Whatcom County, WA Ordinances (2026)

Whatcom County lets Planned Unit Developments earn up to a 35 percent density bonus above the underlying zone under WCC 20.85.108, stacking additive credits for open-space…

Whatcom County does not license cats, but WCC 6.04.190 lets an animal control officer, or the property owner, humanely trap a cat that is trespassing and doing substantial damage to…

Whatcom County has no blanket pet microchip law. WCC § 6.04.095(F) only lets the animal control authority order a permanent microchip implant once a dog has been formally declared…

In Whatcom County's Point Roberts Special District, WCC § 20.72.154(2) allows animal groomers as a conditional use in the Small Town Commercial (STC) zone, but only with accessory…

Opening a veterinary clinic or animal hospital on Rural-zoned land in unincorporated Whatcom County requires a conditional use permit from the county hearing examiner. WCC §…

Washington law bars Whatcom County from banning or specially regulating a dog because of its breed unless the county lets any dog earn an exemption by passing a recognized behavioral…

Wildlife rescue hospitals and rehabilitation facilities are a conditional use in Whatcom County's Agriculture District, approved only if the animals held are native species, the…

Beekeeping in unincorporated Whatcom County runs on state law, not a county ordinance: RCW 15.60.021(1) requires anyone owning hives, any hive broker, and out-of-state apiarists…

Backyard hens are widely allowed across Whatcom County. Bellingham permits chickens but requires coops set at least 50 feet from neighboring homes; rural and agricultural land is…

Whatcom County bans keeping a wild or exotic animal as a pet outright: WCC 6.04.070 allows a permit only for the creation of an animal sanctuary, requires American Zoo…

Whatcom County and its cities require dogs to be leashed or under control off the owner's property, with licensing and rabies vaccination required. Under RCW 16.08.040, a dog owner is…

Whatcom's wet marine climate favors native plantings and rain gardens over thirsty lawns, and no local rule forces grass on an existing lot. In the Lake Whatcom watershed…

Inside the Lake Whatcom Stormwater Utility Service Area, a new or remodeled commercial building gets a 10% credit off its annual stormwater fee for installing a permissive rainwater…

Whatcom is wet, but water is still governed. Washington follows prior appropriation, and the entire Nooksack basin (WRIA 1) is now in a court adjudication of every water right…

Whatcom County makes noxious-weed control mandatory. Under state law and the county Noxious Weed Control Board, owners must eradicate Class A weeds and control listed Class B and C…

Removing a significant tree anywhere within the Lake Whatcom watershed requires a Whatcom County permit under WCC § 20.51.430, unless it is emergency hazard removal or light pruning…

Washington's RCW 64.37 requires STR operators statewide to carry at least $1 million in liability coverage. Standard homeowner policies often exclude rental activity, so most hosts…

Whatcom County splits short-term lodging into two zoning categories by host presence. A "vacation rental unit" is, by definition, a rental where the owner is not on site during the…

STR guests must meet the same noise limits as residents: WAC 173-60 and, in Bellingham, the public disturbance code. Repeated verified complaints can jeopardize a Bellingham permit.

Whatcom County requires one off-street parking space per sleeping unit for a vacation rental, per line item (59.1) of the parking schedule at WCC § 20.80.580. The rule applies the same…

Washington's short-term rental law, RCW 64.37.010, defines what counts as a short-term rental and sets baseline safety and tax duties for every operator in the state, while Whatcom…

Whatcom County has no fixed decibel or curfew limit for amplified sound. WCC § 9.40.010 instead bans any loud or unusual noise, including amplified music, that wilfully disturbs a…

Whatcom County treats prolonged barking as a nuisance infraction: WCC 6.04.060(E) makes it unlawful for a dog's owner or keeper to allow continuous barking for more than a 20-minute…

Washington sets no universal statewide quiet hours, but WAC 173-60 lowers allowable residential noise by 10 dBA overnight (to 45 dBA, 10 PM to 7 AM). Whatcom County and Bellingham…

WCC § 20.80.620 bars any development in unincorporated Whatcom County from exceeding the maximum environmental noise level set by Chapter 173-60 WAC, the state's numeric decibel…

In Whatcom County's mapped special flood hazard areas, the flood protection elevation is base flood elevation plus one foot, and new or substantially improved residential structures…

Whatcom County bans illicit discharges into its municipal storm sewer system (MS4) in unincorporated areas under WCC Ch. 16.36, with civil penalties up to $1,000 per day and stop-work…

