Lynnwood, WA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Required for
- Sites with potential erosion hazard areas
- Plan required
- Temporary erosion and sediment control plan
- Also required
- Vegetation management/restoration plan
- Base setback
- 25 ft from erosion/landslide hazard areas
- Report prepared by
- WA-licensed geotechnical engineer/geologist
Summary
Lynnwood requires a temporary erosion and sediment control plan, plus a vegetation management and restoration plan, for development on sites with potential erosion hazard areas under LMC 17.10.103. The city can also condition approval on a geotechnical consultant's on-site presence during clearing and grading.
Alteration allowed by this chapter shall be subject to the following requirements: ... C. As a condition of any approval of development containing a geologically hazardous area or its required setbacks, the city may also require that: ... 3. All development proposals on sites containing potential erosion hazard areas shall include temporary erosion and sediment control plans consistent with adopted surface water design manual and a vegetation management and restoration plan to ensure permanent stabilization of the site.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Lynnwood's most explicit erosion-and-sediment-control mandate sits in its critical areas chapter, not its general stormwater chapter. 10. As a condition of approving development that touches such an area or its required setback, the city may require that the applicant's geotechnical consultant be present on site during clearing, grading, filling and construction, certifying that the work complies with the consultant's recommendations, and that trees and groundcover be retained or supplemented with soil-stabilizing measures. 101, which sets a minimum 25-foot setback from the top, toe and sides of landslide and erosion hazard areas, a distance the city can enlarge based on a geotechnical report.
104 requires the applicant to submit a geotechnical report addressing drainage, erosion-control methods, vegetative cover, and soil stability, prepared and stamped by a state-licensed geotechnical engineer or engineering geologist. 40, which is where general construction runoff control, apart from erosion hazard areas specifically, is addressed.
Violations & Fines
Development that alters a geologically hazardous or erosion hazard area without meeting the conditions of LMC 17.10.103, including a required erosion and sediment control plan, is subject to the enforcement and restoration remedies in LMC Chapter 17.10, under which the city may require restoration of the site, including installation and maintenance of erosion control measures, at the responsible party's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lynnwood require an erosion control plan for building near a hazard area?
How far must I set back from an erosion hazard area in Lynnwood?
Who has to certify erosion control compliance during construction?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
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Erosion Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle erosion control.