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Skamania County approves changes to accessory dwelling unit rules
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners adopted amendments to county code that change distance and size limits for accessory dwelling units, restrict simultaneous short‑term rentals, and allow some ADUs inside larger accessory buildings.
Skamania County commissioners on Jan. 14 approved amendments to the county's accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules that increase the allowable ADU size, relax certain proximity limits and bar both the primary dwelling and ADU from operating as short-term rentals at the same time.
Planning staff said the package aligns the county's ADU size limit with recent state guidance and clears a few technical hurdles that have prevented some property owners from using ADUs. "We changed the square footage from 800 to 1,000," planning staff told the board during the meeting, explaining the change adopts the state's new benchmark. They also recommended removing a blanket requirement that an ADU be within 200 feet of the primary dwelling, saying that provision "doesn't make sense in every case." (planning staff)
The amendments: increase the maximum ADU size to 1,000 square feet; permit an ADU inside an accessory shop provided the shop is no more than twice the square footage of the ADU; allow, in some cases, a secondary road approach off a lower-category road to reduce traffic on a primary road; and bar both units on a parcel from being used as short-term vacation rentals simultaneously (one must be a long-term rental or occupied by a family member).
Planning staff told commissioners the changes were vetted by the planning commission and public hearing processes and that adopting them would allow the county to proceed with a resolution to formally add them to code. The board voted to adopt the amendments at the meeting after a motion and second; commissioners' voices signaled unanimous approval.
The change is procedural and administrative: staff said they will prepare the formal resolution and update county code records. Commissioners and staff indicated these amendments are intended to provide consistency with state law and to give property owners clearer options for housing supply while retaining oversight of short-term rental licensing.
A follow-up resolution to incorporate the text changes into county code will be completed by staff and presented as a formal adoption item in the county's subsequent docket.
