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Environmental Rules

Environmental Rules in Edmonds, WA: What Residents Actually Need to Know

By CityRuleLookup Editorial Team

If you live in Edmonds or are thinking about moving there, environmental rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Edmonds has 5 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of environmental rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Stormwater Management

Edmonds regulates stormwater runoff from construction and development under ECDC 18.30, the city's Stormwater Management chapter. Any project disturbing 7,000 square feet of land or adding 2,000 square feet of new or replaced hard surface must submit a stormwater site plan meeting the state's 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington, administered by the public works and utilities director.

Key details: Category 1 threshold: 2,000 sq ft hard surface or 7,000 sq ft disturbance. Category 2 threshold: 5,000 sq ft hard surface or 0.75-acre conversion. Max civil penalty: $20,000 per occurrence. Enforcing agency: Public Works and Utilities Director. Governing standard: 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for W. Washington.

A person who fails to comply with a stormwater approval, order, or stop work order, or who develops without approval, is subject to a civil penalty under Chapter 20.110 ECDC, and the hearing examiner may levy up to $20,000 per occurrence based on public health risk, environmental damage, property damage, prior violations, and economic benefit gained. Uncorrected violations escalate to 150 percent of the initial penalty for the next 15 days and 200 percent after that. Appeals go to Snohomish County superior court.

Erosion Control

Edmonds requires a construction stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) under ECDC 18.30.060(D)(2) for any project adding 2,000 square feet or more of new plus replaced hard surface, disturbing 7,000 square feet or more of land, or demolishing a structure with 2,000 square feet of hard surface. Between October 1 and April 30, the city further restricts clearing and grading unless erosion and sediment controls are demonstrated to hold silt-laden runoff on site.

Key details: SWPPP required at: 2,000 sq ft hard surface or 7,000 sq ft disturbance. Seasonal restriction: Oct 1 to Apr 30 clearing/grading limits. SWPPP elements: 13 elements per SWMMWW Volume II. Max civil penalty: $20,000 per occurrence. Enforcing agency: Public Works and Utilities Director.

Erosion control violations are enforced under the same Chapter 18.30 civil penalty scheme: the director can order corrective action, and continued noncompliance brings a civil penalty under Chapter 20.110 ECDC that the hearing examiner may set up to $20,000 per occurrence, weighing risk to public health, environmental and property damage, and any economic benefit gained by skipping controls. Unresolved violations escalate to 150 percent, then 200 percent of the initial penalty in successive 15-day periods.

Flood Elevation Requirements

Edmonds requires two feet of freeboard above the base flood elevation for buildings in a Coastal High Hazard Area or Coastal A Flood Zone, and one foot of freeboard for manufactured homes anywhere in a mapped flood hazard area, enforced through the city's amended building and residential codes.

Key details: Coastal High Hazard/Coastal A freeboard: Minimum 2 feet above BFE. Manufactured home freeboard: Minimum 1 foot above BFE. Elevation source: Applicable FEMA flood hazard map. Rebuild trigger: 50%+ damage requires current flood standards. FIS/FIRM date: June 19, 2020.

Constructing below the required freeboard elevation in a flood hazard area is enforced as a building code violation under ECDC 19.85.000, a misdemeanor with each day the deficient condition continues treated as a separate offense punishable under ECC 5.50.020, in addition to the elevation certificate and inspection requirements the floodplain administrator can withhold approval over.

Flood Zones

Any construction or development within an Edmonds special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit before work begins, covering all structures, including manufactured homes, and all development activity such as fill, grading or paving, administered by the building official as floodplain administrator.

Key details: Permit trigger: Any construction/development in special flood hazard area. Covers: All structures, including manufactured homes. FIS/FIRM basis: Snohomish County study dated 6/19/2020. Administrator: Building official (floodplain administrator). Habitat assessment: Required unless activity is exempt.

Chapter 19.07 does not carry its own separate penalty; floodplain development performed without the required permit is enforced as a building code violation under ECDC 19.85.000, a misdemeanor with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense punishable under ECC 5.50.020.

Boat Dock Permits

Edmonds regulates private docks, piers and floats through its Shoreline Master Program. A single-family dock is a water-dependent use but must meet strict height, length, width and setback limits, and most residential docks worth $2,500 or less in Puget Sound are exempt from the standard shoreline substantial development permit.

Key details: Height limit: 5 feet above ordinary high water mark. Length limit: 35 feet or neighborhood average, whichever is less. Setback: 10-foot side yard from property line. Size cap: 400 square feet for residential docks. Permit exemption threshold: $2,500 fair market value in Puget Sound.

Building a dock, pier or float beyond these limits, or without the required shoreline substantial development permit or DNR lease, is a violation of the Shoreline Master Program. ECDC 24.80.170 routes enforcement, investigation and penalties through ECDC 20.110.040 together with WAC 173-27 Part II and RCW 90.58.210 and 90.58.220, meaning the city can issue notices of violation and pursue civil penalties, and unpermitted moorage structures can be ordered removed or brought into compliance.

The Bottom Line

Edmonds's environmental rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Edmonds is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Edmonds's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.