Edmonds, WA Homelessness & Encampment Rules: Encampment Sanitation (2026)

20, requiring a permit issued by the hearing examiner through a Type III-A public hearing process before any encampment sponsored jointly by a local place of worship or community organization and a managing agency can operate. 030 sets the physical standards: no part of the encampment may sit within a setback or a critical area or its buffer, and the perimeter must be at least 20 feet from any property line abutting a neighbor or right-of-way. A six-foot sight-obscuring fence is mandatory unless the hearing examiner finds existing vegetation or topography accomplishes the same screening.

Occupancy is capped at 100 residents regardless of site size, and children under 18 may not stay overnight unless no other placement is available. The managing agency and sponsor must supply portable toilets sized to manufacturer capacity guidelines, hand-washing stations, refuse receptacles, fire extinguishers, and a security member on duty at all times who serves as the police department's point of contact. 040, the city cannot approve a permit for the same site more than once every 365 days, and any single encampment cannot run longer than 90 days in that period; the host site must be restored to its pre-encampment condition within one week after the permit expires.

Applications go to the planning and development department at least 45 days before the anticipated start date and must include a site plan, code of conduct, and permit fee capped at actual review cost.