Snohomish County Shoreline Management Program: Shoreline Environment Designations, Policies and Regulations Snohomish County Planning and Development Services Adopted by Amended Ordinance No. 12-025 on June 6, 2012 Approved by Washington State Department of Ecology on July 13, 2012, Effective July 27, 2012 Amended by Ordinance No. 13-098 on December 11, 2013 Approved by Washington State Department of Ecology on May 12, 2014, Effective May 27, 2014 Last amended by Amended Ordinance No. 19-020 on July 3, 2019 Approved by Washington State Department of Ecology on September 30, 2019, Effective October 14, 2019 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 SHORELINE MANAGEMENT ACT .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 SNOHOMISH COUNTY’S SHORELINE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ................................................................... 1 1.2.1 Snohomish County Shoreline Jurisdiction ................................................................................ 1 1.2.1.1 List of Shorelines in Snohomish County ........................................................................................ 2 1.2.2 Shorelines of Statewide Significance ........................................................................................ 5 1.2.2.1 Management Principles and Development Guidelines ................................................................ 6 1.2.3 Components of Snohomish County’s SMP .............................................................................. 7 1.2.4 SMP Elements ............................................................................................................................ 10 1.2.4.1 Conservation and Monitoring Element ......................................................................................... 10 1.2.4.2 Cultural, Archaeological and Historic Element ............................................................................ 12 1.2.5 SMP Updates and Amendments ............................................................................................. 13 2. DESIGNATION OF SHORELINE ENVIRONMENTS ............................................................................ 14 2.1 SHORELINE ENVIRONMENT DESIGNATION PROCESS .................................................................................. 14 2.1.1 Inventory of Ecological Functions and Conditions ................................................................ 15 2.1.1.1 Restoration of Shoreline Ecological Functions ............................................................................ 16 2.1.2 Land Use Patterns ..................................................................................................................... 16 2.2 ENVIRONMENT-SPECIFIC POLICIES & DESIGNATION CRITERIA ................................................................. 18 2.2.1 Aquatic ........................................................................................................................................ 18 2.2.2 Natural ........................................................................................................................................ 19 2.2.3 Resource .................................................................................................................................... 21 2.2.4 Municipal Watershed Utility ..................................................................................................... 22 2.2.5 Rural Conservancy ................................................................................................................... 23 2.2.6 Urban Conservancy .................................................................................................................. 24 2.2.7 Urban .......................................................................................................................................... 25 2.3 ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENT DESIGNATION SYSTEM ............................................................................. 27 2.4 SHORELINE ENVIRONMENT DESIGNATION MAPS ..................................................................................... 29 2.5 TULALIP INDIAN RESERVATION................................................................................................................ 29 3. SHORELINE GOALS, POLICIES AND REGULATIONS...................................................................... 31 3.1 INTRODUCTION: STATE REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................. 31 3.1.1 Shoreline Management Act and Guidelines ........................................................................... 31 3.1.2 Relationship Between the SMA and the GMA ....................................................................... 31 3.1.2.1 Requirements for Critical Area Protection ........................................................................................ 32 3.1.2.2 Application of the Shoreline Science ................................................................................................. 33 3.1.2.3 No Net Loss of Ecological Functions ................................................................................................ 36 3.1.2.4 Snohomish County’s Critical Area Regulations ............................................................................... 37 3.2 SHORELINE GOALS, POLICIES AND REGULATIONS.................................................................................... 38 3.2.1 Permit Procedures and Requirements .................................................................................... 38 3.2.1.1 Comply with SMA/SMP standards even when no permit required ........................................... 38 3.2.2 Relationship to other regulatory requirements ....................................................................... 38 3.2.2.1 Comply with Critical Area Regulations ......................................................................................... 38 3.2.2.2 Comply with other applicable regulations .................................................................................... 39 3.2.3 Shoreline Use Element ............................................................................................................. 39 3.2.3.1 Goals and Policies........................................................................................................................... 39 3.2.3.2 Use Regulations .............................................................................................................................. 41 3.2.3.3 Bulk Regulations .............................................................................................................................. 42 3.2.3.4 Non-conforming Uses ..................................................................................................................... 45 3.2.3.5 Signs ................................................................................................................................................. 45 3.2.4 Public Access Element .............................................................................................................. 46 3.2.5 Specific Shoreline Uses & Modifications ................................................................................ 48 3.2.5.1 Agriculture ........................................................................................................................................ 50 3.2.5.2 Aquaculture ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Snohomish County Shoreline Management Program: Shoreline Environment Designations, Policies and Regulations 3.2.5.3 Boating and Boat Mooring Facilities ............................................................................................. 54 3.2.5.4 Breakwaters, jetties, groins & other in-water structures ............................................................ 56 3.2.5.5 Commercial ...................................................................................................................................... 57 3.2.5.6 Dredging and dredge spoil disposal ............................................................................................. 58 3.2.5.7 Fill ...................................................................................................................................................... 59 3.2.5.8 Flood Protection Measures ............................................................................................................ 60 3.2.5.9 Forestry ............................................................................................................................................. 62 3.2.5.10 Industry and Ports ........................................................................................................................... 63 3.2.5.11 Institutional Uses ............................................................................................................................. 65 3.2.5.12 Mining ................................................................................................................................................ 66 3.2.5.13 Recreation .......................................................................................................................................