AN ACT Relating to shoreline management; and amending RCW 90.58.030, 90.58.140, and 90.58.180.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. Section 3, chapter 286, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 474, Laws of 1987 and RCW 90.58.030 are each amended to read as follows:

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, the following definitions and concepts apply:

(1) Administration:

(a) "Department" means the department of ecology;

(b) "Director" means the director of the department of ecology;

(c) "Local government" means any county, incorporated city, or town which contains within its boundaries any lands or waters subject to this chapter;

(d) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation, association, organization, cooperative, public or municipal corporation, or agency of the state or local governmental unit however designated;

(e) "Hearing board" means the shoreline hearings board established by this chapter.

(2) Geographical:

(a) "Extreme low tide" means the lowest line on the land reached by a receding tide;

(b) "Ordinary high water mark" on all lakes, streams, and tidal water is that mark that will be found by examining the bed and banks and ascertaining where the presence and action of waters are so common and usual, and so long continued in all ordinary years, as to mark upon the soil a character distinct from that of the abutting upland, in respect to vegetation as that condition exists on June 1, 1971, as it may naturally change thereafter, or as it may change thereafter in accordance with permits issued by a local government or the department: PROVIDED, That in any area where the ordinary high water mark cannot be found, the ordinary high water mark adjoining salt water shall be the line of mean higher high tide and the ordinary high water mark adjoining fresh water shall be the line of mean high water;

(c) "Shorelines of the state" are the total of all "shorelines" and "shorelines of state-wide significance" within the state;

(d) "Shorelines" means all of the water areas of the state, including reservoirs, and their associated wetlands, together with the lands underlying them; except (i) shorelines of state-wide significance; (ii) shorelines on segments of streams upstream of a point where the mean annual flow is twenty cubic feet per second or less and the wetlands associated with such upstream segments; and (iii) shorelines on lakes less than twenty acres in size and wetlands associated with such small lakes;

(e) "Shorelines of state-wide significance" means the following shorelines of the state:

(i) The area between the ordinary high water mark and the western boundary of the state from Cape Disappointment on the south to Cape Flattery on the north, including harbors, bays, estuaries, and inlets;

(ii) Those areas of Puget Sound and adjacent salt waters and the Strait of Juan de Fuca between the ordinary high water mark and the line of extreme low tide as follows:

(A) Nisqually Delta‑-from DeWolf Bight to Tatsolo Point,

(B) Birch Bay‑-from Point Whitehorn to Birch Point,

(D) Skagit Bay and adjacent area‑-from Brown Point to Yokeko Point, and

(E) Padilla Bay‑-from March Point to William Point;

(iii) Those areas of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca and adjacent salt waters north to the Canadian line and lying seaward from the line of extreme low tide;

(iv) Those lakes, whether natural, artificial, or a combination thereof, with a surface acreage of one thousand acres or more measured at the ordinary high water mark;

(v) Those natural rivers or segments thereof as follows:

(A) Any west of the crest of the Cascade range downstream of a point where the mean annual flow is measured at one thousand cubic feet per second or more,

(B) Any east of the crest of the Cascade range downstream of a point where the annual flow is measured at two hundred cubic feet per second or more, or those portions of rivers east of the crest of the Cascade range downstream from the first three hundred square miles of drainage area, whichever is longer;

(vi) Those wetlands associated with (i), (ii), (iv), and (v) of this subsection (2)(e);

(f) "Wetlands" or "wetland areas" means those lands extending landward for two hundred feet in all directions as measured on a horizontal plane from the ordinary high water mark; floodways and contiguous floodplain areas landward two hundred feet from such floodways; and all marshes, bogs, swamps, and river deltas associated with the streams, lakes, and tidal waters which are subject to the provisions of this chapter; the same to be designated as to location by the department of ecology: PROVIDED, That any county or city may determine that portion of a one-hundred-year-flood plain to be included in its master program as long as such portion includes, as a minimum, the floodway and the adjacent land extending landward two hundred feet therefrom;

(g) "Floodway" means those portions of the area of a river valley lying streamward from the outer limits of a watercourse upon which flood waters are carried during periods of flooding that occur with reasonable regularity, although not necessarily annually, said floodway being identified, under normal condition, by changes in surface soil conditions or changes in types or quality of vegetative ground cover condition. The floodway shall not include those lands that can reasonably be expected to be protected from flood waters by flood control devices maintained by or maintained under license from the federal government, the state, or a political subdivision of the state.

