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Duvall planning commission reviews overhaul of permit-processing code to meet state deadlines
Summary
At a March 11 meeting, Duvall's planning commission heard a presentation from consultant Abby Weber on a repeal-and-replace draft of municipal chapter 14.08 to meet RCW 36.70B and 2023 changes; staff said the city has missed the compliance deadline and is currently out of compliance.
The Duvall Planning Commission on March 11 examined a proposed repeal-and-replace of the city's permit-processing chapter, Chapter 14.08, aimed at meeting state timelines and clarifying which permits the chapter applies to.
BHC Consultants planner Abby Weber told the commission the rewrite was driven by the Growth Management Act and RCW 36.70B and by 2023's Senate Bill 5290. "The city is currently out of compliance with these requirements," Weber said, and the draft amendments "are gonna bring the city into compliance." She said the changes narrow the chapter's applicability (excluding building and certain right-of-way permits), limit director discretion to increase consistency, and reorganize chapter sections to match the applicant experience.
Why it matters: the 2023 state changes require tighter review timelines for land-use permits and limit repeated design-review meetings; jurisdictions that miss deadlines can be required to refund portions of permit fees unless specified steps are taken. Weber said the draft translates the state rules into local code, defines what counts as a review day, and consolidates permit-processing language scattered elsewhere in the municipal code.
Commissioners focused on the practical challenge of meeting much stricter clocks. One member noted the existing code used a 120-day standard; Weber and staff said some categories will shrink to as little as 65 days for simpler administrative decisions while more complex decisions will have longer statutory windows. Staff explained that the review clock stops when the city returns comments to an applicant and that the city's permit software currently does not automatically track every statutory timeline; staff said they will use internal assignments in the OpenGov system to set deadlines for individual review steps.
Staff also described the outreach and procedural steps already completed: internal drafts prepared by city staff, a consolidation and legal check by BHC, a SEPA determination of nonsignificance with a two-week public comment window (no comments received), and posting of the draft on the city website followed by notice to the Department of Commerce.
Procedural actions at the start of the meeting included unanimous approval of the evening's agenda and the Jan. 28 minutes by voice vote.
The commission did not take a final vote on the code tonight. Staff said the permit-processing draft will return for further commission review before being docketed for a public hearing and subsequent council action.