Whatcom County bans land-disturbing clearing over 500 square feet from October 1 through May 31 under WCC § 20.51.410, with narrow exemptions for emergencies, agriculture, and…

Whatcom County zones private, noncommercial boat docks by shoreline type: on a manmade canal built for boat traffic they are a flat-out permitted use in the Urban Residential district…

Whatcom County's Salish Sea shoreline, Bellingham Bay, Lake Whatcom, and the Nooksack River are shorelines of the state. Under the Shoreline Management Act, work within 200 feet of the…

Whatcom County enforces floodplain rules along the flood-prone Nooksack River. In FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas, new homes must sit above base flood elevation, building in the…

Whatcom County levies a 2% transient occupancy tax on lodging charges under WCC 3.36.010, covering hotels, motels, tourist courts, roominghouses and trailer camps in the unincorporated…

Whatcom County requires a revocable encroachment permit before anyone works within, occupies, or temporarily uses county road right-of-way. Public Works issues these permits under WCC…

Temporary signs placed in Whatcom County's public rights-of-way can't block a sidewalk, street, driveway, traffic sign, bus stop, fire hydrant, bench or any street furniture, or create…

Whatcom County Code Chapter 14.02 shields commercial farm operations in unincorporated areas from nuisance, disorderly-house and breach-of-peace lawsuits over noise, odors, dust…

Whatcom County's Agriculture (AG) zoning district makes farming the county's highest-priority land use: density is capped at one dwelling per 40 acres and lot coverage at 25 percent so…

Unincorporated Whatcom County confines recreational vehicle and boat parking or storage to side and rear yards under WCC § 20.20.654, one of several district parking sections repeating…

Unincorporated Whatcom County enforces the state Rules of the Road as its own law: WCC Chapter 10.40, the Whatcom County Traffic Code, adopts RCW 46.61.570 and RCW 46.61.575 by…

Unincorporated Whatcom County treats electric vehicle charging stations as an outright accessory use in its commercial and industrial zoning districts, including Rural General…

Driveways and walkways are allowed inside the front-yard building setback county-wide under WCC § 20.80.220(1)(a), and on parcels inside the Lake Whatcom watershed and other Water…

Whatcom County treats junk, wrecked, or inoperable vehicles stored in public view as a public nuisance. Washington defines a junk vehicle by meeting three of four tests, and abandoned…

Every commercial, manufacturing or institutional building in unincorporated Whatcom County that generates delivery traffic must provide a dedicated off-street loading space under WCC §…

Unincorporated Whatcom County has no blanket overnight parking curfew; instead, the county council designates specific roads as no-parking zones by ordinance. On Locust Avenue near the…

Whatcom County requires an NFPA 13-D automatic sprinkler system throughout any dwelling with a measured fire area over 8,000 square feet, per WCC § 15.04.040(M), Appendix B § B105.1.3…

Whatcom County requires a building permit before almost any construction, alteration or demolition in the unincorporated area. WCC § 15.04.010 adopts the 2021 IBC and IRC for that…

A family daycare home or adult/child care facility in unincorporated Whatcom County is one of the few residential (R-3) occupancies subject to a mandatory fire code inspection, under…

Installing a manufactured or mobile home in unincorporated Whatcom County runs through three required inspections under WCC § 15.04.030(G)(6): footing, then tie-down/blocking/vapor…

Whatcom County enforces the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code for every plumbing installation, alteration or repair in the unincorporated area. WCC § 15.04.010(G) adopts the UPC as modified…

A retaining wall in unincorporated Whatcom County is permit-exempt only if it holds back 4 feet or less of unbalanced backfill, per WCC § 15.04.030(C)(3). Support a surcharge, sit on a…

A fence anywhere in unincorporated Whatcom County can go up without a building permit as long as it stays at 7 feet or under, per WCC § 15.04.030(C)(2). Go taller than that and the…

Fences in a front yard setback area in unincorporated Whatcom County are capped at 4 feet, or 6 feet outside an urban growth area, under WCC § 20.80.220. Rear and side yard fences may…

Anyone with garbage service in unincorporated Whatcom County must also get recycling pickup under WCC § 8.10.050: at least every other week, on the same day as trash. Haulers must…

Unincorporated Whatcom County runs no curbside yard waste program. WCC § 8.10.050(C)(1)(g) lists yard waste among recyclables but says its collection is 'deferred pending further…

