Lewis County, WA Ordinances (2026)

Operating a food truck in unincorporated Lewis County requires a valid health permit from the county health officer. Lewis County Code § 8.50.050 makes running a 'mobile food unit,'…

Lewis County's zoning use table at LCC § 17.42.020 lists 'mobile food units (food truck, mobile restaurant)' as a permitted use in nearly every rural, resource and small-town zone in…

Unincorporated Lewis County exempts home composting from its solid waste rules. Lewis County Code § 8.45.030(7) excludes home composting, defined in § 8.45.060, from the permit and…

Customers of Lewis County's own water utility in unincorporated Lewis County face tiered outdoor watering cutbacks when supply runs short. Level II triggers voluntary reduced watering…

Unincorporated Lewis County treats rainwater harvesting as a regulated plumbing installation, folding Uniform Plumbing Code Appendix K and the ARCSA/ANSI 63-2020 catchment standard…

In unincorporated Lewis County, a "significant tree" is any healthy tree 24 inches or more in diameter at breast height standing within or overhanging a county road right-of-way. Lewis…

In unincorporated Lewis County, curbside recycling under RSA-1 collects recyclables every other week, per Lewis County Code § 8.10.080. Any customer subscribing to garbage collection…

LCC § 8.15.230 requires anyone in charge of a building, dwelling or business in unincorporated Lewis County to keep an approved solid waste container and put all non-bulky waste in it…

In unincorporated Lewis County (RSA-1), the county has adopted a curbside recycling program under LCC § 8.10.020 that is voluntary for every single-family residence, whether or not the…

Unincorporated Lewis County does not mandate trash service: LCC § 8.10.040(1) makes it voluntary, and residents in RSA-1 pick their own garbage collection level under § 8.10.100…

Dumping solid waste anywhere in unincorporated Lewis County besides a designated transfer station, landfill, or exempt site violates LCC § 8.15.040. County officials treat the disposal…

Lewis County defines "bulky waste" (appliances, furniture, trees and stumps, demolition debris, and other oversized items) in LCC § 8.15.190(4) and exempts it from the container…

Unincorporated Lewis County runs curbside recycling through Recycling Service Area RSA-1, which under Lewis County Code Chapter 8.10 now covers the entire unincorporated county…

A backyard fire pit in unincorporated Lewis County is a 'recreational fire' under the adopted fire code: it must stay 25 feet from any structure or combustible material and be watched…

Unincorporated Lewis County bans open burning without a permit from the County Building Official as fire code official. Permitted burn piles are capped at 10 by 10 by 6 feet, allowed…

Lewis County Code § 12.05.090 makes it unlawful to carry or possess fireworks anywhere in a Lewis County park. The ban covers any fireworks meeting the chapter's broad federal-based…

Unincorporated Lewis County levies a 2% special excise tax on lodging charges by hotels, rooming houses, tourist courts, motels and trailer camps under LCC Chapter 3.15. The Washington…

Unincorporated Lewis County bans camping or sleeping in a vehicle on county-controlled property outside posted areas. Lewis County Code § 8.60.020 makes unauthorized camping a citable…

In unincorporated Lewis County, a retaining wall built within a public road right-of-way must be reviewed by the county engineer and stamped by a Washington-licensed engineer before…

Lewis County does not cap fence height generally in unincorporated residential zones, but Lewis County Code § 17.145.140 limits fences, walls and hedges to four feet (or a see-through…

Unincorporated Lewis County requires a building permit before erecting any "structure," and its zoning code defines a fence six feet or less in height as not a structure at all. Read…

Unincorporated Lewis County plumbing work is governed by the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, adopted by reference along with Washington's WAC 51-56 and 51-57 plumbing appendices…

Unincorporated Lewis County requires a permit from the Building Official before you construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish, or change the occupancy of a building, under the…

Lewis County's adopted fire code exempts a contained barbecue pit from the standard 50-foot bonfire setback, but any open-flame outdoor cooking fire must still be constantly attended…

In unincorporated Lewis County, blocking a public street or sidewalk, or letting drainage, debris or plant growth spill onto one, is declared a public nuisance under LCC §…

Lewis County Code Chapter 12.20 requires anyone doing utility work within a county road right-of-way, in unincorporated Lewis County, to get a Type-A annual permit or a Type-B…

