and adoption. The goal of the plan is to provide a set of consistent long-range regulations that both the county and property owners can use to plan future shoreline development.
For most owners of existing waterfront homes, the primary effect will be new definitions of the types of shoreline development, such as stairs or bulkheads, that will be allowed based on a new system of shoreline classifications.
For owners of undeveloped waterfront property, an additional change will be new setback requirements for structures. For saltwater shorelines, there is a standard 150 buffer zone measured from the high water mark, plus a 10-foot setback from the buffer for a total of 160 feet. This means new structures are normally not to be built within 160 feet of the high water mark. There are exceptions to that rule, such as when the combined buffers and setbacks exceed the depth of the lot.
Click on the link below to go to a county web page with a link to the full text of the plan (referred to as Exhibit A) and shoreline maps showing the new shoreline classifications. The setbacks are defined on page 6-5, and the exceptions begin on page 6-6 of Exhibit A.
The new rules are expected to go into effect no earlier than this spring. If you plan development that these new rules would not allow, you can still get approval under the old rules. The best way to do that is to apply for a Site Plan Approval Advance Determination (SPAAD). A SPAAD approval is the county�s statement that it would allow the development defined in the application. Approval is valid for five years. For a more detailed definition of a SPAAD, and the application requirements, click on the link below.
