We strive to make it easier for you to help your clients by:
Sign Codes
Fighting for your right to advertise your clients home. Whether through open house signs, or for sale signs, we fight to make sure you can adequately advertise your listings.
Provide the option of more housing units
The lack of available inventory in Snohomish County is directly leading to the lack of affordable homes in our county. Unless more inventory is provided, we face the great danger of no longer being known as a family friendly place to live. We continue to work with our elected officials to find ways to add quality inventory, while still protecting our environmentally sensitive areas.
Fight the regulatory fight
So many land use regulations, who can keep track of them all? We do! We monitor every City Council and the County Council to ensure any regulations passed do not become barriers to home ownership.
Member Ran – Get Involved
Our legislative decisions consist of two joint committees: the Government Affairs Committee, which determines which positions SCCAR will take on various issues; and the REALTOR® Political Action Committee (RPAC), which makes endorsements for political candidates and works on our relationships with our elected officials.
Any member of the association is welcome to attend either committee. We meet every month. Please email [email protected] if you would like more information or have any questions.
SCCAR Government Affairs Outreaches and Wins
At SCCAR, we are constantly monitoring city and county governments for legislative action that could affect real estate development and the sales process. From sign codes to zoning and more, we are guarding the real estate market at the local level across Snohomish County and Camano.
SCCAR is consistently in contact with the various planning commissions and city councils across Snohomish County and Camano Island, informing officials at local governments of the issues plaguing real estate and how the city or county official can help bring meaningful legislative change to our area.
With the passage of groundbreaking legislation such as HB 1337 and HB 1110 and ongoing advocacy in favor of real estate reforms like lot splitting, rural ADUs, SCCAR is committed to informing city and county governments about newly passed state laws and regulations. Through our government affairs program, we communicate with city and county councilmembers and staff about how best these policies can be implemented and supported at the local level. SCCAR works closely alongside Washington REALTORS to see that the cities across Snohomish County and Camano Island are implementing these new laws in a thoughtful manner.
In January, after adopting their Comprehensive Plan in 2024, the Edmonds City Council began discussing the ordinances required to comply with recently passed state laws related to design standards (HB 1239) and middle housing (HB 1110). As mentioned above, many cities across our area are currently working to adopt code changes to meet new standards set by state law – the City of Edmonds is no different. In addition to the proposed ordinances being drafted so as to be compliant with state law, the ordinances were also found to be aligned with SCCAR’s and WR’s housing goals.
The City Council held a public hearing at their meetings on May 13th and 27th, voting to adopt the updated code changes at the June 10th meeting. Mat continues to track such proposed ordinances necessitated by new state law.
In February, the Bothell Planning Commission began working to amend their sign codes to align with the Reed v. Town of Gilbert decision. Because we share jurisdiction with Seattle King County REALTORS® (SKCR), Mat reached out to Taylor Shanaman (SKCR Government Affairs Director). Mat worked alongside SKCR’s Housing Specialist Randy Bannecker to provide input into this first phase of the Bothell sign code update – suggesting changes that would provide clearer language to the updated code.
During March, Snohomish County held a public hearing on their ADU Code amendments. Mat submitted a letter on behalf of the committee and the association voicing support for the ordinance which would provide much-needed housing opportunities. Ultimately, the county council approved the Ordinance unanimously. With the newly adopted ordinance, the regulations for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in unincorporated areas were changed to comply with the 2023’s HB 1337. Key changes include allowing ADUs on urban lots with duplexes and single-family attached dwellings, increasing maximum lot coverage, and reducing required setbacks from public and private roads.
Along with the ADU Code Amendments, SCCAR engaged with the Snohomish County Council and government by having Brian Hayter (SCCAR VP of Government Affairs) participate in a Critical Areas Requirements panel. On the panel, Brian spoke about his experience with housing affordability and availability issues which would be exacerbated by onerous environmental regulations regarding critical areas.
This discussion and Brian’s participation ultimately contributed to the balanced approach taken by the county council and the language of the critical areas ordinance which was adopted. More details on this ordinance are provided below.
As we entered 2025, we continued to monitor and provide input on the City of Everett’s Comprehensive Plan. On April 1st, the Comprehensive Plan moved onto the public input phase. We at SCCAR sent feedback on May 9th to the city, commending several code changes and suggesting various other changes to make the code friendlier to residential developers. We also suggested additional ways that the city could further pursue their development goals. Over the next several months, the City of Everett continued to work on this plan, ultimately adopting their comprehensive plan at the meeting on June 18th.
As one of the largest cities in Snohomish County, SCCAR continues to pay especially close attention to Everett and advocate for the advancement of various policies conducive to the promotion and protection of real estate development and sales.
In May, we also provided input on an ordinance coming from the City of Monroe regarding Unit Lot Subdivisions (ULS). ULS can help the housing market by increasing density, allowing for more housing units on existing land, and creating more affordable ownership options by dividing larger lots into smaller, individual parcels. This ordinance would help increase the overall supply of housing, particularly for townhouses and condominiums, making homeownership attainable for more people and addressing the housing crisis.
We provided the Planning Commission with a letter outlining three points of support regarding fee-simple ownership, zoning and housing diversity, and clarity of standards and permit procedures. In addition to these points, we also provided four recommendations on how to further improve the language being proposed in the updated code. This included further exploring shared utility and infrastructure requirements, providing model agreements or templates for common area management, and allowing additional flexibility with parking requirements. Following our correspondence, Monroe’s Planning Commission and City Council continued work on this ordinance, adopting the ordinance at the July 8th city council meeting.
