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Committee hears bill to authorize limited attached ADU development outside urban growth areas with safeguards
Summary
Senate Bill 5470 would allow counties to permit attached and, under conditions, detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) outside urban growth areas with limits on number, water/septic requirements, proximity and reporting; county and industry witnesses said the bill provides clarity and safeguards while allowing modest rural housing increases.
Senate Bill 5470, which would establish limitations on attached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) outside urban growth areas, was presented to the Senate Housing Committee on Jan. 31.
Ben Omdahl, staff to the committee, summarized the bill’s interaction with the Growth Management Act and explained its primary components: ADUs would be subject to statutory water-supply and groundwater-mitigation requirements; counties could require documentation that existing or proposed sewage or septic systems can handle added demand; no parcel may have more than one attached or detached ADU; and an attached ADU must be within 150 feet of the principal dwelling. “A full list can be found in the bill report,” Omdahl said in his staff briefing.
Sponsor Senator Keith Gaynor (12th District) said the bill is designed to help meet supply needs in rural counties while preserving protections for rural character. “This does provide an opportunity for us to just make a small step forward in creating more housing units,” Gaynor said.
Supporters from county government and industry praised the bill’s combination of authorization and limits. Brian Enslow of the Washington State Association of Counties said the bill threads a policy “needle” by pairing authorizations with safeguards, including water-supply and groundwater requirements. Bill Clark, representing realtors, said the measure provides a clearer legal path for counties that wish to authorize detached ADUs without creating broad proliferation. “By adopting this bill, you're specifically authorizing them like a lot of counties already authorized, but you're also limiting them,” Clark said.
Lewis County Director of Community Development Mindy Brooks described her county’s experience permitting ADUs and told the committee that ADUs have created modest new housing without materially increasing service burdens: “The ADUs are well dispersed across our county … therefore, there is negligible burden placed on services like fire and school districts,” Brooks said.
Witnesses suggested additional technical refinements — for example, to water‑mitigation language and short‑term rental registration — but supporters said the bill balances housing supply and environmental protections. The committee closed the hearing on SB 5470 with no immediate vote.
Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: Ben Omdahl (Senate committee staff); Senator Keith Gaynor (sponsor, 12th District); Brian Enslow (Washington State Association of Counties); Bill Clark (realtor association); Mindy Brooks (Lewis County Director of Community Development).
