July 23, 2024
Commissioners Adopt New Interim Ordinance Prohibiting New Permits for Event Venues on Agricultural Land
The Skagit Board of County Commissioners adopted a new interim ordinance today temporarily prohibiting the acceptance of new permits for event venues on Skagit County agricultural land. The interim ordinance, which takes effect immediately, clarifies that permissible tourism-related activity on Skagit farmland does not include permanent businesses that conduct large events, such as weddings and concerts, and requires businesses operating agritourism activities out of compliance with Skagit County regulations to enter into a voluntary compliance agreement (VCA) within one year. The VCA is a standard contract used by Skagit County Code Enforcement to ease enforcement of agreed-upon compliance terms and conditions.
The Skagit County Commissioners previously adopted an interim ordinance prohibiting new permits for event venues on agricultural land on January 29th, 2024. Ordinance #20240001 did not apply to businesses in substantial and continuous public operation as of January 29th and directed the Skagit County Planning and Development Services Department to document the rights of existing businesses to ensure compliance with other laws and codes.
On March 21, 2024, the Skagit County Administrative Official published an Administrative Official Interpretation (AOI) as required by Ordinance #20240001. The AOI established procedures by which existing businesses in substantial and continuous operation may document existing use rights and obtain compliance with other relevant law through entry into a VCA.
The Skagit County Commissioners recently remanded a proposal back to the Skagit County Planning Commission regarding a permanent ordinance to regulate agritourism activities in agricultural lands. The remand resolution was proposed in response to feedback the County Commissioners have received from local businesses and farms, community comments, and code enforcement staff. The resolution includes specific direction from the Commissioners to the Planning Commission to guide additional study and consideration and requests review of the proposed ordinance for consistency with the decision ultimately rendered in the matter of King County v. Friends of Sammamish Valley and other state-level action related to agritourism.
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