(3) Procedural terms:

(a) "Guidelines" means those standards adopted to implement the policy of this chapter for regulation of use of the shorelines of the state prior to adoption of master programs. Such standards shall also provide criteria to local governments and the department in developing master programs;

(b) "Master program" shall mean the comprehensive use plan for a described area, and the use regulations together with maps, diagrams, charts, or other descriptive material and text, a statement of desired goals, and standards developed in accordance with the policies enunciated in RCW 90.58.020;

(c) "State master program" is the cumulative total of all master programs approved or adopted by the department of ecology;

(d) "Development" means a use consisting of the construction or exterior alteration of structures; dredging; drilling; dumping; filling; removal of any sand, gravel, or minerals; bulkheading; driving of piling; placing of obstructions; or any project of a permanent or temporary nature which interferes with the normal public use of the surface of the waters overlying lands subject to this chapter at any state of water level;

(e) "Substantial development" shall mean any development of which the total cost or fair market value exceeds two thousand five hundred dollars, or any development which materially interferes with the normal public use of the water or shorelines of the state; except that the following shall not be considered substantial developments for the purpose of this chapter:

(i) Normal maintenance or repair of existing structures or developments, including damage by accident, fire, or elements;

(ii) Construction of the normal protective bulkhead common to single family residences;

(iii) Emergency construction necessary to protect property from damage by the elements;

(iv) Construction and practices normal or necessary for farming, irrigation, and ranching activities, including agricultural service roads and utilities on wetlands, and the construction and maintenance of irrigation structures including but not limited to head gates, pumping facilities, and irrigation channels: PROVIDED, That a feedlot of any size, all processing plants, other activities of a commercial nature, alteration of the contour of the wetlands by leveling or filling other than that which results from normal cultivation, shall not be considered normal or necessary farming or ranching activities. A feedlot shall be an enclosure or facility used or capable of being used for feeding livestock hay, grain, silage, or other livestock feed, but shall not include land for growing crops or vegetation for livestock feeding and/or grazing, nor shall it include normal livestock wintering operations;

(v) Construction or modification of navigational aids such as channel markers and anchor buoys;

(vi) Construction on wetlands by an owner, lessee, or contract purchaser of a single family residence for his own use or for the use of his family, which residence does not exceed a height of thirty-five feet above average grade level and which meets all requirements of the state agency or local government having jurisdiction thereof, other than requirements imposed pursuant to this chapter;

(vii) Construction of a dock, including a community dock, designed for pleasure craft only, for the private noncommercial use of the owner, lessee, or contract purchaser of single and multiple family residences, the cost of which does not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars;

(viii) Operation, maintenance, or construction of canals, waterways, drains, reservoirs, or other facilities that now exist or are hereafter created or developed as a part of an irrigation system for the primary purpose of making use of system waters, including return flow and artificially stored ground water for the irrigation of lands;

(ix) The marking of property lines or corners on state owned lands, when such marking does not significantly interfere with normal public use of the surface of the water;

(x) Operation and maintenance of any system of dikes, ditches, drains, or other facilities existing on September 8, 1975, which were created, developed, or utilized primarily as a part of an agricultural drainage or diking system;

(xi) Any action commenced prior to December 31, 1982, pertaining to:

(A) The restoration of interim transportation services as may be necessary as a consequence of the destruction of the Hood Canal bridge, including, but not limited to, improvements to highways, development of park and ride facilities, and development of ferry terminal facilities until a new or reconstructed Hood Canal bridge is open to traffic; and

(B) The reconstruction of a permanent bridge at the site of the original Hood Canal bridge;

(xii) Geotechnical exploration activity conducted within the shorelines of the state where the proposed activity will not:

(A) Interfere materially with the normal public use of the surface of the water;

(B) Materially injure the shorelines of the state;

(D) Create a public nuisance.