In unincorporated Lewis County, code enforcement staff do not promise a fixed response time. LCC § 1.20.040 orders the county to prioritize complaints that present an imminent threat…

In unincorporated Lewis County, a vacant or unimproved lot with visible piles of trash, junk, discarded lumber, old appliances, tires or yard waste is declared a public nuisance under…

In unincorporated Lewis County, a building or property that is unfit for habitation, dangerous, dilapidated, or piled with trash and junk is declared a public nuisance under LCC…

Unincorporated Lewis County restricts amplified sound from buildings, band sessions and audio systems to daytime hours: sound heard from the public roadway between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00…

Unincorporated Lewis County bars public disturbance noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under LCC § 1.23.030, covering vehicle horns, yelling, shouting and building noise that…

Unincorporated Lewis County exempts construction noise from its public disturbance rule only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. under LCC § 1.23.030(2)(h); sounds from a temporary…

In unincorporated Lewis County, Chapter 10.27 bans compression brake ("Jake brake") use between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. within board-designated residential areas, currently Gore Road…

Lewis County holds an owner strictly liable if their animal habitually barks, howls or makes noise that disturbs the peace to an unreasonable degree, under Lewis County Code §…

Unincorporated Lewis County bans the frequent or continuous sounding of a vehicle horn or siren between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under LCC § 1.23.030(1)(a), and separately bars a…

Lewis County Code Chapter 10.30 governs non-consent towing of vehicles impounded by the Sheriff's Office or another public official in unincorporated Lewis County. A registered tow…

In unincorporated Lewis County, adult entertainment is not a by-right use anywhere in the county's rural and resource zones. The Land Use Summary table in Lewis County Code Title 17…

Under LCC § 8.05.040, it is unlawful to place or leave a vehicle or "vehicle hulk" on someone else's private land in unincorporated Lewis County without consent. A hulk kept on your…

New development in Lewis County's Packwood and Onalaska Small Town Urban Growth Areas that must provide off-street parking also has to provide electric vehicle charging space, built to…

Commercial, industrial and mixed-use projects in Lewis County's Small Town UGAs that need 20 or more parking spaces must also provide an off-street loading area at least 14 feet wide…

Unincorporated Lewis County requires a music festival permit before anyone advertises or holds a gathering of 200 or more people with live or recorded music lasting over four hours…

Anyone holding a special event in a Lewis County park or recreation area needs a permit under § 12.05.170. The application must list the sponsor, dates, hours, the park area requested…

In the Packwood and Onalaska Small Town Urban Growth Areas, commercial lot coverage is capped by zone rather than by percentage. Mixed Use (MU) parcels max out at 10,000 square feet of…

Across the residential and commercial zones of Lewis County's Packwood and Onalaska Small Town Urban Growth Areas, habitable building space is capped at 35 feet, while nonhabitable…

Outside the incorporated cities and small-town urban growth areas, LCC § 15.15.040 sets a minimum building setback of 55 feet from the centerline on any county road right-of-way 60…

In unincorporated Lewis County, short-term rental occupancy under LCC § 17.105.040(2) tops out at two guests per bedroom plus three, or the design capacity of the approved on-site…

In unincorporated Lewis County, a short-term rental must provide at least one on-site parking space per bedroom or unit under LCC § 17.105.040(3), part of the operating standards…

Operating a short-term rental in unincorporated Lewis County requires an annually renewed permit from the Department of Community Development under LCC § 17.105.040(1), processed as a…

A Lewis County short-term rental permit application must show valid liability insurance of $1,000,000 or more covering use of the unit, as required by RCW 64.37.050, per LCC §…

Lewis County Code § 12.05.040 bars drinking alcohol in county parks, effective since January 1, 1994, citing the state's public-place liquor law, RCW 66.44.100. Because the ban sits in…

Lewis County Code § 12.05.070 requires a county permit before posting or distributing information in a park, but it carves out one exception: candidates for political office may hand…

Unincorporated Lewis County bans digital billboards outright, regardless of size, under Lewis County Code § 17.142.207(3)(d). The same subsection caps any nondigital billboard at 10…

Estate and garage sale signs in unincorporated Lewis County are exempt from the county's sign permit requirement under Lewis County Code § 17.142.207(4)(m)(iv), but only if each sign…

Lewis County day-use parks open at 8:00 a.m. and close at dusk, seven days a week, under § 12.05.100, with some parks operating only seasonally. Leaving a vehicle in a park after…

