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SUBJECTS › PLANNING › Planning Commission
Published 04/09

Planning Commission

Contents

Introduction

The planning commission provides citizen review and recommendations on planning-related matters to the city, town, county council, or county board of commissioners.

Planning commissions often have two distinct functions. The first involves preparation and revision of the community's comprehensive plan and local land use regulations, such as the zoning or subdivision code. This role is typically advisory to the local governing body, with the planning board forwarding a recommended plan (or ordinance) to the governing body for consideration.

The second, and frequently most time-consuming, function involves review of development proposals, such as site plans and subdivisions. Not all planning commissions are involved in the development review function. In Washington State, when planning commissions perform this role, typically the commission recommends a decision that the local governing body can approve or disapprove of, or approve of with modifications. Since regulatory reform in the 1990s, in some jurisdictions the planning commission or hearing examiner may hold the public hearing and make a decision on certain types of land use actions. In these cases, the planning commission's decision would be subject to appeal to the local governing body.

This page is organized into two basic parts. The first is general information about planning commissions, including by-laws. Planning commission ordinances for code cities, non-code cities/towns, and counties are presented separately because of different statutory requirements. The second part is a portal to selected resources available on the MRSC Web site and elsewhere about topics that would be useful to planning commission members, especially new commissioners.

Information on Planning Commissions

Reference Sources

Code City Planning Commission Ordinances and General Information

Non-Code City Planning Commission Ordinances and General Information

County Planning Commission Ordinances and General Information

Planning Commission By-Laws and Rules of Procedure

Selected Resources for Planning Commissioners

Links to Planning Associations and Publications