Skagit County public health begins updating on-site sewage code to match new state rules

Skagit County Public Health staff told the Board of Health on April 15 that the county is drafting updates to its on-site sewage (septic) code to ensure local rules meet recently revised Washington state standards.

Charice Gaynor, an environmental health specialist with Skagit County Public Health, said the Washington Administrative Code revisions adopted by the Washington State Board of Health—many of which took effect April 1, 2025—require local health jurisdictions to bring their regulations into conformity. “All of our local regulations must be as stringent as the state code. We cannot be less stringent,” Gaynor said.

Gaynor told the board the department began drafting proposed revisions in June 2024, sought an initial review from the state Department of Health in September, ran a three-session technical advisory group with local designers, installers and inspectors in December 2024, and completed…