In unincorporated Lewis County, construction adding 5,000 square feet or more of new impervious surface must obtain a Storm Drainage Approval under LCC Chapter 15.45 and include…

Any construction or development within a special flood hazard area of unincorporated Lewis County needs a flood hazard zone permit before work begins, under LCC § 15.35.140. The area…

In unincorporated Lewis County's special flood hazard areas, new construction and substantial improvements must be elevated to the flood protection elevation, which LCC § 15.35.260…

Development in unincorporated Lewis County that adds 5,000 square feet or more of impervious surface, or any subdivision, needs Storm Drainage Approval under LCC § 15.45.090 before a…

Lewis County's Small Town UGA code lets a homeowner convert an existing garage into an accessory dwelling unit even if the conversion violates the property's setback or lot coverage…

In unincorporated Lewis County, an accessory dwelling unit is capped at one per lot, two bedrooms, and 1,296 square feet under LCC § 17.102.050. It must share the principal structure's…

Lewis County's zoning code defines a "tiny home" as a dwelling unit of 220 to 1,000 square feet with its own kitchen and bathroom, and names tiny homes as one of the structure types…

A detached tool shed, playhouse or similar structure of 200 square feet or less doesn't need a building permit under Lewis County's amended IRC R105.2, but every accessory building…

Residential developments in Lewis County's Packwood and Onalaska Small Town Urban Growth Areas earn a density bonus when 30 percent of the units are long-term rentals priced at or…

Unincorporated Lewis County protects farmland through an Agricultural Resource Lands (ARL) designation with a 20-acre minimum lot size for new subdivisions, plus a voluntary Farmland…

In unincorporated Lewis County, commercial farming and forestry operations on Agricultural Resource Land and Rural Development District zones cannot be ruled a nuisance under LCC §…

In Lewis County's Major Industrial Development (MID) zone, which covers reclaimed surface coal mine sites approved for industrial reuse, security cameras installed on a project site…

In unincorporated Lewis County, the Lewis County noxious weed control board designates prohibited plants on the county's noxious weed list under Lewis County Code Chapter 3.55. The…

Lewis County does not license or permit dog grooming businesses as kennels. Lewis County Code § 6.15.010 defines a 'grooming facility' as a business providing appearance and…

In unincorporated Lewis County it is unlawful to let any animal, not just dogs, run at large on public property or trespass onto a neighbor's land without permission, under Lewis…

Lewis County does not ban any dog breed. Instead, LCC § 6.05.060 lets the animal control authority declare an individual animal 'dangerous' only after proving specific biting, attack…

Lewis County requires permanent microchip identification only for animals formally declared dangerous. Under Lewis County Code § 6.05.080(3), the owner has five business days after the…

Unincorporated Lewis County bars cannabis retailers from locating within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, libraries, playgrounds, recreation centers, child care centers, and…

Cannabis retailers in unincorporated Lewis County must front a state highway, local arterial, or local major collector under Lewis County Code § 17.142.150(7), and the county allows…

Lewis County requires a data processing center to be fully enclosed with sound-absorptive walls, ceilings and floors, vibration isolation in multi-tenant buildings, and an eight-foot…

Lewis County requires a data processing center in unincorporated areas to be fully enclosed, faced with non-reflective materials and a differentiated main entrance, and lit to the same…

Unincorporated Lewis County has no separate historic landmark or cultural-monument ordinance. Its only textual protection for register-listed structures sits inside the floodplain…

Unincorporated Lewis County treats a family day care provider as a home-based business under LCC § 17.142.120. The use must stay accessory to the residence, cap non-family staff at…

In unincorporated Lewis County, a home-based business cannot create more traffic than a residential neighborhood would normally see, and any parking it generates must meet the county's…

A home-based business in unincorporated Lewis County gets one sign, and it can't be more than four square feet or lit up: LCC § 17.142.207 caps home-business signage at that size…

Running a home-based business in unincorporated Lewis County means the business has to stay incidental to the home's residential use, employ no more than two outside workers, generate…

Any illuminated sign in unincorporated Lewis County, billboards included, is prohibited under Lewis County Code § 17.142.207(3)(b) if its glare or method of illumination creates a…

In unincorporated Lewis County, every permitted land use must point exterior light fixtures downward and keep them hooded and shielded so they don't glare or trespass onto a neighbor's…