Pasco, WA Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)

050(5) sits within the city's landscaping and screening chapter and applies to all lots, not just construction sites: any area of a lot or parcel that is not landscaped or covered with improvements must be maintained in a manner that controls erosion and dust. The section carves out an exception for gardens within established landscapes in residential districts, recognizing that a planting bed for seasonal flowers, vegetables, herbs, or fruit is not bare, erosion-prone ground. It then layers in a vegetation-based enforcement mechanism: front yard areas that are not covered by the 50 percent live-vegetation requirement found elsewhere in this chapter must instead be covered by mulches or decorative rock, rather than left as exposed dirt that can blow or wash away.

020(2)(a), which treats decorative-rock front yards predating the chapter as legal nonconforming only if the rock clearly demonstrates an intent to beautify the yard; yards where the rock has silted over, shows patches of exposed soil, or is entirely devoid of live vegetation or rock do not qualify, meaning bare dirt yards remain out of compliance under the dust and erosion standard. 020(1).