Whatcom County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code

One single-family dwelling per lot.

Noncommercial community parks and recreation facilities.

The raising of crops, fruits, berries, and horticultural products.

Public reserves, playgrounds, forest preserves, beach activities, wildlife reserves, and natural systems education and/or interpretative areas.

Noncommercial and nonvehicular camping activities (with approval from the Whatcom County health department).

Private, noncommercial mooring buoys.

One one-story detached accessory storage building per lot; provided, that the floor area shall not exceed 200 square feet and shall only be used for personal storage and not for habitation or business; and provided further, that the storage building shall contain no indoor plumbing but may be served with electrical power for lighting.

Co-living housing, provided the density requirements in WCC § 20.20.252 are not exceeded.

Trails, trailheads, and associated rest room facilities.

Adult family homes as defined in Chapter 70.128 RCW.

Boarding homes that are similar in size, facilities and occupancy to other residential structures permitted in the zoning district.

Mental health facilities that provide residential treatment and are similar in size, facilities and occupancy to other residential structures permitted in the zoning district.

Substance abuse facilities that provide residential treatment and are similar in size, facilities and occupancy to other residential structures permitted in the zoning district.

Type I home-based businesses, pursuant to WCC § 20.80.970.

Noncommercial community boat docks, ramps, floats, and moorages pursuant to the Whatcom County Shoreline Management Program.

Restrooms, picnic shelters, tool and equipment storage, playgrounds, water storage, and similar buildings and equipment normally associated with low intensity use of community property.

One detached sleeping unit per lot.

Other accessory uses normally incidental to the primary permitted uses.

Solar and wind power plants serving two or less residences.

Day care homes.

Vacation rental units.

Type II home-based businesses pursuant to WCC § 20.80.970.

Community centers.

Aircraft runway strips.

Solar and wind power plants serving more than two residences.

Day care centers and mini-day care centers.

Activity centers.

Athletic fields.

Type I solid waste handling facilities.

Mitigation banks as a form of compensatory mitigation for wetland and habitat conservation area impacts when permitted in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 16.16 WCC; provided, applications for mitigation banks shall be processed as a major development project pursuant to Chapter 20.88 WCC.

Single-family residential on platted community tracts is prohibited, except for one single-family dwelling for the island's caretaker.

Adult businesses.

All docks not permitted in WCC § 20.35.102.

All other uses not permitted, accessory, or conditional.

Storage or occupation of recreational vehicles.

For purposes of creating new building lots within the Eliza Island District, the minimum lot size shall be five acres.

Minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks shall be five feet.

Maximum height of structures shall be limited to 25 feet when within 100 feet of the marine shoreline ordinary high water mark, and 30 feet elsewhere. Height of structures shall also conform to the general requirements of WCC § 20.80.675 where applicable.

At least 75 percent of any lot shall be utilized as open space (50 percent for community tract E).

Vegetation clearing on the face of shoreline bluffs and banks is prohibited; provided, that pruning of branches for view is permitted if no more than 30 percent of the live crown is removed.

No structure or combination of structures, including accessory buildings, shall have a total square footage of more than 1,800 square feet on any private lot.

Exterior sidings shall consist of or resemble natural wood or masonry materials.

Pier and post foundations.

Wood heat as the primary heat source.

Exposed beam ceilings with minimum R-10 insulation beneath roofing.

Reduced insulation and ventilation requirements.

Between January 1st and August 15th, there will be no external construction or land clearing within 660 feet of a viable nest site. If the nest site is determined to be inactive by the WDW in April, construction or land clearing may begin on May 1st.

On any lot between 400 and 660 feet of a viable nest site, no conifer greater than six feet tall will be taken; provided, that such conifers may be cleared for a building site and path and an area within 25 feet of the building site. Conifers may only be removed for drainfields if no reasonable alternative exists.

On any lot 400 feet or greater from a viable nest site, a minimum of 50 percent of the pre-construction or clearing stand with stems/acre and size classes representative of the conifer stand greater than six feet tall must remain. In addition, on any shoreline lot a minimum of three conifers greater than 18 inches d.b.h. must remain within 75 feet landward of the survey staking line on the plat map. Pruning of branches for view is acceptable if no more than 30 percent of the live crown is removed.

Any landowner objecting to the above conditions can negotiate an individual site management plan with the WDW. Any construction or land clearing within 400 feet of a viable nest site will also require an individual bald eagle management plan with the WDW. The WDW will provide locations of viable and active nest sites to Whatcom County and the Eliza Island Beach Club by May 1st annually.