County of Walla Walla

Current Fees

Administrative interpretations and administrative decisions pursuant to Section 14.09.020 of this title, including appeals of administrative decisions or determinations made pursuant to RCW 43.21C, may be appealed, by applicants or parties of record, to the hearing examiner as provided for in Section 14.11.030 of this chapter.

Appeals of a rezone not of general applicability (site-specific) shall be made within ten days after the date of the Hearing Examiner's decision to the board of county commissioners for review at a closed record appeal as provided for in Section 14.11.030 of this chapter.

All other decisions of the hearing examiner may be appealed, by applicants or parties of record from the hearing examiner public hearing, to the Walla Walla County Superior Court as provided for in Section 14.11.040 of this chapter; provided, however, that no final decision of the hearing examiner may be appealed to Walla Walla County Superior Court unless such party has first brought a timely motion for reconsideration of the hearing examiner's decision pursuant to Section 14.11.060 of this chapter.
Application
WWCC Chapter 14.11

A "binding site plan" is a drawing to a scale in accordance with the requirements of WWCC 16.80 and RCW 58.17 for the purposes of creating lots or tracts on land zoned for commercial or industrial use; dividing land for the purpose of lease for mobile homes or travel trailers; or dividing land into lots or tracts for condominiums.

Application
Minor Revision - Alteration Application
Public Works Preliminary Review Form
WWCC Section 16.08.010

A "boundary line adjustment" is an alteration of boundary lines between platted or unplatted lots, or both. A boundary line adjustment cannot create any additional lot, tract, parcel, site or division.

Application
Health Department Plat Submittal Form
WWCC Section 16.08.010 
WWCC Chapter 16.70

Applications for amendments to the County's Comprehensive Plan are considered annually, with a few exceptions. The annual amendment process is designed to solicit from the public and outside agencies suggested amendments to the Walla Walla County Comprehensive Plan and development regulations for future consideration.
Comprehensive Plan Amendment Application
Exhibit B template

A "conditional use" means a use permitted in one or more districts as
defined by WWCC Title 17, but which, because of characteristics peculiar
to it, or because of size, technological processes or equipment, or
because of the exact location with reference to surroundings, streets,
and existing improvements or demands upon public facilities, requires a
special degree of control to make such uses consistent with and
compatible to other existing or permissible uses in the same district,
and to assure that such use shall not be in conflict with the public
interest.

Application
Application - Quarry on Designated Lands 
WWCC Section 17.08.160
WWCC Chapter 17.40

There are five primary types of critical areas in Walla Walla County: fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas, wetlands, geologically hazardous areas, critical aquifer recharge areas, and frequently flooded areas. These areas are regulated under Walla Walla County Code (WWCC) Chapter 18.08. The purpose of these regulations is to "designate and classify ecologically sensitive and hazardous areas and to protect these areas and their functions and values, while also allowing for reasonable use of private property" (WWCC 18.08.005).

Application
Handout - Liquefaction Susceptibility

Policy - Preliminary Liquefaction Assessments
Best Available Science (BAS) Document 2008
WWCC Chapter 18.08

Under certain criteria, lots, tracts or parcels of land that have been created or divided in violation of state law or this title may be developed upon. 

Innocent Purchaser
Development permits on such land will only be granted if the applicant purchased the lot, tract or parcel for value; and the applicant did not know, and could not have known within reasonable effort that the lot, tract or parcel of land had been created or divided  in violation of state law.  Such permitting is conditional upon further analysis in a public interest determination.
Application
WWCC Section 16.04.040

Public Interest Determination
In addition to certain innocent purchaser criteria needing to be met before development permits are issuable, a public interest determination will also need to take place.  This public interest determination is based on four criteria: the director of health’s certification of sewage disposal, county engineering certification of access and drain fields, director approval of the lots conformity to the comprehensive plan and assurance that the proposed development will not adversely affect public safety.

Application
WWCC Section 16.04.030

The Development Regulations (County Code) are the tools that implement the Comprehensive Plan. They provide the regulatory controls for development and land use activities. They include the County’s zoning code, critical areas Regulations, shoreline master program, planned unit development ordinances, and subdivision ordinances. The County’s development regulations are applicable only to the unincorporated lands in Walla Walla County, including the urban growth areas of the cities of College Place, Prescott, Waitsburg, and Walla Walla, also the Burbank UGA, and the rural activity centers (RAC) of Dixie, Lowden, and Touchet. The cities have their own development regulations, and separate amendment processes.

Applications for amendments to the County's development regulations are generally considered annually. The annual amendment process is designed to solicit from the public and outside agencies suggested amendments to the development regulations for future consideration.
ZCA application
ZCA Exhibit B template

In Walla Walla County, a "final plat" is the final drawing of the subdivision and dedication prepared for filing for record with the county auditor and containing all elements and requirements set forth in RCW 58.17, and in WWCC Title 16.  Prior to application for a final plat, a preliminary plat must be approved (listed below).