Sec. 2. Section 14, chapter 286, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 22, Laws of 1988 and RCW 90.58.140 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A development shall not be undertaken on the shorelines of the state unless it is consistent with the policy of this chapter and, after adoption or approval, as appropriate, the applicable guidelines, rules, or master program.

(2) A substantial development shall not be undertaken on shorelines of the state without first obtaining a permit from the government entity having administrative jurisdiction under this chapter.

A permit shall be granted:

(a) From June 1, 1971, until such time as an applicable master program has become effective, only when the development proposed is consistent with: (i) The policy of RCW 90.58.020; and (ii) after their adoption, the guidelines and rules of the department; and (iii) so far as can be ascertained, the master program being developed for the area;

(b) After adoption or approval, as appropriate, by the department of an applicable master program, only when the development proposed is consistent with the applicable master program and the provisions of chapter 90.58 RCW.

(3) The local government shall establish a program, consistent with rules adopted by the department, for the administration and enforcement of the permit system provided in this section. The administration of the system so established shall be performed exclusively by the local government.

(4) The local government shall require notification of the public of all applications for permits governed by any permit system established pursuant to subsection (3) of this section by ensuring that:

(a) A notice of such an application is published at least once a week on the same day of the week for two consecutive weeks in a legal newspaper of general circulation within the area in which the development is proposed; and

(b) Additional notice of such an application is given by at least one of the following methods:

(i) Mailing of the notice to the latest recorded real property owners as shown by the records of the county assessor within at least three hundred feet of the boundary of the property upon which the substantial development is proposed;

(ii) Posting of the notice in a conspicuous manner on the property upon which the project is to be constructed; or

(iii) Any other manner deemed appropriate by local authorities to accomplish the objectives of reasonable notice to adjacent landowners and the public.

The notices shall include a statement that any person desiring to submit written comments concerning an application, or desiring to receive a copy of the final order concerning an application as expeditiously as possible after the issuance of the order, may submit the comments or requests for orders to the local government within thirty days of the last date the notice is to be published pursuant to subsection (a) of this subsection. The local government shall forward, in a timely manner following the issuance of an order, a copy of the order to each person who submits a request for the order.

If a hearing is to be held on an application, notices of such a hearing shall include a statement that any person may submit oral or written comments on an application at the hearing.

(5) A public agency seeking a substantial development permit shall, at the same time it submits its application to local government, submit its application to the department and the attorney general. The department and the attorney general shall submit, in writing, any comments to both the state agency and local government within the time period for comments provided for in subsection (4) of this section.

(6) The system shall include provisions to assure that construction pursuant to a permit will not begin or be authorized until thirty days from the date the final order was filed as provided in subsection ((~~(6)~~)) (7) of this section; or until all review proceedings are terminated if the proceedings were initiated within thirty days from the date of filing as defined in subsection ((~~(6)~~)) (7) of this section except as follows:

(a) In the case of any permit issued to the state of Washington, department of transportation, for the construction and modification of SR 90 (I-90) on or adjacent to Lake Washington, the construction may begin after thirty days from the date of filing, and the permits are valid until December 31, 1995;

