101 local rules on file · Pop. 21,660 · Snohomish County
Showing ordinances that apply to Martha Lake, WA
Martha Lake is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 21,660 in Snohomish County, Washington. Because Martha Lake is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, Snohomish County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in Snohomish County may have different rules.
In unincorporated Snohomish County, nighttime is 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. weekdays (to 9:00 a.m. weekends). During night, the maximum permissible sound levels received in rural or residential districts drop by 10 dB(A), so a 55 dB(A) daytime limit becomes 45 dB(A).
Construction noise in unincorporated Snohomish County is a public disturbance noise when it occurs at night in a rural or residential district, unless a public-disturbance exemption permit is obtained under SCC 10.01.050(6). By day, construction equipment at temporary sites is exempt from the decibel limits.
SCC 10.01.030(2) sets dB(A) limits at the receiving property boundary by district. Residential receiving property allows 52 (rural source), 55 (residential source), 57 (commercial), 60 (industrial). Rural receiving property is 49/52/55/57. Night cuts residential/rural limits by 10 dB(A).
Keeping animals whose frequent, repetitive or continuous noise unreasonably interferes with the peace and comfort of persons in rural or residential districts is a public disturbance noise at any hour under SCC 10.01.040(1)(a). 'Repetitive barking' means 10 minutes or more within any half-hour span.
Snohomish County has no daytime leaf-blower ban, but operating a leaf blower, saw, drill, sander, grinder, fan, garden tool or similar device at night in a rural or residential district is a public disturbance noise under SCC 10.01.040(2)(a), except emergency work.
Industrial-source noise received on residential property in unincorporated Snohomish County is capped at 60 dB(A) daytime (SCC 10.01.030(2)), dropping 10 dB(A) at night. Washington's WAC 173-60-040 mirrors this: Class C source into Class A residential receiving is limited to 60 dBA, minus 10 dBA nighttime.
Amplified or reproduced music heard as comprehensible rhythms inside another residence, or outdoors 75 feet or more from the source in any district, is a day-and-night public disturbance noise under SCC 10.01.040(1)(g) in unincorporated Snohomish County.
Outdoor music from an instrument, band or amplifier is a public disturbance noise at any hour when heard as comprehensible rhythms 75 feet or more from the source (SCC 10.01.040(1)(g)). A public-disturbance exemption permit under SCC 10.01.050(6) can authorize an event.
Snohomish County does not regulate aircraft noise: SCC 10.01.050(1)(a) exempts sounds from aircraft in flight and airport flight operations at all times. Aircraft noise is governed by the FAA, not county code. New homes near airports may require noise buffering under SCC 10.01.070(3).
Unmuffled exhaust on motor vehicles, off-road vehicles and watercraft is a day-and-night public disturbance noise under SCC 10.01.040(1)(b). SCC 10.01.030(4) also sets on-road dB(A) caps measured 50 feet from the lane: motorcycles 78/82, cars and light trucks 72/78.
In unincorporated Snohomish County there is no standalone "Airbnb" license. Guest lodging in a home is regulated as a bed-and-breakfast under the Unified Development Code (SCC 30.28.020), requiring an administrative conditional use permit or building permit plus a certificate of occupancy before guests arrive.
Rather than an online registry, unincorporated Snohomish County requires each bed-and-breakfast (STR) to obtain a certificate of occupancy before hosting and to renew it annually. The county also registers the use through the land-use permit issued under SCC 30.28.020.
Lodging rented for less than one month in Snohomish County is subject to two stacked 2% county lodging excise taxes (SCC 4.40.010 and 4.41.010), a combined 4% hotel-motel tax, in addition to state and local retail sales taxes collected through the Washington Department of Revenue.
Snohomish County has no STR-specific noise cap, but SCC 30.28.020(3)(e) requires a bed-and-breakfast to be run so as not to disturb neighbors' peaceful occupancy. General county noise limits under SCC Title 10 and Washington's WAC 173-60 environmental noise standards also apply to the property.
Snohomish County's bed-and-breakfast rules require a host to be present: SCC 30.28.020(3)(c) directs that the owner operate the facility and reside on the premises. Meal service is limited to overnight guests and no separate kitchens are allowed in guest rooms, reinforcing a hosted model.
Occupancy in unincorporated Snohomish County is limited by guest rooms, not headcount. A bed-and-breakfast guesthouse may offer up to 3 guest rooms; a bed-and-breakfast inn up to 6. At 3+ rooms state transient-accommodation rules apply; at 6 rooms full hotel building-code standards apply.
