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Subjects › Planning › GMA Plan/Development Regulations Updates
Updated 07/2011

GMA Plan/Development Regulations Updates

Contents

Introduction

The Growth Management Act (GMA) requires that each Washington city and county establish a public participation program and procedures for amendments, updates and revisions of comprehensive plans and development regulations. With some exceptions, proposed amendments or updates may be considered no more frequently than once every year and must be considered concurrently, so that the cumulative effects may be evaluated.

Each Washington city and county must periodically review and, if needed, revise its comprehensive plan and development regulations - every eight years - to ensure that they comply with the GMA, as per the schedule provided in RCW 36.70A.130. Cities and counties planning under RCW 36.70A.040 (fully planning cities and counties) must complete such a periodic update for their entire comprehensive plan and development regulations. All counties and cities, including those not fully planning under the GMA, are required to review and, if necessary, amend their policies and development regulations regarding critical areas and natural resource lands. Critical areas ordinances must incorporate requirements for use of best available science and give special consideration to anadromous fisheries - see information on Critical Areas and Best Available Science.

ESHB 1478 (effective July 22, 2011) extends the time between mandated growth management plan/development regulation and shoreline plan updates to every eight years, and reallocates review and revision years for some jurisdictions. The first bloc of counties and cities must complete review and revision requirements by June 30, 2015, rather than December 1, 2014. An additional two years for meeting the review and revision requirements is granted to smaller and slow growing counties and cities that meet certain criteria. County reviews of designated urban growth areas (UGAs) must also be completed according to this schedule, and evaluation requirements for the buildable lands program must be completed by counties and cities one year before the applicable review and revision deadline. The deadline and extension provisions are to be codified in RCW 36.70A.130 (3), (4), (5) and (6).

In addition, RCW 36.70A.130(3), as amended by ESHB 1478, requires counties and cities to review, according to the schedules established in RCW 36.70A.130(5), designated UGAs, the densities permitted within each UGA, and the nature of development that has occurred. UGAs and comprehensive plans are to be revised to accommodate the urban growth projected for the succeeding twenty-year period.

A jurisdiction may complete the periodic update process before its deadline. The deadline for its next periodic update would still remain eight years from the original deadline established in the GMA. For example, if a jurisdiction has an update deadline of June 30, 2015, but it completes its update in 2012, then it would not be subject to another required periodic update until 2023.

For the update schedule for all counties, see the GMA Update Schedule Map, on the Department of Commerce Website.

RCW 90.58.080 provides a timetable of deadlines by which local governments must complete or amend their shoreline master program to be consistent with state guidelines. Beginning June 30, 2019, each county, and the cities within each county, must review and revise their shoreline master programs on an eight-year cycle, rather than the current seven-year cycle, as provided by ESHB 1478 (to be codified as RCW 90.58.080 (4)(a)). The Department of Ecology is required to strive to achieve final action on a submitted master program within 180 days of receipt and to post an annual assessment of its own performance on its website.

The Washington State Department of Commerce (formerly Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development) has prepared information on plan updates. Please see the Department's webpage: Growth Management Act Periodic Update. This webpage includes a link to a very useful guidebook on completing the periodic update: the “Keeping Your Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations Current,” revised June, 2011. Guidebook appendices include checklists, sample work programs, resolutions/ordinances and other helpful aids. Appendix E of this guidebook includes a list of amendments to GMA that should help alert local jurisdictions to corresponding amendments that may be needed in local comprehensive plans to maintain consistency to GMA. The same web page includes a link to the webinar: Growth Management Periodic Update Grant Application Webinar.

GMA Update Background Information

Local Plan and Critical Area Update Programs

Cities

Counties

Ordinances Adopting Comprehensive Plan Updates

Annual (or Periodic) Comprehensive Plan Amendments/Updates

Comprehensive Plan Update Work Program & Process Examples

Specific Update Topics Related to Recent Legislation or Current Issues

  • Critical Areas, MRSC - Webpage that includes critical area ordinance update programs
  • Best Available Science, MRSC - All counties and cities must include the best available science in developing critical areas policies and development regulations.
  • Endangered Species - Salmon and Bull Trout, MRSC
  • SEPA, MRSC
  • Promotion of Physical Activity and Pedestrian & Bicycle Sub-Element - Additions to land use and transportation elements, as required by ESSB 5186
  • Siting of Secure Community Transition Facilities, MRSC - RCW 36.70A.200; all counties and cities were required to amend policies and development regulations to establish a process by September 1, 2002.
  • Manufactured Housing Location and Design, MRSC - Consistent with legislation effective July 1, 2005; cities and counties must regulate manufactured homes built to federal manufactured housing construction standards no differently than they regulate other types of homes.
  • New Mandatory Parks Element - A mandatory requirement for a park and recreation element was added to the required GMA comprehensive plan elements during the 2002 legislative session. The requirement may be found at RCW 36.70A.070(8) & (9). Although new or amended elements are to be adopted concurrent with the scheduled update provided in RCW 36.70A.130, that requirement is postponed until adequate state funding is available. See the MRSC Parks and Recreation webpage.
  • New Mandatory Economic Development Element - A mandatory requirement for an economic development element was added to the required GMA comprehensive plan elements during the 2002 legislative session. The requirement may be found at RCW 36.70A.070(7) and (9). Although new or amended elements are to be adopted concurrent with the scheduled update provided in RCW 36.70A.130, that requirement is postponed until adequate state funding is available. See the MRSC Planning for Economic Development webpage.

Links to Other Related Websites