Environmentally Critical Areas Update - Background
Background
Every 10 years, Washington’s Growth Management Act requires cities and counties to review and update their critical areas policies and regulations. This process ensures these protections reflect the best available science (BAS) and continue to safeguard environmentally critical areas.
In 1992, Seattle adopted the first permanent ECA policies and code. We adopted amendments to our critical areas policies and code in 1995, 1997, 2006, 2014, and 2017. This 2026 ECA Code Update will meet current state mandates.
In Seattle, environmentally critical areas include five areas and ecosystems:
- wetlands
- fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas (including riparian corridors, and other priority habitat and species areas)
- geologic hazard areas (including landslide-prone, steep-slope and liquefaction-prone areas; steep slopes are also protected for erosion control to protect water-quality)
- flood-prone areas
- abandoned landfills
Policies and regulations designating and protecting ECAs are required by, RCW 36.70A.060(2), RCW 36.70A.170, and RCW 36.70A.172(1).
For additional information, see SDCI’s Environmentally Critical Areas (ECA) Code webpage.