Unincorporated Snohomish County requires a bed-and-breakfast (STR) to provide 2 off-street parking spaces plus 1 per guest room, per SCC Table 30.26.030(1). No on-street parking is allowed for the establishment, and the site plan must show the parking layout.
Unincorporated Snohomish County effectively requires an owner-occupied STR: SCC 30.28.020(3)(c) states the owner shall operate the facility and reside on the premises. The lodging must be within the owner's single-family residence, so absentee whole-house short-term rentals are not permitted as bed-and-breakfasts.
Unincorporated Snohomish County imposes no cap on rental nights. SCC 30.28.020(3)(f) states there is no limit on the number of days a guest may stay at the establishment. However, occupancy of one month or more is treated as a lease and falls outside the transient lodging tax.
The county's bed-and-breakfast code sets no specific liability-insurance requirement for STRs. It instead requires compliance with fire, health and building codes, and at three or more guest rooms compliance with state transient-accommodation regulations under the Washington Department of Health.
For new development, retained trees must be fenced at the drip line and not disturbed. Abutting owners may trim weeds, grass, brush and blackberries in the first 10 feet of an unopened right-of-way, but may not cut significant trees there.
Rooftop rainwater collection for outdoor use is allowed in Snohomish County with no water-right permit, following Washington's 2009 state policy. Storage tanks and any plumbed indoor use still follow building/plumbing code, but landscape irrigation from a rain barrel needs no special county approval.
Snohomish County sets no maximum lawn or grass height for private residential yards in unincorporated areas. The old Title 7 nuisance chapters are repealed, and Title 10 covers only chronic (crime-related) nuisance property, not overgrown lawns. Height rules come from your city or HOA.
Retained or replacement significant trees on Snohomish County development sites cannot be removed unless a certified arborist certifies a hazard in writing. Any retained significant tree damaged or removed during development must be replaced three-for-one, plus a fine.
Snohomish County has no ordinance banning backyard composting, and it is encouraged for yard waste. In the unincorporated county, residential solid-waste and recyclables collection is regulated under SCC Ch. 7.42, and yard/organics service is available through the county's contracted haulers.
Snohomish County enforces state noxious-weed law. Every property owner must eradicate all Class A weeds and control designated Class B and listed Class C weeds. The county Noxious Weed Control Board (SCC Ch. 3.42) can order control and bill or lien the owner.
Snohomish County government sets no countywide lawn-watering schedule. Outdoor water use is governed by your local water/utility purveyor (for example the Alderwood, Cross Valley, or PUD-served districts and cities), which may impose voluntary or mandatory restrictions during drought.
Snohomish County does not require native landscaping for homeowners, but Title 30 rewards it: development landscape plans that use Puget Sound indigenous species can lower the required evergreen share, and buffer enhancement with Pacific Northwest natives helps meet tree-canopy standards.
Snohomish County has no ordinance prohibiting or specifically permitting artificial turf in residential yards. In required development landscaping, the code directs that non-vegetative materials be minimized, but there is no turf rule for ordinary homeowners.
In unincorporated Snohomish County, consumer fireworks may be discharged only from 9:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on July 4, and only outside designated 'no fireworks' areas. Southwest unincorporated county is a total ban zone. Novelties and sparklers are exempt.
Fire pits, fire bowls, and chimineas are allowed in unincorporated Snohomish County as recreational fires. Fires must not exceed three feet in diameter or two feet in height, may burn only charcoal, dried firewood, or manufactured firelogs, and must be attended and extinguished.
Snohomish County has no single 'clear your brush' ordinance countywide, but the 2021 Washington Wildland-Urban Interface Code applies to new commercial and residential permits on parcels mapped high or very-high wildfire hazard, requiring ignition-resistant construction and driveway/access standards.
Washington law requires smoke detection devices inside all dwelling units. Owners must install them; tenants must maintain them and replace batteries. Any dwelling sold on or after July 1, 2019 must have at least one working smoke alarm before a buyer occupies it.
Land-clearing burning is permanently banned countywide. Residential yard-waste burning (pile no larger than 4x4x3 feet) is allowed only outside Urban Growth Areas and no-burn zones with a $30.90 permit from the Snohomish County Fire Marshal or your fire district. Trash and burn barrels are always illegal.
Backyard campfires, cooking fires, and bonfires burning charcoal or bare untreated wood are allowed on private property in unincorporated Snohomish County as recreational fires, provided they stay under three feet in diameter and two feet high, are attended, and are not during a burn ban.
Snohomish County has adopted the 2018 International Fire Code (SCC 30.53A.010), which governs liquefied-petroleum (propane) gas storage, container sizes, and installation. Small residential grill and heater cylinders are exempt from permits, but larger LP-gas storage requires code compliance and, above thresholds, a fire-code permit.
