Mitigation That Works > Mitigation Options > In-Lieu Fee (ILF) Mitigation

In-Lieu Fee (ILF) Mitigation

In this approach to mitigation, a permittee pays a fee to a third party in lieu of, that is instead of, conducting project-specific mitigation or buying credits from a wetland mitigation bank. ILF mitigation is used to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands when other approaches to compensation are not available, practicable, or when the use of an ILF is in the best interest of the environment.

The entity proposing to operate the ILF program (Sponsor) must be a non-profit organization such as a local land trust, private conservation group, or government agency with demonstrated competence in natural resource management.  The fee charged by an ILF represents the expected cost of replacing the wetland functions lost or degraded as a result of the permittee’s project. An ILF program typically combines fees collected from one permittee's project with fees collected from other permittees' projects to finance a mitigation project.

Approved ILF Programs in Washington State

Click each ILF program’s name for further details regarding their program, credit availability, and contact information.

• King County
• Hood Canal Coordinating Council (HCCC)

Proposed ILF Programs in Washington State

Click each ILF program’s name for further details regarding their program status, contact information, and service area.

• Lower Lake Chelan
  Ecology and the Corps requested comments on a proposal to establish the Lower Lake Chelan in-lieu fee mitigation program.  The comment period ended on September 16, 2010 (see the Joint Public Notice, PDF).
   
• Pierce County
  Ecology and the Corps requested comments on a proposal to establish a Pierce County ILF Mitigation Program. The comment period ended on February 5, 2012 (see the Joint Public Notice, PDF). An ILF Interagency Review Team (IRT) has been convened to discuss the establishment and operation of the program.
   
• Thurston County
  Ecology requested comments on a proposal to establish a Thurston County ILF Mitigation Program. The comment period ended on May 17, 2013 (see the Public Notice, PDF).
   

Guidance Documents

• In-Lieu Fee Use Plans (PDF)
• Guidance on In-Lieu Fee Mitigation (December 2012)

Template Documents

• In-Lieu Fee Prospectus Template (WORD, June 2013)

General Information

• Frequently Asked Questions: In-Lieu Fee Mitigation
• Focus on In-Lieu Fee Mitigation

 

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