(b) If a permit is granted by the local government and (i) the granting of the permit is appealed to the shorelines hearings board within thirty days of the date of filing, (ii) the hearings board approves the granting of the permit by the local government or approves a portion of the substantial development for which the local government issued the permit, and (iii) an appeal for judicial review of the hearings board decision is filed pursuant to chapter 34.05 RCW, the permittee may request, within ten days of the filing of the appeal with the court, a hearing before the court to determine whether construction may begin pursuant to the permit approved by the hearings board or to a revised permit issued pursuant to the order of the hearings board. If, at the conclusion of the hearing, the court finds that construction pursuant to such a permit would not involve a significant, irreversible damaging of the environment, the court may allow the permittee to begin the construction pursuant to the approved or revised permit as the court deems appropriate. The court may require the permittee to post bonds, in the name of the local government that issued the permit, sufficient to remove the substantial development or to restore the environment if the permit is ultimately disapproved by the courts, or to alter the substantial development if the alteration is ultimately ordered by the courts. Construction pursuant to a permit revised at the direction of the hearings board may begin only on that portion of the substantial development for which the local government had originally issued the permit, and construction pursuant to such a revised permit on other portions of the substantial development may not begin until after all review proceedings are terminated. In such a hearing before the court, the burden of proving whether the construction may involve significant irreversible damage to the environment and demonstrating whether such construction would or would not be appropriate is on the appellant;

(c) If a permit is granted by the local government and the granting of the permit is appealed directly to the superior court for judicial review pursuant to the proviso in RCW 90.58.180(1), the permittee may request the court to remand the appeal to the shorelines hearings board, in which case the appeal shall be so remanded and construction pursuant to such a permit shall be governed by the provisions of subsection (b) of this subsection or may otherwise begin after review proceedings before the hearings board are terminated if judicial review is not thereafter requested pursuant to chapter 34.05 RCW;

If a permittee begins construction pursuant to subsections (a), (b), or (c) of this subsection, the construction is begun at the permittee's own risk. If, as a result of judicial review, the courts order the removal of any portion of the construction or the restoration of any portion of the environment involved or require the alteration of any portion of a substantial development constructed pursuant to a permit, the permittee is barred from recovering damages or costs involved in adhering to such requirements from the local government that granted the permit, the hearings board, or any appellant or intervener.

((~~(6)~~)) (7) Any ruling on an application for a permit under the authority of this section, whether it is an approval or a denial, shall, concurrently with the transmittal of the ruling to the applicant, be filed with the department and the attorney general. With regard to a permit other than a permit governed by subsection ((~~(12)~~)) (13) of this section, "date of filing" as used herein means the date of actual receipt by the department. With regard to a permit for a variance or a conditional use, "date of filing" means the date a decision of the department rendered on the permit pursuant to subsection ((~~(12)~~)) (13) of this section is transmitted by the department to the local government. The department shall notify in writing the local government and the applicant of the date of filing.

((~~(7)~~)) (8) Applicants for permits under this section have the burden of proving that a proposed substantial development is consistent with the criteria that must be met before a permit is granted. In any review of the granting or denial of an application for a permit as provided in RCW 90.58.180 (1) and (2), the person requesting the review has the burden of proof.

((~~(8)~~)) (9) Any permit may, after a hearing with adequate notice to the permittee and the public, be rescinded by the issuing authority upon the finding that a permittee has not complied with conditions of a permit. If the department is of the opinion that noncompliance exists, the department shall provide written notice to the local government and the permittee. If the department is of the opinion that the noncompliance continues to exist thirty days after the date of the notice, and the local government has taken no action to rescind the permit, the department may petition the hearings board for a rescission of the permit upon written notice of the petition to the local government and the permittee if the request by the department is made to the hearings board within fifteen days of the termination of the thirty-day notice to the local government.

((~~(9)~~)) (10) The holder of a certification from the governor pursuant to chapter 80.50 RCW shall not be required to obtain a permit under this section.

((~~(10)~~)) (11) A permit shall not be required for any development on shorelines of the state included within a preliminary or final plat approved by the applicable state agency or local government before April 1, 1971, if:

(a) The final plat was approved after April 13, 1961, or the preliminary plat was approved after April 30, 1969; and

(b) The development is completed within two years after June 1, 1971.

((~~(11)~~)) (12) The applicable state agency or local government is authorized to approve a final plat with respect to shorelines of the state included within a preliminary plat approved after April 30, 1969, and before April 1, 1971: PROVIDED, That any substantial development within the platted shorelines of the state is authorized by a permit granted pursuant to this section, or does not require a permit as provided in subsection ((~~(10)~~)) (11) of this section, or does not require a permit because of substantial development occurred before June 1, 1971.

