Spokane County, WA Right to Farm: Farm Nuisance Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger distance
- Within 1,000 feet of resource land
- Maps maintained by
- Spokane County Public Works Department
- Core protection
- No nuisance suit for lawful farm/forestry activity
- Permits covered
- Plats, variances, CUPs, shoreline, building permits
- Plat rule
- Notice also goes in plat/binding site plan dedication
Summary
Land within a thousand feet of designated agricultural, forest or mineral resource land in Spokane County carries a recorded notice: lawful farming and forestry activity there cannot be sued as a public nuisance, even when it produces noise, dust, odor or nighttime machinery use.
All subdivisions, short plats, binding site plans, zone reclassifications, manufactured home park site plan approvals, variances, conditional use permits, shoreline permits and building permits issued or approved for land on or within one thousand feet of lands designated as natural resource land pursuant to RCW 36.70A.170, shall contain or be accompanied by a notice... "The subject property is adjacent or in close proximity to designated agricultural, forest or mineral resource land on which a variety of commercial activities may occur that are not compatible with residential development. Potential disturbances or inconveniences may occur twenty-four hours per day and include but are not limited to: noise, odors, fumes, dust, smoke, insects, operation of machinery including aircraft, application of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and removal of vegetation. Agricultural and forestry-related activities which are performed in accordance with local, state and federal laws shall not be subject to legal action as a public nuisance."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
170) to carry or be accompanied by a disclosure notice. The Spokane County public works department maintains the maps of designated natural resource lands used to trigger the requirement. The mandated notice text warns buyers and permit applicants that the property sits near designated agricultural, forest or mineral resource land where commercial activity can occur around the clock, including noise, odors, fumes, dust, smoke, insects, aircraft and machinery operation, and pesticide, herbicide and fertilizer application. The operative protection follows immediately: agricultural and forestry activities performed in accordance with local, state and federal law cannot be the basis of a public nuisance lawsuit.
For plats, short plats and binding site plans, the same notice must additionally appear in the plat or binding site plan dedication itself, so it runs with the land and binds later purchasers, not just the original applicant. 616.
Violations & Fines
A permit or plat that omits the required resource activity notification is incomplete; Spokane County Building and Planning will not finalize approval of a subdivision, short plat, binding site plan, variance, conditional use permit, shoreline permit or building permit within the one-thousand-foot buffer until the disclosure is added to the plat dedication or accompanying documents. The protection itself only reaches farming and forestry conducted in compliance with applicable local, state and federal law; activity that violates those laws is not shielded from a nuisance claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue a neighboring farm for noise or dust in unincorporated Spokane County?
Why did my Spokane County property deed mention nearby farmland?
Does the right-to-farm notice cover every kind of nuisance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
Compare Spokane County to another location·View the Washington right to farm overview
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