Commercial and institutional trash and dumpster storage areas in unincorporated Whatcom County must be screened from adjacent streets and properties behind a solid fence or wall at…

Certified haulers must collect residential garbage in unincorporated Whatcom County on a schedule set by WCC § 8.10.040: weekly, every-other-week, or monthly. Standard cans run 15 to…

Whatcom County doesn't run collection trucks itself; UTC-certificated private haulers do, led by Sanitary Service Company under Certificate G-14. County code sets the floor, though: at…

No active landfill operates in Whatcom County. Large items go out through hauler bulky-item pickup by appointment, or you self-haul to one of several transfer and drop-box stations…

Any trash or garbage collection storage area in unincorporated Whatcom County must be screened behind a solid fence or wall at least six feet high, per WCC § 20.80.355, with the hauler…

Whatcom County caps home-based business client traffic by tier: Type I allows one client at a time and up to five per day with five trips, Type II ten clients and ten trips, Type III…

Whatcom County sorts home-based businesses into four tiers under WCC § 20.80.970, Types I through IV, each carrying its own parcel-size minimum, employee cap, client limit and daily…

Washington law, not the county's home-business chapter, controls in-home daycare in unincorporated Whatcom County: WCC 20.80.970(3)(a) expressly exempts day care homes from the…

Washington lets you sell certain homemade shelf-stable foods from a Whatcom County kitchen under a WSDA Cottage Food Operation Permit. Unlike many states, Washington requires a…

Unincorporated Whatcom County caps a home-based business at one on-site sign under WCC § 20.80.470(8), and it cannot exceed eight square feet or carry any illumination. The limit…

Every pawnbroker doing business in unincorporated Whatcom County must hold an annual license under WCC 5.36.020 before loaning money against pawned property. County code defines a…

Whatcom County requires every junk dealer and secondhand dealer operating outside an incorporated city to hold an annual license under WCC 5.36.020, the same fee mechanism that covers…

Whatcom County's unincorporated zoning code flatly bans automobile, truck, and heavy equipment repair, plus auto body work and painting, as a home-based business under WCC §…

Whatcom County requires a sheriff-issued license before any erotic dance studio can open, with a $500 application fee, a criminal-history check on owners, and hearing-examiner review…

Whatcom County requires a county permit before anyone hosts an outdoor musical entertainment, amusement or assembly expected to draw 2,000 or more people, run five hours or longer, and…

Whatcom County's health department inspects every food establishment under Whatcom County Code Chapter 24.03, which adopts the state Retail Food Code at WAC 246-215 and requires…

Whatcom County Code 24.06.040 bars residents from tossing loose sharps in the regular trash cart once a residential sharps collection station exists, and separately licenses any sharps…

Off-premises billboards facing Interstate 5 in unincorporated Whatcom County can sit as close as five feet from the interstate right-of-way, but only with sign-off from every agency…

Whatcom County and Bellingham broadly allow political and temporary signs on private property as protected speech. Only official traffic signs belong in the state highway right-of-way…

Small window signs in unincorporated Whatcom County businesses are exempt from the zoning code's sign permit rules only up to three square feet each, and even then the exempt signs…

Whatcom County bans smoking and vaping in indoor public places and workplaces, and the ban follows people outdoors: WCC § 24.14.050 prohibits smoking or vaping within a presumptively…

Home cannabis cultivation in unincorporated Whatcom County is governed entirely by Washington's medical cannabis statute, not a county ordinance. A registered qualifying patient may…

In the Rural and Agriculture zoning districts, a cannabis production or processing facility cannot sit within 1,000 feet of a community center or within 300 feet of any residential…

Unlike some Washington counties, unincorporated Whatcom County allows licensed cannabis retail in designated commercial and industrial zones. State law requires a 1,000-foot buffer…

Whatcom County only allows a temporary homeless encampment, tent camp, safe-parking area or tiny-house camp inside an urban growth area, and only under an administrative approval use…

Whatcom County has no landmark-tree designation program, but inside the Lake Whatcom Watershed Overlay District it requires a permit to remove any "significant tree," defined as an…

When there's an adopted street tree plan for the adjacent road, Whatcom County can require developers to plant street trees, shrubs or ground cover inside the county right-of-way under…

