Spokane County has no single fixed defensible-space clearance distance for all homes, but Washington DNR can require abatement of extreme fire hazards on forestland, and county fire districts urge Firewise defensible space around homes in wildland areas.
Unlike some California counties, Spokane County code does not impose a universal '100-foot' clearance rule. Instead, Washington's RCW 76.04.660 gives DNR authority over 'additional' and 'extreme' fire hazards: landowners must take reasonable measures to reduce the danger of fire spreading, and if an owner refuses to abate an extreme fire hazard, DNR may summarily abate it after 10 days' written notice and recover twice the actual cost. Spokane-area fire districts and the county promote Firewise USA home-hardening and defensible space (thinning brush, spacing vegetation) for properties in the wildland-urban interface, especially in the forested northern and eastern parts of the county.
DNR may summarily abate an unaddressed extreme fire hazard after 10 days' notice and recover twice the actual cost from the landowner.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Home composting is allowed in Spokane County and is not separately permitted. Compost must be managed so it does not become a nuisance, attract vermin, or cr...
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Spokane County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf on residential property. Synthetic lawns are allowed. In regulated develop...
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Spokane County's Zoning Code actively favors native vegetation. Chapter 14.806 states that whenever possible native vegetation should be used and existing ve...
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Collecting rooftop rainwater is legal in Spokane County without a water-right permit. Under Washington Department of Ecology's 2009 policy, on-site storage a...
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Spokane County itself publishes no countywide lawn-watering schedule. Outdoor watering rules are set by each water purveyor: the City of Spokane and local wa...
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State law (RCW 17.10) requires every Spokane County property owner to eradicate Class A noxious weeds and control designated Class B and C weeds on their lan...
See how Spokane County's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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