County opens hearings on ADU, family‑daycare and accessory‑use code updates; board leaves record open

Walla Walla County commissioners on Oct. 21 conducted a county‑initiated public hearing on several administrative code amendments designed to bring county development regulations into alignment with recent state law and administrative guidance. The package included: (1) a proposed non‑agricultural accessory‑use classification to be permitted in agricultural zones under an administrative conditional‑use process (with limits on conversion and size consistent with Growth Management Act guidance); (2) revisions to accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rules to comply with 2023 state provisions and recent case law; (3) a cleanup of family day‑care definitions to match state requirements; and (4) amendments to Title 14 to reflect new permit‑timeline requirements under the 2023 permit‑streamlining law.

Community Development Director Lauren Prentice briefed the board on each item. The non‑agricultural accessory‑use proposal would add a defined pathway by which small, subordinate, non‑agricultural uses may be allowed on actively farmed properties, subject to an administrative conditional‑use permit and limits that would prevent conversion of more than one acre of farmland. ADU changes would simplify resource‑sharing tests (removing some ambiguous “shared yard/parking” rules), and Title 14 revisions would align county deadlines and pre‑application procedures with state law. Staff flagged a trade‑off: making pre‑application meetings optional could speed permit processing in some cases but reduce early issue‑spotting for complex projects; staff suggested an applicant‑signature approach if pre‑app meetings were made optional.

No substantive public testimony was offered specific to these changes during the Oct. 21 meeting. Commissioners voted 3‑0 to keep the record open for written comment until 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, and to review the full public record before making any final code amendments.