The Shoreline Management Act requires all counties, as well as most towns and cities, to develop and implement Shoreline Master Programs.  These programs are designed to help regulate and protect the shorelines of the state.  The Department of Ecology has adopted Shoreline Master Program Guidelines to provide standards for adopting and implementing shoreline programs. 
 
Counties and cities must review and revise their master programs every eight years.  The next round of revisions and reviews are due in the following years for the following groups of counties and the cities within them:

• June 30, 2028 for King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties;
• June 30, 2029 for Clallam, Clark, Island, Jefferson, Lewis, Mason, San Juan, Skagit, Thurston, and Whatcom counties;
• June 30, 2030 for Benton, Chelan, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Kittitas, Skamania, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties; and
• June 30, 2031 for Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Whitman counties. 

Shoreline Master Programs must be reviewed and revised every 10 years, rather than every eight years.  In addition, the next year by which Shoreline Master Programs must be reviewed and revised is moved back by one year, so that the next round of reviews and revisions are due in the following years for the following groups of counties and the cities within them:

• June 30, 2029 for King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties;
• June 30, 2030 for Clallam, Clark, Island, Jefferson, Lewis, Mason, San Juan, Skagit, Thurston, and Whatcom counties;
• June 30, 2031 for Benton, Chelan, Cowlitz, Douglas, Franklin, Kittitas, Skamania, Spokane, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties; and
• June 30, 2032 for Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Wahkiakum, and Whitman counties.