Council agrees to study House Bill 1345 detached ADU options as part of housing analysis

County staff briefed council on House Bill 1345, which would permit detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) outside urban growth areas subject to state-prescribed limits and reporting.

Jordan Bogey summarized key provisions: detached ADUs must be metered for water use and stay within domestic water limits; applicants must document adequate water and septic capacity; the ADU may be no larger than 1,296 square feet; it must share the same driveway or access and be no more than 150 feet from the principal dwelling; counties must create a voluntary compliance/code-enforcement process for unpermitted ADUs, including a civil infraction penalty of at least $1,000 and potential removal or required compliance. Jordan also said counties must track and report permit counts to the Washington State Department of Commerce and that rural-area ADUs may only account for up to 7% of the rural housing allocation under the bill.

Councilors debated trade-offs. Councilor Little and Chair Marshall said they share concerns about cumulative impacts on farmland, cluster development and the rural character of A-zoned agricultural lands; Little suggested restricting detached ADUs in certain zones. Councilor Fuentes and others emphasized housing need and that the bill is permissive, not mandatory, and warned that adding extra restrictions may undercut housing production.

Legal counsel Amber Smith confirmed jurisdictions may adopt more restrictive rules than the state where permitted and that staff should coordinate legal review. Planning staff (Oliver) said the item should be included in the HOSAP analysis with public outreach so the county can evaluate implementation choices and interactions with existing guest-house rules.

Decision: council directed staff to include the detached-ADU option in the HOSAP process for outreach, technical analysis and options development; staff will return with specific ordinance options and legal analysis.

Key technical details reported by staff: maximum detached ADU size 1,296 sq ft; ADU must be within 150 ft of the principal dwelling; civil infraction penalty for unauthorized detached ADUs is at least $1,000; counties must report permit counts to the Washington State Department of Commerce.