Federal Way, WA Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing framework
- King County Code Ch. 20.62, adopted by FWRC 19.285.020
- Decision body
- King County landmarks commission plus city special member
- Permit trigger
- Certificate of appropriateness required for landmark permits
- Referral requirement
- Building official must notify county HPO on affected sites
- Appeal window
- 35 calendar days via process IV review
- Special member term
- 5-year term, maximum two consecutive terms
Summary
Federal Way protects historic landmarks by adopting King County's landmarks program under FWRC 19.285.020, with the county landmarks commission designating sites and issuing certificates of appropriateness for exterior work. Permit applications affecting a landmark are not complete without that certificate, and commission decisions can be appealed within 35 days.
19.285.020 King County Code Chapter 20.62 adopted. As now or hereafter amended, the following sections of Chapter 20.62 King County Code ("KCC") are adopted as amended, added to, or excepted in this chapter and are incorporated by reference... 19.285.040 Application completeness. Permit applications for changes to landmark properties shall not be considered complete unless accompanied by a certificate of appropriateness pursuant to KCC 20.62.080. 19.285.060 Appeal procedure. (1) A party of record aggrieved by a decision of the commission designating or rejecting a nomination for designation of a landmark or issuing or denying a certificate of appropriateness may, within 35 calendar days of mailing of notice of such designation or rejection of nomination, or of such issuance or denial or approval of a certificate of appropriateness, appeal such decision pursuant to the procedures established for process IV review in Chapter 19.70 FWRC.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-1049, passed August 11, 2026).
Full Breakdown
020, with local amendments substituting the city's director and city council for the county's. 030, acts as Federal Way's landmarks commission, though the city appoints its own 'special member' to a five-year term, renewable once, whenever a Federal Way property is under review. 080. 050 requires the city's building official to refer any application affecting a historic building, structure, site, or archaeological site, whether the change is to the landmark itself or to an adjacent property sharing a boundary line, to the King County historic preservation officer for review and comment before it can move forward.
Landmark nominations also have to be consistent with the city's comprehensive plan or the official must deny them. 70, where the hearing examiner can remand for a factual error or modify or reverse a decision based on an error in judgment. 070.
Violations & Fines
Federal Way enforces the landmarks chapter mainly through the permit process: a building permit affecting a landmark cannot be deemed complete without a certificate of appropriateness under FWRC 19.285.040, so unpermitted alteration of a designated landmark is a building and zoning code violation handled under FWRC Chapter 1.15, alongside any penalty adopted from KCC 20.62.130 for violating the certificate of appropriateness procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Federal Way have its own historic landmark ordinance?
What permit do I need to alter a designated landmark building?
Can I appeal a landmark designation or a denied certificate of appropriateness?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Federal Way
Compare Federal Way to another location·View the Washington historic preservation overview
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Historic-Cultural Monuments in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle historic-cultural monuments.