Washington's Wildland-Urban Interface Code applies to parcels mapped high or very-high wildfire hazard. On those parcels, new construction requires class-1 ignition-resistant roofs, exterior walls, and decks, plus driveway access standards. The rules took statewide effect July 1, 2023 under RCW 19.27.560.
Snohomish County restricts oversized and commercial-vehicle street parking rather than ordinary cars. Large commercial vehicles and trailers may not sit on a non-residential public road more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period, and are banned outright on urban-residential roads (SCC 11.05).
It is unlawful to park or store a large commercial vehicle (GVWR 14,001 lbs or more) or trailer on any public road in or adjacent to an urban-residential area of unincorporated Snohomish County at any time (SCC 11.05.030). Elsewhere the limit is 12 hours per day.
As of 2025, RVs may sit on a public road in unincorporated Snohomish County for no more than 72 hours (SCC 11.06). On residential lots, an RV used as living quarters is limited to 180 days per 12 months and may never be a residence.
Snohomish County has no blanket overnight parking ban for passenger cars in unincorporated areas. The real limits are the 72-hour RV cap (SCC 11.06), the large-vehicle rules (SCC 11.05), and the 24-hour abandoned-vehicle threshold (SCC 10.36).
A vehicle left on a Snohomish County highway or public property for 24 hours or longer is 'abandoned' (SCC 10.36.020) and may be removed by the Sheriff. Willfully abandoning one is a class 1 civil infraction plus removal costs; state impound follows RCW 46.55.
Snohomish County sets no specific paved-driveway or front-yard parking-surface rule for ordinary residents in its parking chapters. Vehicle parking is instead shaped by the large-vehicle ban in residential zones (SCC 11.05) and off-street parking standards in the development code (SCC 30.26).
Snohomish County has no unique parking-chapter rule dedicated to EV charging for homeowners. EV-ready and charging-station requirements come from Washington's statewide building and energy codes adopted county-wide, not a special county ordinance.
Snohomish County does not run a residential colored-curb parking system (red/yellow/white zones) in its unincorporated parking chapters, and residents may not paint public curbs themselves. Curb markings on county roads are controlled by Public Works and the state traffic-control manual.
Oversized vehicles - anything with a GVWR of 14,001 lbs or more, plus commercial trailers and construction equipment - are banned from urban-residential public roads and limited to 12 hours per day elsewhere under SCC 11.05. RVs over the limit fall under the separate 72-hour RV rule (SCC 11.06).
Snohomish County's large-vehicle parking chapter carves out active loading and unloading: a large commercial vehicle or trailer that would otherwise be barred from an urban-residential road may stop there while actively loading or unloading materials or passengers (SCC 11.05.030).
In unincorporated Snohomish County, fences up to eight feet tall are allowed without a building permit, and fences six feet or less may sit in any required front, side, or rear yard without a setback. Taller site-obscuring fences must meet the zone's building setback.
Snohomish County Code does not assign shared-fence cost or ownership between neighbors, but it does limit what can sit near a property line: fences over six feet must meet the building setback, and corner-lot fences must stay under 42 inches inside the sight-clearance triangle.
Unincorporated Snohomish County exempts fences up to eight feet high from a building permit, as long as they have no masonry or concrete above six feet. Taller fences, or those with masonry above six feet, require a permit from Planning and Development Services.
In unincorporated Snohomish County, a retaining wall up to four feet high (measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall) is exempt from a building permit unless it supports a surcharge. Walls over four feet, or supporting extra load, need a permit.
Snohomish County allows up to three strands of wire on top of fences six feet or less high. Fences taller than eight feet, or those with masonry or concrete elements above six feet, lose the building-permit exemption and require a permit.
Snohomish County requires fences six feet or less to sit within any required landscaped-area width, or without a setback where none is required; taller site-obscuring fences must meet the building setback. All corner-lot fences must keep the 15-foot sight-clearance triangle clear above 42 inches.
Snohomish County Code sets no approved-materials list for residential fences; wood, vinyl, chain-link, and similar materials are all permissible. The controlling limits are on height (eight feet without a permit), masonry above six feet, wire strands, and corner-lot visibility.
Yes. In unincorporated Snohomish County it is unlawful to let a dog roam or be off your premises unless it is under control on a leash of eight feet or less. Off-leash dogs are a public nuisance and may be impounded.
Unincorporated Snohomish County allows chickens and small-animal husbandry in residential and rural zones under the Unified Development Code. Structures housing animals (other than household pets) must sit at least a set distance from property lines, and livestock may not run at large.
