Showing ordinances that apply to Fall City, WA
Fall City is an unincorporated community (population 2,032) in King County, Washington. Because Fall City is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, King County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The brush clearance rules below are the ones that govern your area.
King County has no mandatory annual brush clearance ordinance like California. In Wildland Urban Interface areas, defensible space up to 100 ft is enforced on new construction through the adopted IWUIC.
Unincorporated King County does not have a generalized brush-clearance ordinance requiring all parcels to be cleared each year. Vegetation management is instead addressed through the International Wildland Urban Interface Code for new construction in mapped hazard zones, through Firewise USA voluntary programs, and through nuisance abatement when overgrown vegetation creates a specific fire or public-safety hazard. In designated WUI areas, defensible space is required at permit issuance: a noncombustible Zone 1 from 0 to 5 feet around structures, a lean-clean-green Zone 2 from 5 to 30 feet, and a thinned Zone 3 from 30 to 100 feet. The King County Fire Marshal (206-296-6533) can order hazardous vegetation abatement on parcels that present an imminent fire threat. Removal of trees over 6 inches in diameter at breast height in critical areas requires a clearing and grading permit under KCC Title 16 and 21A.24, so brush clearance in streamside or forested parcels should be coordinated with the county. During red-flag warnings, outdoor burning is banned countywide; contact the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for current burn status. Rural residents are encouraged to participate in Firewise USA community recognition programs.
Failure to abate after fire marshal order: misdemeanor citation plus cost recovery for county abatement. Unauthorized clearing in critical areas: restoration plan and double fees. Burning during a ban: escalating fines.
See how Fall City's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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