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King County revises ordinance after high-court ruling; enforcement remains complaint-driven
Summary
After the state Supreme Court decision, the King County Council passed a revised ordinance limiting most tasting rooms and event-style uses on rural land; county staff said enforcement is complaint-driven and identified roughly a dozen active complaints, while opponents say more sites remain.
Robert Mack reported that following the Supreme Court ruling, King County revised its ordinance to remove permission for most wineries, breweries and distilleries in rural areas unless those businesses could prove they were long-established home industries or small home businesses.
The broadcast noted some large wineries located inside the urban growth boundary, such as Chateau Saint Michelle, are unaffected. On enforcement, Mack said a King County spokesman told the program that code enforcement is complaint-driven and the county focuses on businesses with active complaints; the spokesman was quoted as saying "currently, there are approximately a dozen active complaints." Friends of Sammamish Valley disputed that tally and said around 30 operations may still be operating on rural land.
The program emphasized that the ordinance revision changes the legal permission structure but that many sites remain open while county enforcement and complaint investigations continue. The county's implementation plan, as reported on air, will prioritize complaints where local impacts have been documented.