Beekeeping is allowed in unincorporated Snohomish County. There is no county-specific hive ban, but all colonies must be registered with the Washington State Department of Agriculture under state apiary law. Local zoning setbacks apply to hive placement.
Livestock may not run at large in Snohomish County. SCC 9.16.010 designates the entire county a stock-restricted area, so horses, mules, donkeys, cattle, goats, sheep, and swine cannot roam free. Loose livestock may be impounded at the owner's expense.
There is no breed ban in Snohomish County, and Washington law bars pure breed bans. Under RCW 16.08.110 a county may not prohibit or specially regulate a dog by breed unless it offers a good-behavior exemption process. The county regulates dangerous dogs by conduct, not breed.
You cannot keep dangerous wild animals such as big cats, bears, wolves, primates, or venomous snakes. Washington's RCW 16.30.030 prohibits owning, possessing, breeding, or importing a potentially dangerous wild animal statewide, with limited grandfathered and institutional exemptions.
Unincorporated Snohomish County limits a household to 25 dogs. SCC 6.06.008 makes it unlawful to own, keep, or maintain more than 25 dogs on a premises. Licensed pet shops, boarding facilities, and animal shelters are exempt from the cap.
Snohomish County prohibits cruelty, neglect, and abandonment of animals under SCC 9.12.080. Failing to provide adequate food, water, shelter, sanitation, medical care, space, or rest is unlawful. Combined with the 25-dog limit and state cruelty law, this addresses hoarding conditions.
Snohomish County has no leash requirement or number limit specifically for cats. Cats are not covered by the dog leash law, and the 25-animal cap applies to dogs. Cats are still subject to the countywide animal nuisance and cruelty rules in SCC chapter 9.12.
Snohomish County's animal code does not set a general backyard wildlife-feeding ban. Feeding large carnivores such as bears and cougars is prohibited by Washington state law under RCW 77.15.792, enforced by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Attractant nuisances may also draw county nuisance action.
Selling home-baked goods, jams, candies and other non-hazardous foods requires a WSDA cottage food permit under RCW 69.22 and WAC 16-149. Annual gross sales of cottage food products may not exceed $35,000. Snohomish County does not add its own cottage food rule.
If a home occupation is run inside the residence, no certificate of occupancy is required by Snohomish County PDS. If it is run in a garage or accessory building, a certificate of occupancy is required and is subject to annual inspection and renewal.
A home-based child care in Washington is a licensed family home provider through the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF). A family home provider may care for up to 12 children at a time under RCW 43.216.010; the program is licensed under WAC 110-300.
Home occupations are allowed in dwellings in unincorporated Snohomish County subject to SCC 30.28.050. The business must be run by resident family members, use no more than one-fourth of the dwelling's floor area, and not change the residential character of the property.
A home occupation in unincorporated Snohomish County may have one sign that is unlighted, no larger than two square feet, and attached flat to the building. External display of merchandise is prohibited.
Most in-ground and larger residential pools in unincorporated Snohomish County need a building permit through the Planning & Development Services department. Small prefabricated above-ground pools that are shallow and low-volume are exempt from a permit but still need code-compliant barriers.
Residential pools in unincorporated Snohomish County must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high, measured on the side facing away from the pool, with no more than a 2-inch gap at the bottom. Public pools face stricter state barrier rules.
Small prefabricated above-ground pools that are under 24 inches deep and hold no more than 5,000 gallons are exempt from a Snohomish County building permit. Deeper or larger above-ground pools need a permit, and all require a code-compliant barrier.
Pool barrier gates must be self-closing and self-latching and open away from the pool. For public pools, Washington WAC 246-260-031 requires self-closing, self-latching gates with a key or coded lock unless a lifeguard is on duty.
A hot tub or spa fitted with a safety cover that complies with ASTM F 1346 is exempt from the pool barrier/fence requirement in Snohomish County. Without a compliant cover, the spa must be enclosed by a code-compliant barrier like any pool.
In unincorporated Snohomish County an accessory dwelling unit may not exceed 1,200 square feet of floor area and must sit on the same lot as the principal single-family dwelling. Urban lots may have up to two ADUs.
Converting a garage into habitable space in unincorporated Snohomish County is treated as creating an accessory dwelling unit and must meet SCC 30.28.010 ADU standards, including the 1,200-square-foot cap, water/sewer capacity, and off-street parking.
In unincorporated Snohomish County a recreational vehicle cannot be a primary residence. A tiny house counts as a dwelling only if built on a foundation, permitted, and connected to water and sewer; a tiny house on wheels is regulated as an RV.
