Spokane County seeks building-code vesting to speed wildfire rebuilds

Spokane County Planning Director Scott Chazy told commissioners Aug. 17 that the county should follow the model used after the 2023 fires to let homeowners reconstruct substantially in the same place without immediately triggering shoreline or critical-area rules. "We're proposing to simply replicate the path we took in the 23 fires," Chazy said, describing a process that would let owners rebuild if they remain on the same footprint and would allow modest expansions of about 15–20 percent so long as those additions are sited away from hazards.