Chelan County, WA Gambling & Gaming: Card Room Licensing (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Chelan County Code § 11.22.030 (Peshastin UGA)
- Permitted zones
- C-D, C-H, I and I-C
- Prohibited zones
- R-1, R-2, R-3 and P-U
- State licensing
- Still requires WA Gambling Commission license
- First-time civil fine
- $750 under § 16.16.010
- Repeat civil fine
- $1,500
- Appeal window
- 14 days to hearing examiner
Summary
Chelan County's Peshastin Urban Growth Area use chart, Code § 11.22.030, permits 'Mini-Casinos, Game, Card Rooms' by right in the Downtown Commercial (C-D), Highway Commercial (C-H), Industrial (I) and Campus Industrial (I-C) zones of unincorporated Chelan County. The chart shows the use prohibited, a blank cell, in the R-1, R-2 and R-3 residential zones and in the Public Use (P-U) zone, so a card room cannot locate in those districts regardless of state gambling licensing.
PRM = Permitted use ... Where a cell is empty, the use is prohibited in that zone. ... C-D = Downtown Commercial C-H = Highway Commercial I = Industrial I-C = Campus Industrial ... Land Uses R-1 R-2 R-3 C-D C-H I I-C P-U ... Mini-Casinos, Game, Card Rooms PRM PRM PRM PRM
Full Breakdown
295, but Chelan County has not exercised that authority in the Peshastin Urban Growth Area; instead its own zoning code affirmatively lists 'Mini-Casinos, Game, Card Rooms' as a permitted use in four commercial and industrial zones. 030's district use chart marks the row PRM, for permitted use, in the C-D, C-H, I and I-C columns and leaves it blank in R-1, R-2, R-3 and P-U, and the chart's key states a blank cell means the use is prohibited in that zone. 040 standards for the applicable zone, including sign, parking, lighting and noise provisions, before a card room can open.
030, so an operator cannot assume the same permission carries over to Manson or to the rural commercial and rural industrial zones outside these two urban growth areas. Any expansion of a card room use beyond what is approved requires a new zoning review, since the PRM designation ties to the specific use as defined, not to the parcel generally.
Violations & Fines
Chelan County Community Development enforces zoning compliance in Peshastin under Title 16. An administrator, the department director, designee or the sheriff, who documents a card room operating in a zone where § 11.22.030 shows no PRM, ACC or CUP entry, issues a notice and order under § 16.06.020. Section 16.16.010 sets the civil fine at $750 for a first violation and $1,500 for a repeat, with § 16.02.030 counting each day of continued operation as a separate violation. The operator has fourteen days to appeal to the hearing examiner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chelan County ban card rooms?
Can a card room open in a Peshastin residential zone?
What else does a card room need besides the zoning permission?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelan County
Compare Chelan County to another location·View the Washington gambling & gaming overview
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