In unincorporated Snohomish County a one-story detached tool or storage shed no larger than 200 square feet with sidewalls up to 10 feet needs no building permit, but it must sit 20 feet from other buildings and property lines.
In unincorporated Snohomish County a carport is an accessory structure used to cover vehicles or boats. Detached garages and storage structures over 2,400 square feet must sit at least 15 feet from external property lines; over 4,000 square feet, at least 20 feet.
Charcoal barbecues and cooking fires are allowed on private property in unincorporated Snohomish County as recreational fires. Propane and gas grills are ordinary cooking appliances. Cooking fires must stay small, use only charcoal or clean firewood, be attended, and are still restricted during air-quality burn bans.
A charcoal or wood-fired smoker on private property is a cooking fire under Puget Sound Clean Air Agency rules: keep it under three feet in diameter and two feet high, burn only charcoal or clean firewood, attend it, and don't smoke out neighbors. Gas smokers are appliances.
In unincorporated Snohomish County, setbacks are set by zone in the SCC 30.23 bulk matrices. In the common urban R-7,200, R-8,400, and R-9,600 residential zones, the minimum side and rear setback is five feet, with larger street and front setbacks fixed per zone.
Snohomish County caps building height by zone in the SCC 30.23 bulk matrices. Common urban residential zones allow about 30 to 35 feet; height is measured from average final grade to the roof, with specific exemptions for chimneys, spires, towers, and similar features.
Snohomish County limits how much of a lot buildings may cover, set by zone in the SCC 30.23 bulk matrices. Most urban residential zones, including R-7,200, R-8,400, and R-9,600, allow a maximum lot coverage of 35 percent.
Accumulated junk, wrecked vehicles and repeated nuisance activity on unincorporated property are code violations. A "junkyard" is over 50 cubic feet of junk in an urban growth area, and chronic nuisance property can be court-ordered abated with daily penalties.
Owners of vacant unincorporated parcels must still control noxious weeds and cannot let others dump waste on the land. Illegal dumping and accumulated junk on empty lots are enforceable nuisances under county and state law.
Snohomish County sets no permit requirement or specific rule for occasional residential garage and yard sales in unincorporated areas. Sellers must still avoid blocking rights-of-way, follow sign rules, and not run a de facto ongoing retail business from a home.
In unincorporated Snohomish County, collection containers may not be kept in the public right-of-way and must be stored on private property. Bins should go out no sooner than the day before pickup and be removed within 24 hours after collection.
Snohomish County has no set grass-height limit for residential yards, but every property owner must eradicate Class A noxious weeds and control designated Class B and C noxious weeds under state law, enforced by the county Noxious Weed Control Board.
Collection containers must be kept on private property, never in the public right-of-way. Set them out no sooner than the day before pickup, within 10 feet of the traveled roadway without blocking pedestrians or cyclists, and remove them within 24 hours after collection.
In unincorporated Snohomish County, certificated haulers collect residential garbage under WUTC-set rates. In the recycling service zone, single-family garbage service is offered only combined with recycling, and recycling is collected weekly, preferably on the same day as garbage.
Certificated haulers in unincorporated Snohomish County must offer bulky-materials collection for reuse, recycling or disposal, both inside and outside the recycling service zone. Residents can also self-haul large items to county solid waste transfer stations for a disposal fee.
In the recycling service zone, single-family garbage service is bundled with weekly recycling collection. Haulers must collect newspaper, mixed paper, cardboard, metal cans, glass, and PETE #1 and HDPE #2 plastic bottles, and no more than five percent of collected recyclables may be landfilled.
Dumping solid waste anywhere except a permitted site is unlawful. Under SCC 7.35.120, littering up to one cubic foot is a civil infraction, up to a cubic yard is a misdemeanor, and a cubic yard or more is a gross misdemeanor, plus restitution.
In unincorporated Snohomish County political signs are exempt from zone bans and number/square-footage limits, but they must not obstruct driver sight distance, must meet right-of-way rules, and must obey height and lighting limits.
In unincorporated Snohomish County a single-family residence may display one unlighted name sign up to two square feet per face. Real-estate signs advertising sale or lease may be up to 15 square feet per building site under SCC 30.27.010.
In unincorporated Snohomish County outdoor lighting must be hooded or shaded so that direct light does not glare onto surrounding property or rights-of-way. Sign lighting has the same rule, so light spilling onto a neighbor can be a violation.
Unincorporated Snohomish County has no formal dark-sky ordinance, but its development standards require outdoor lighting to be hooded or shaded so direct light does not create glare when viewed from surrounding property or rights-of-way.
These unincorporated areas are also governed by Snohomish County ordinances.