Chapter 17.04
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sections:
17.04.030 Notice procedures to adopt, amend or repeal county’s subdivision ordinance.
17.04.005 Purpose.
The purpose of this title is to regulate the division of land and to promote the public health, safety and general welfare in accordance with standards established by Chapter 58.17 RCW to prevent the overcrowding of land; to lessen congestion in the streets and highways; to promote effective use of land; to promote safe and convenient travel by the public on streets and highways; to provide for adequate light and air; to facilitate adequate provision for water, sewerage, parks and recreation areas, sites for schools and schoolgrounds and other public requirements; to provide for proper ingress and egress; to provide for the expeditious review and approval of proposed subdivisions which conform to zoning standards and local plans and policies; to adequately provide for the housing and commercial needs of the citizens of Skamania County; and to require uniform monumenting of land divisions and conveyancing by accurate legal description. (Ord. 2020-06, 9-29-20)
17.04.010 Applicability.
A. General. Every subdivision of land within the unincorporated area of Skamania County shall proceed in compliance with the ordinance codified in Chapters 17.04 through 17.60, and the state platting law Chapter 58.17 RCW Plats-Subdivisions-Dedications, as it now exists or is hereafter amended.
B. Exemptions. The provisions of Chapters 17.04 through 17.61 shall not apply to:
1. Cemeteries and other burial plots while used for that purpose;
2. Divisions of land into lots or tracts each of which is one-thirty-second of a section of land, or twenty acres or larger if the land is not capable of description as a fraction. For purposes of computing the size of any lot under this item where a county road constitutes a lot border or portion thereof, the lot size shall be expanded to include that area which would be bounded by the centerline of the road and the side lot line of the road and the side lot lines of the lot running perpendicular to such centerline. Roads (state, county and private) do not segregate property but merely provide access;
3. Court-ordered divisions pursuant to testamentary decisions or laws of descent;
4. A division for the purpose of lease when no residential structure other than mobile homes or travel trailers are permitted to be placed upon the land, when said leases comply with the provisions of the Skamania County mobile home park ordinance;
5. A division made for the purpose of alteration, by adjusting boundary lines, between platted or unplatted lots, or both, which does not create any additional lot, tract, parcel, site, or division which contains insufficient area and dimension to meet minimum requirements for width and area for a building site;
6. Previously created or established lots or parcels;
7. A one-time division of land creating one lot of five acres or larger; provided, that:
a. Any created lot would satisfy the minimum lot size and dimensional requirements of the zoning designation in which it is located;
b. The parent parcel from which the proposed parcel is to be segregated was in existence in its current configuration on January 1, 2020;
c. The deed shall be recorded with a note stating that Skamania County provides no warranty that the parcel has been reviewed for buildability, water availability, sewer, or access. Buyers of such lots shall perform their own due diligence regarding the ability to develop, obtain water, develop a septic system, and access the parcel; and
d. The remainder parcel resulting from this land division shall also be at least five acres in size and shall comply with subsections (B)(7)(a) and (c) of this section. (Ord. 2020-06, 9-29-20; Ord. 2000-11; Ord. 1985-03 § 3.0)
17.04.020 Administration.
The community development director or the community development director’s designee, hereinafter referred to as the administrator, is vested with the duty of administering subdivisions and platting regulations within the unincorporated areas of the county, subject to the review of the hearing examiner. (Ord. 2020-06, 9-29-20; Ord. 2007-02 (part): Ord. 1992-03 (part); Ord. 1985-03 § 4.0)
17.04.030 Notice procedures to adopt, amend or repeal county’s subdivision ordinance.
A. The adoption of a subdivision ordinance, or amendments to an existing ordinance, or repeal of a subdivision shall be published in its entirety in the county newspaper of record at least ten days prior to the board taking any such action.
B. Copies of the proposed action shall be mailed to the local community councils at least thirty days prior to any hearing to adopt, amend, or repeal any ordinance established under Chapter 58.17 RCW. Copies of the proposed action to adopt, amend, or repeal any such subdivision ordinance shall be made available to the general public at least ten days prior to the board taking any such action for the cost of reproduction and mailing. (Ord. 1985-03 § 22.0)