Island County’s critical areas provide essential functions and processes that are vital to the local environment and valued by Camano and Whidbey Island residents. To safeguard and minimize impacts to essential water resources; preserve and protect important fish and wildlife habitat areas; and protect the general public safety and welfare, development activities are reviewed and managed.

Download the current Critical Areas Ordinance    88 KB  Refer to ICC Chapter 17.02 for CAO in its official format. See it now.

Click Here to read about why your County is updating it's Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO).

Where does the CAO apply?
The provisions of the Critical Areas Ordinance apply to any proposed land use or development activity within an area of Island County that meets the definitions and criteria for critical areas as established in the CAO.  

What does the CAO require?
Requirements under the CAO vary depending upon the site specific conditions.  A primary tool for protecting critical areas is the establishment of undisturbed buffers which are established around the critical area.  Development and land use activities, such as construction, clearing or grading, are not generally permitted within critical areas or their associated buffers.

Where it is not otherwise possible to avoid or minimize adverse impacts to a critical area or critical area buffer, the CAO allows for intrusion into a critical area or its buffer provided that there is sufficient mitigation to maintain, enhance, or replace the functions of a critical area; or to fully mitigate a hazard.

If it can be demonstrated that a proposed use or activity will have no adverse impact(s) to a critical area, an approved mitigation or conservation plan may allow the proposed development or activity. Any proposed activity that cannot adequately mitigate its impacts on a critical area or buffer will be denied.

Critical Area Review
Development activities proposed within a critical area or critical area buffer are reviewed for:

• Consistency with the purpose and standards of the CAO

• Identification and implementation of protective or mitigating measures that are adequate to protect critical area function, as well as toprotect the public health, safety and welfare.

County review of proposed activities within a critical area or critical area buffer is initiated through application for any project permit within Island County. The following critical areas review procedure is initiated when a project or land use application is submitted:

• The application asks the landowner to answer several questions which help indentify critical areas.

• Staff determines if a proposed project is located within a critical area or critical area buffer.

• If there is reason to believe that a proposed activity is located within or nearby a critical area, staff will confirm the presence or absence of critical areas through site inspection or other appropriate means.

• If staff determines that a project may impact a regulated critical area, a critical areas specialist may be required to prepare a biological site assessment.

• Where a project is proposed within an area where listed or locally significant wildlife species have a primary association, a wildlife habitat specialist may be required to prepare a habitat management plan.

• The recommendations and conclusions of an approved assessment report or habitat management plan are used to assist staff in making a final determination regarding critical areas jurisdiction and appropriate mitigation measures.

Proposed critical area alterations that do not otherwise require County permit review or approval, must still comply with the provisions of the CAO.

Other Agencies that have jurisdictional control over critical areas may include: the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and Fish and Wildlife Service; the Washington State Department of Ecology, Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Natural Resources.

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