Washington State Department of Ecology

Develop shoreline use policies and regulations

A shoreline "use" is the end to which a land or water area is ultimately employed. Regulations in SMPs are often referred to as “use requirements.” Use policies establish the principles applicable to each use category and serve as a bridge between SMP goals and the use regulations. Use regulations set physical development and management standards addressing, for example: location restrictions, design considerations, limitations on construction and materials, buffer and setback requirements, etc. Shoreline use policies and regulations are specific to individual use categories.

Ecology guidelines for shoreline uses

The guidelines begin with four stated principles that guide development of local use policies and regulations. The guidelines include requirements for conditional use provisions for:

Agriculture
Aquaculture
Boating Facilities (marinas, launch ramps, moorage, etc.)
Commercial Development (retail, restaurants, offices, etc.)
Forest Practices
Industry (manufacturing, shipbuilding, wholesale warehousing, cargo transfer, construction yards, etc.)
Instream Structures
Mining
Recreational Development - non boating (parks, trails, golf courses, etc.)
Residential Development
Transportation Facilities - roads, ferries, private air strips, helipads, etc.
Utilities (wastewater treatment, electrical substations, etc.)

View shorelines conditional use page.

Sample local shoreline use policies

Draft City of Sumner Use Policies

Read or download guidelines for use policies and regulations (external link)

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