Outside Whatcom County's urban growth areas, and inside the Lake Whatcom Watershed Overlay and several rural districts even within a UGA, WCC § 20.80.910(1)(c) requires the property…

Inside a Whatcom County urban growth area, WCC § 20.80.910(2)(c)(iii) lets an existing detached garage, barn or other accessory building convert into an accessory dwelling unit even if…

Whatcom County recognizes four kinds of tiny home under WCC § 20.97.200: a site-built unit on a permanent foundation, treated exactly like a standard house, and three types of tiny…

A backyard shed in unincorporated Whatcom County skips the building permit only if its footprint stays at or under 200 square feet, under WCC § 15.04.030(C)(1). Cross the size…

Whatcom County lets an accessory dwelling unit go on most residential and rural lots under WCC § 20.80.910, but the rules split sharply by location: one ADU per lot outside urban…

Consumer fireworks are legal in unincorporated Whatcom County only on July 3-5 and December 31, within set hours. Bellingham bans all consumer fireworks year-round, and other cities…

Outdoor burning is permanently banned in every Whatcom County city and urban growth area, including Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, and Blaine. Outside those boundaries, residents may…

Unincorporated Whatcom County treats a backyard fire pit as a recreational fire under NWCAA Regulation 502: no permit is needed if the fuel area stays at or under 3 feet in diameter…

Unincorporated Whatcom County lets homeowners keep a propane tank up to 500 gallons in the front-yard setback, but only in the rear half of that setback, only after the fire marshal…

Whatcom County zoning requires outdoor lights be arranged to direct light away from adjoining property and public roads. There is no countywide residential foot-candle cap. Bellingham…

Vacant-lot owners in unincorporated Whatcom County must keep the parcel clear of dumped garbage and control state-listed noxious weeds. Illegal dumping is barred by county litter…

Whatcom County treats litter, debris and illegally dumped waste on private or public property as a civil infraction under WCC § 8.28.100, backed by a court-ordered cleanup and a lien…

Whatcom County day-use parks are open sunrise to sunset, and being in a park after hours is trespassing. Lake Whatcom Park runs 8 a.m. to dusk. Bellingham parks close overnight under…

Door-to-door sellers in Whatcom County's cities, including Bellingham, Lynden, and Ferndale, generally need a peddler or solicitor license from that city. Everywhere in the county…

Washington's criminal trespass law, not a special "do-not-knock" ordinance, is what makes a posted "No Soliciting" sign enforceable in unincorporated Whatcom County. RCW 9A.52.010(2)…

Washington no longer leaves rent to the open market. Since HB 1217 took effect in May 2025, annual residential rent increases are capped statewide. For 2026 the ceiling is 9.683%, and…

In unincorporated Whatcom County, a landlord cannot evict a tenant, refuse to renew a tenancy, or end a periodic lease without one of the specific causes listed in RCW 59.18.650(2)…

Whatcom County caps building height by zoning district instead of countywide: WCC § 20.32.400 sets 35 feet in the Residential Rural district, matching the Urban Residential and Rural…

In unincorporated Whatcom County, Title 20 zoning sets minimum yards from property lines. Rural Residential lots hold between 20 and 45 feet off the road depending on its…

In Whatcom County's Residential Rural (RR) zone, the base rural zoning covering most of the unincorporated county, structures may occupy no more than 5,000 square feet or 20 percent of…

Washington law voids any Whatcom County homeowners association rule that bans rooftop or ground-mounted solar panels outright. HOAs may only impose reasonable placement conditions, not…

Whatcom County requires building and electrical permits for solar installations. Rooftop systems must meet structural, fire-setback, and electrical standards, and the array…

Whatcom County requires a building permit for any residential swimming pool except a small prefabricated model. WCC § 15.04.030(C)(7) exempts only an above-ground pool that sits on…

Only a small above-ground kiddie pool skips the building permit in unincorporated Whatcom County, under WCC § 15.04.030(C)(7). Any bigger or deeper pool, or an in-ground pool, must be…

Mobile food carts are a permitted use in Whatcom County's Small Town Commercial District, listed alongside restaurants and taverns under WCC § 20.61.050(.053)(1). In a rural business…

Any mobile food cart or truck operating in Whatcom County is a 'food establishment' under the state Retail Food Code and needs a permit from the Whatcom County health department before…

Whatcom County limits card games in the unincorporated county to bona fide charitable or nonprofit organizations licensed by the Washington State Gambling Commission. WCC § 9.04.020…