All streams include buffers that must remain undisturbed, however there are many cases where roads, driveways, or utilities are required to cross streams in order to access your property. Any stream crossings will need to be approved by the Community Development Department. 

In most cases, stream crossings can be approved pursuant to the critical areas regulations in SCC 19.05.040. Stream crossings in shoreline jurisdiction must comply with the County's shoreline master program. Stream crossings in the National Scenic Area will require the approval of an NSA application. Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

Determining if your parcel is dividable is first done by checking the zoning designation, minimum lot standards and amount of acreage available on your parcel. If your zoning designation allows for division and you have enough acreage to meet the minimum lot size standards for each proposed lot, then you may apply to divide your parcel. For example, if your property is located within the Rural Lands 5 zone then the minimum acreage required for each new lot is 5 acres. This means that you must have at least 10 acres to divide your property into two lots. 

In addition to the minimum lot size required by the zoning, there are additional circumstances such as critical areas or road access that may hinder its ability to be divided. You will not be allowed to create residential lots that do not have adequate area to build on. If you would like to begin the process for dividing your parcel, you may either submit a Short Plat application packet (for four proposed lots or less) or a Subdivision application packet (for five proposed lots or more. If you are creating new lots of at least 20-acres in size then the Short Plat or Subdivision process is not required. Additionally, a one-time exemption for the creation of a 5-acre lot is available. Land divisions located within the National Scenic Area will require additional steps.

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

As defined in the Skamania County Zoning Code, a single-family residence is a structure (including mobile homes) used as a sleeping place by one family that contains kitchen facilities and sanitary facilities. A recreational vehicle (RV) is not considered a single-family residence. 'Park Models' are recreational vehicles and are not considered to be single-family residences. Persons are not allowed to reside in an RV for more than 14 consecutive days or a total of 120 days in a calendar year. You must apply and be approved for a temporary dwelling permit to reside in the RV for longer than these time limits and only under limited circumstances. To obtain a temporary dwelling permit, you must fall into one of the two following categories, as set forth in SCC section 21.70.120 of the zoning code: (1) you are in the process of building or placing a dwelling on the parcel for the owner's occupancy, or (2) you are providing or receiving continuous care or assistance to/from someone who resides in a dwelling on the parcel. These are the only situations where a temporary dwelling permit may be issued.

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

 

Building permits are required in Skamania County. Only certain small-scale project are exempt from building permits. A list of work exempt from building permits can be found in SCC 15.08.030(A). Common exemptions include:

• One-story detached residential accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses, provided the floor area does not exceed 200 square feet and the structure does not include any plumbing.
• Fences not over 6 feet high.
• Retaining walls, which are not over 4 feet in height, measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall.
• Platforms, decks, sidewalks and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade.
• Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work.

You should call the Building Division at (509) 427-3900 to determine if you need a building permit. An exemption from a building permit does not exempt you from following building code or from any other permitting requirements. You are still required to maintain the required setbacks for your zoning designation and will also be required to maintain any buffers from all critical areas that may be located on your parcel.

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information about what might be required even if you are exempt from a building permit.

When you submit any type of permit application, the Community Development Department completes a review of the subject parcel. This review utilizes several agencies' resource maps to determine what types of critical areas are located on your parcel. All critical areas have a required no-touch buffer as determined by the classification of the critical area. Some critical areas may require professionally prepared reports to help determine if the requested project is feasible and what mitigation measures are required.

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

A Geotechnical Assessment report is required when the subject parcel is located in a Landslide Hazard Area and/or an Erosion Hazard Area as defined in Skamania County Code Title 19(Critical Areas). These hazard determinations are based on resource maps provided by the Department of Natural Resources. A Landslide Hazard is determined using the approximate overall slope of the parcel and underlying soil type. The Erosion Hazard is based on the soil type, the 'k value' and the 't factor' for each. A professional engineer licensed in the State of Washington prepares a Geotechnical Assessment Report. When you are notified of your need of this report, you will be provided with specific requirements for your geotechnical assessment report that your engineer must be sure to address and include in the report. Your engineer will determine if the proposed location for the structure and septic system is safe. If the report shows the proposed location or project to be unacceptable, you will either need to relocate the proposed structure or have a more in-depth analysis performed until it can be shown that the site is safe. You can obtain a list of professional service providers from the Community Development Department. The Community Development Department does not recommend anyone in particular.

The Growth Management Act (GMA) sets forth various land use planning requirements for Washington's 39 counties.  As a partially planning county, Skamania County is required to address critical areas and natural resource lands in its GMA planning. Skamania County’s critical areas regulations (Title 19) address wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas (including streams and creeks), critical aquifer recharge areas, frequently flooded areas, and geologically hazardous areas (including landslide hazards, erosion hazards and volcanic hazards) throughout the County. These functions and values of these critical areas are protected through different means, including no-touch buffers. All buffers are undisturbed buffers and must be free of any logging, road building, or other development activities including, but not limited to, vegetation removal, grading, filling, mowing, or placement of structures.

Some critical areas are also addressed by the Natural Resource Protections of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Skamania County Code Title 22.

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

Your zoning designation, amount of acreage you have and any critical areas located on your parcel limit what you may or may not do on your parcel. There are four different use categories in Skamania County Zoning Code Title 21: Allowed Use (allowed outright without a zoning permit), Administrative Review use (administratively reviewed by the Community Development Department with permit application), Conditional Use (goes before a Hearing Examiner after reviewed by the Community Development Department with permit application) and Prohibited Use (not allowed).

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

Your front lot line is determined by your driveway access location. Whichever property line your driveway enters from the roadway or easement is considered your front. The opposite property line is considered your rear lot line and the other two property lines are your side yards. The Director makes the final decision of front lot line determination if any disagreement arises. If your home fronts more than one roadway, the front lot line is still determined by your driveway access location. Your driveway access determines your primary front lot line and that road will have the front lot line setbacks (determined by your zoning designation). The road your lot fronts but you do not access off of is considered your secondary front lot line and has a reduced setback requirement (also determined by your zoning designation).

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

You can find out your zoning designation by looking up your property on the County's web map, Mapsifter. You can enter your property address, parcel number, or owner name to find your property on the map. You'll need to turn on the zoning layers by clicking the "Legend" button on the bottom left corner of the map and then clicking each "Zoning" layer.

You may also call the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner who can tell you your zone and any other relevant information.

The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), chapter 43.21C RCW, requires all governmental agencies to consider the environmental impacts of a proposal before making project decisions. The purpose of this checklist is to provide information to help you and the Community Development Department identify any impacts from your proposal, how to reduce or avoid impacts from the proposal, and to help the Community Development Department determine the SEPA threshold determination. There are several projects that will require a SEPA checklist. These include, but are not limited to, land divisions, forest practice conversions, structures above the square-foot maximums, new buildings, and large excess materials requests. Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner to find out if SEPA is required for your project.

Stream buffers are determined by the stream classification. Waterway classifications are determined by the Department of Natural Resources. 

You can find more information about critical areas and buffers in Skamania County Code Title 21A (Critical Areas) or Title 22 within the National Scenic Area.

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

You may submit a complaint to the Community Development Department. You may request for the complaint to be confidential. You may submit any photos or other materials that show the alleged violation. The Community Development Department will investigate the alleged violation and notify you of our findings.

Contact the Community Development Department at (509) 427-3900 and ask to speak with a planner for more information.

You may access the County Code here.