As mentioned above, SCCAR has been a key voice providing input to the Snohomish County Council as they began working to update their Critical Areas Requirements (CARs). Following SCCAR’s participation on the CARs panel, we continued to give input into this process, discussing the issue further with Councilmembers Nate Nehring, Jared Mead, Megan Dunn, and Sam Low individually.
In supporting a balanced approach, SCCAR voiced public support for a contentious amendment which was adopted (3-2) following the May public hearings. SCCAR is proud to report that the result of our advocacy efforts was an ordinance that saved buildable lands from shrinking dramatically while also preserving the rural character of certain unincorporated areas in the county.
In June, as Lynnwood prepared to hold a public hearing on their proposed Urban Development Code (UDC), we noticed several very concerning aspects of the proposed UDC. Among the most concerning aspects of the code was the requirement for sprinkler systems to be built into all new construction homes. A serious deterrent for new construction, we communicated our concerns with the City Council via email and in person at the June 9th public hearing.
At the public hearing, several of the City Councilmembers shared our concerns about the proposed code and one reached out to us directly to inform us that he would be engaging in further discussions about the proposed amendments with his colleagues on the council. We offered our thanks and welcomed any opportunity to support and collaborate on what would be a better policy for Lynnwood to adopt.
As discussions progressed among the councilmembers, the proposed new fire sprinkler requirement was ultimately removed. Following this battle, SCCAR has since joined forces to build an ad hoc committee and coalition with the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) to battle future proposals surrounding such fire sprinkler updates.
In August, the committee began tracking Monroe’s permitting process update. The City of Monroe is in the process of adopting code amendments in compliance with the new Washington State law (SB 5290) regarding the permitting process. This new law relates to the City’s review processes for land use permits that include accessory dwelling units, short and long subdivisions, conditional use permits, and commercial site plans. Except for a few land use permits that are regulated by different State requirements, the land use application review period will shrink from 120 days to 65 days for administration approvals without a public comment period, 100 days for administrative decisions requiring public notice and 170 days for projects that require a public hearing.
On August 11th, the Monroe Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed amendments. SCCAR will continue tracking this code update and advocating the adoption of clear and favorable permit processing rules as the City of Monroe seeks to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their permit review process.
In the middle of the summer, we began tracking a proposal at the Snohomish County Council to increase the minimum number of residential units permitted in specific urban zones. After doing more research we found that this policy proposal was tailored to increase density in the areas that could handle it.
On August 1st, we sent a letter to the councilmembers advocating our support for this ordinance and recommending that the council adopt the related ordinance. The County Council held a public hearing on this proposed ordinance on August 13th. The ordinance was subsequently adopted that same day.
At the August and September meetings, the Stanwood Planning Commission held two public hearings on the Missing Middle Housing Code Amendment Package. This package includes three bundled ordinances: (1) The Missing Middle Housing Ordinance, (2) The Land Division and Adjustments Ordinance, and (3) Amendments to the Street and Utility Standards.
Together, these ordinances will expand housing capacity and diversity for current and future Stanwood residents while also ensuring compliance with Washington State laws and the Growth Management Act (GMA). At the conclusion of the public hearing, the Commission deliberated on the ordinance and forwarded their recommendation to the Stanwood City Council. SCCAR will continue to track this ordinance and advocate for the adoption of the best possible policy by Stanwood’s City Council.
In early September, SCCAR began tracking Snohomish County’s plan to rezone approximately 3,500 acres within the SW UGA to support higher density development where services and facilities currently exist. This massive rezone would not only increase density and reduce urban sprawl, but it would also expedite permitting in these areas.
SCCAR has since sent a letter to the Snohomish County Council supporting the proposed area re-zone. Additionally, we plan to support the proposed re-zone at the upcoming public hearing scheduled for October 1st.
After public feedback, the draft ordinance was slightly altered with a substitute ordinance presented on December 17th. SCCAR Sent an additional letter to the County Council supporting the substitute ordinance.
Also in early September, we began tracking an amendment to the Snohomish Municipal Code which would allow for more residential development in business park (BP) zoned areas. Through this update the city council worked to amend the unique regulations for the BP zone to improve access to housing by changing the residential regulations in BP-zoned areas. On September 16th, SCCAR participated in the City Council’s public hearing, supporting the adoption of the proposed ordinance. The city subsequently adopted the Business Park Zone Update Ordinance 2523.
Throughout the summer, the topic of critical areas was being discussed in different cities across Snohomish County. The cities of Arlington, Edmonds, and Snohomish are all at various stages in updating their Critical Areas codes to ensure strong environmental protections while supporting responsible growth. These updates being undertaken to comply with the conditions of the Growth Management Act (GMA), a state law requiring cities and counties to review and update their critical area regulations every ten years. The updated regulations in these cities will incorporate the best available sciences (BAS) in formulating new environmental protection standards.
SCCAR will continue to advocate a balanced approach to conservation – addressing the needs of the housing industry as well as environmental concerns.
As mentioned above, in May, we began working with Ms. Hailey Fagerness of the Snohomish County Health Department to help inform Snohomish County’s new Septic System Transfer Inspection policy.
After corresponding with her throughout May, we arranged for her to join the government affairs committee for the June meeting. At this meeting, we discussed a rough outline of the potential policy. Our committee was able to dissuade Ms. Fagerness away from a policy that included a “stress test” of the septic system. Following this meeting, we sent out a questionnaire to engage members on the topic and gather more input to help shape the policy.
Ms. Fagerness returned to SCCAR to further discuss the REALTOR® position at the August meeting. During this meeting, we ironed out the details of what a good policy be when it comes to septic systems that require minor improvements. We also began discussing fees and the inspection timeline. Following this meeting, SCCAR put out a follow-up survey to collect additional input. The committee welcomed her back at the October meeting to continue working on this policy and plans to meet again in early 2026.