((~~(12)~~)) (13) Any permit for a variance or a conditional use by local government under approved master programs must be submitted to the department for its approval or disapproval.

Sec. 3. Section 18, chapter 286, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 183, chapter 175, Laws of 1989 and RCW 90.58.180 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any person aggrieved by the granting, denying, or rescinding of a permit on shorelines of the state pursuant to RCW 90.58.140 may seek review from the shorelines hearings board by filing a request for the same within thirty days of the date of filing as defined in RCW ((~~90.58.140(6)~~)) 90.58.140.

Concurrently with the filing of any request for review with the board as provided in this section pertaining to a final order of a local government, the requestor shall file a copy of his request with the department and the attorney general. If it appears to the department or the attorney general that the requestor has valid reasons to seek review, either the department or the attorney general may certify the request within thirty days after its receipt to the shorelines hearings board following which the board shall then, but not otherwise, review the matter covered by the requestor: PROVIDED, That the failure to obtain such certification shall not preclude the requestor from obtaining a review in the superior court under any right to review otherwise available to the requestor. The department and the attorney general may intervene to protect the public interest and insure that the provisions of this chapter are complied with at any time within fifteen days from the date of the receipt by the department or the attorney general of a copy of the request for review filed pursuant to this section. The shorelines hearings board shall initially schedule review proceedings on such requests for review without regard as to whether such requests have or have not been certified or as to whether the period for the department or the attorney general to intervene has or has not expired, unless such review is to begin within thirty days of such scheduling. If at the end of the thirty day period for certification neither the department nor the attorney general has certified a request for review, the hearings board shall remove the request from its review schedule.

(2) The department or the attorney general may obtain review of any final order granting a permit, or granting or denying an application for a permit issued by a local government by filing a written request with the shorelines hearings board and the appropriate local government within thirty days from the date the final order was filed as provided in RCW ((~~90.58.140(6)~~)) 90.58.140.

(3) The department and the attorney general may intervene in any review or seek review of an order granting a permit or an application to a state agency only in those instances where they have submitted comments to the state agency and local government or presented comments at a public hearing as provided for in RCW 90.58.140 and only upon objections they have raised by comment or presented at a public hearing held by local government.

(4) The review proceedings authorized in subsections (1) and (2) of this section are subject to the provisions of chapter 34.05 RCW pertaining to procedures in adjudicative proceedings. Judicial review of such proceedings of the shorelines hearings board may be had as provided in chapter 34.05 RCW.

((~~(4)~~)) (5) Local government may appeal to the shorelines hearings board any rules, regulations, or guidelines adopted or approved by the department within thirty days of the date of the adoption or approval. The board shall make a final decision within sixty days following the hearing held thereon.

If the board determines that the rule, regulation, or guideline:

(a) Is clearly erroneous in light of the policy of this chapter; or

(b) Constitutes an implementation of this chapter in violation of constitutional or statutory provisions; or

(d) Was developed without fully considering and evaluating all material submitted to the department by the local government; or

(e) Was not adopted in accordance with required procedures;

the board shall enter a final decision declaring the rule, regulation, or guideline invalid, remanding the rule, regulation, or guideline to the department with a statement of the reasons in support of the determination, and directing the department to adopt, after a thorough consultation with the affected local government, a new rule, regulation, or guideline. Unless the board makes one or more of the determinations as hereinbefore provided, the board shall find the rule, regulation, or guideline to be valid and enter a final decision to that effect.

((~~(5)~~)) (6) Rules, regulations, and guidelines shall be subject to review in superior court, if authorized pursuant to RCW ((~~34.05.538~~)) 34.05.570: PROVIDED, That no review shall be granted by a superior court on petition from a local government unless the local government shall first have obtained review under subsection ((~~(4)~~)) (5) of this section is filed within three months after the date of final decision by the shorelines hearings board.