Skagit County, WA Parking Rules: EV Charging (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SCC 14.18.790
- Definition includes
- battery exchange stations (RCW 36.70A.695)
- IF-NRL zone limit
- must be accessory to trailhead or regional park
- SF-NRL zone limit
- must be accessory to trailhead or park
- Resource land
- no conversion allowed in either NRL zone
- Enforcing agency
- Planning and Development Services
Summary
SCC 14.18.790 defines a vehicle charging station, including a battery exchange station, as a distinct land use. In the IF-NRL and SF-NRL forestry resource zones in unincorporated Skagit County, a charging station must be accessory to a trailhead or park and cannot convert resource land.
(1) Definition. A facility for the charging of vehicles designed for operation on ordinary roads carrying passengers or larger cargo, including a battery exchange station as defined in RCW 36.70A.695.
(2) Limitation in the IF-NRL Zone.
(a) The use must be accessory to a primary or secondary trailhead or regional park.
(b) No conversion of resource land is allowed.
(3) Limitation in the SF-NRL Zone.
(a) The use must be accessory to a primary or secondary trailhead or park.
Full Breakdown
695. 790 imposes siting limits only in the county's two forestry resource zones: in the IF-NRL zone, a charging station must be accessory to a primary or secondary trailhead or a regional park and cannot involve any conversion of resource land, and in the SF-NRL zone it must likewise be accessory to a primary or secondary trailhead or park. The Section does not add any similar restriction for other zoning districts, so a charging station's permitted status elsewhere in the county is set by that district's own use table under Title 14 rather than by this Section.
The use sits in Part VII, Transportation Uses, alongside aircraft hangars, park-and-ride lots and transit stations, reflecting that the county treats charging infrastructure as an infrastructure use category rather than folding it into general parking-lot design standards.
Violations & Fines
Installing a charging station in the IF-NRL or SF-NRL zone without the required trailhead or park accessory relationship, or in a way that converts resource land, violates SCC 14.18.790 and can draw a stop-work order under SCC 14.09.220 plus a civil penalty of $100 per day per violation under SCC 14.09.330(2)(a).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install an EV charger on forestry-zoned land in Skagit County?
Does Skagit County treat battery swap stations the same as chargers?
Are EV chargers restricted outside the forestry resource zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Skagit County
Compare Skagit County to another location·View the Washington parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.