Prospective Critical Areas Ordinance Update Process

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. August 21, 2026 – San Juan County is updating its critical areas protections, also referred to as the CAO. The CAO serves as key regulation to ensure that development does not harm water quality, groundwater recharge, wetlands, and some fish and wildlife habitats. The CAO includes regulations for tree protections, water quality buffers, and prescribed development standards within flood zones and geohazards. A final draft of the updated regulations is available for public review and comment here: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/2026-critical-areas-ordinance-cao-update

Updating the Critical Area Regulations in San Juan County involves two, distinct, processes. The first is the adoption of regulations that apply throughout the County except in the Shoreline jurisdiction. The second is the adoption of the updated critical areas into the County’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP). The draft amendments to the SMP are available here: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/2026-critical-areas-ordinance-cao-update . Amending the SMP requires coordination and approval of the Washington Department of Ecology (DOE). 

The County expects to complete updating the regulations in December of this year.

In order to complete the adoption process over the next four months, the Department of Community Development has created the following schedule:

1. Planning Commission Briefing on September 18, 2026. 
2. County Council Briefing on September 22, 2026. 
3. Planning Commission and Department of Ecology joint public hearing on October 16, 2026. 
4. County Council second touch on October 27, 2026. 
5. County Council public hearing on November 24, 2026.  

Access the Final Draft of Critical Areas Ordinance Regulations Update

A final draft of the updated regulations are now available for public comment. You can access following documents:

1. An underline-strike through version of SJCC 18.35 (Critical Area Regulations) 
2. An underline-strike through version of SJCC 18.80 (Permit Processing) 
3. An underline-strike through version of SJCC 18.20 (definitions) 
4. A clean version of SJCC 18.35 (Critical Area Regulations) 
5. A clean version of SJCC 18.80 (Permit Processing) 
6. An underline-strike through version of the proposed Shoreline Master Program (SMP) amendments
7. A comment and response matrix 

Submit comments online or email them to Colin Maycock, Planner IV, at colinm@sanjuancountywa.gov  

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