Application (Final Plat)
Application (Final Plat Alterations)
WWCC Section 16.08.010 
WWCC Chapter 16.36

"Home Occupation" means an occupation customarily conducted entirely within a dwelling and carried on by the inhabitants thereof, which use is clearly incidental and secondary to the dwelling for dwelling purposes and does not change the character thereof. See WWCC 17.08.260 and 17.08.261 for further clarification, and the Residential Land Uses table in WWCC 17.16.014 for permitted and conditional use requirements for Type I and Type II home occupations.

Application
WWCC Section 17.08.260
WWCC Section 17.08.261 
WWCC Section 17.16.014

"large lot subdivision" is the division of land into two or more lots or parcels, where the smallest lot, tract, parcel or site is greater than forty acres. Application requirements for a large lot subdivision are the same as required for preliminary short subdivision (short plat), unless waived by the Director.

Application
WWCC Section 16.08.010
WWCC Chapter 16.95 
Public Works Preliminary Review Form
Health Dept. Review Form 

A legal lot determination provides an applicant with a formal determination of the legal status of a parcel of land in Walla Walla County.

Application

In Walla Walla County, the following application must be submitted for consideration of a conditional use permit (CUP) for the temporary placement of a mobile / manufactured home due to medical hardship.

Application
Physician's Certificate
Health Department Certificate 
WWCC 17.16.014A(1)

The purpose of the planned unit development option is to provide greater  flexibility and encourage more design creativity than is generally done under traditional lot by lot development, while insuring substantial compliance with the goals and policies of the comprehensive plan; and permitting more advantageous use of sites through the arrangement of structures, circulation, parking, open spaces, and transfer of development rights. The general provisions for Planned Unit Developments in Walla Walla County can be found in WWCC Chapter 17.37.

Application
WWCC Chapter 17.37

Preliminary Subdivisions are also commonly called "preliminary plats."Walla Walla County Code defines a "preliminary plat" as a neat and approximate drawing of a proposed subdivision showing the general layout of roads and alleys, lots, blocks and restrictive covenants to be applicable to the subdivision, and other elements of a plat or subdivision which shall furnish a basis for the approval or disapproval of the general layout of a subdivision.

Application
Public Works Preliminary Review Form
Health Department Plat Form 
Sample Private Road Maintenance Covenant 
WWCC Section 16.08.010
WWCC Chapter 16.14 
Irrigation District Certificate

Amendments to Preliminary Subdivision Approval
A preliminary subdivision amendment is also commonly known as a "plat
condition amendment." The following application must be used in order to
apply for an amended of a plat condition in Walla Walla County.

Application

There are two types of rezones. Rezones can be site-specific or of general applicability. Applications for site specific rezones can be submitted at any time and are reviewed by the Hearing Examiner.

Applications for rezones of general applicability are typically considered annually. Please contact us if you have questions regarding the amendment process.

Rezone application
Exhibit B (MS Word - fillable)

The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), chapter 43.21C RCW, requires all governmental agencies to consider the environmental impacts of a proposal before making decisions.

SEPA procedures and policies for Walla Walla County are contained in WWCC Chapter 18.04.  SEPA review is required for many types of applications, but is not a stand-alone application.

Environmental Checklist Form 
WWCC Chapter 18.04
Department of Ecology SEPA Guidance

There are four different types of shoreline permits: a Substantial Development Permit, a Shoreline Conditional Use Permit, a Shoreline Exemption Permit, and a Variance Permit. Some projects may require more than one of these permits. Or a project may be in shoreline jurisdiction, but eligible for an exemption from the permit process.

The Joint Aquatic Resources Permit Application (JARPA) Form is used for shoreline permit application. Visit the Governor's Office of Regulatory Innovation and Assistance (ORIA) website for more information on the JARPA form.

Application Form (JARPA)
Guidance from the ORIA Website

In Walla Walla County, a "short plat" is a document consisting of a map of a short subdivision together with written certificates, dedications and data.

A "short subdivision" is the division or redivision of land into four or fewer lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions outside of an urban growth area boundary, or nine or fewer lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions inside of an urban growth area boundary for the purpose of sale or lease.

Application
Health Dept. Plat Submittal Form
Irrigation District Certificate 
Sample Private Road Maintenance Covenant 
WWCC Section 16.08.010
WWCC Chapter 16.14 
WWCC Chapter 16.36 

Regulations and procedures for review and approval of a site development permit when approval of a site plan is desired independent of action on a building permit is found in Walla Walla County Code Chapter 17.17.  This is an optional process that can be used for commercial or industrial projects.

Application
WWCC Chapter 17.17

Walla Walla County Code defines a "variance" as a departure from the provisions of a zoning ordinance relating to setbacks, side yards, frontage requirements, and lot size that, if applied to a specific lot, would significantly interfere with the use of the property (WWCC 17.08.505). Decision criteria for variances are found in WWCC Chapter 17.44.

Application
WWCC Chapter 17.44

The development standards for wineries and breweries, including definition of winery and brewery types, are found in Chapter 17.22 of the Walla Walla County Code.  This form must accompany all winery and brewery permit applications.

Application
WWCC Chapter 17.22

Refund Request Form

Small Scale Value-Added Agriculture Processing