Docket and County-Initiated Amendments

Docket XXI Announcement (December 2021)

The Snohomish County Council will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. to consider Motion No. 21-147 that will determine which of the 24 non-county initiated requests to amend the county comprehensive plan and development regulations received by the county will be advanced for further processing as Final Docket XXI. Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the Snohomish County Council will hold this public hearing remote only.  Access to this public hearing and participation in the hearing will be through Zoom, a video teleconferencing software program. Please check the Snohomish County Council public hearings calendar in advance of the Docket XXI public hearing for more information on how to access the hearing. 


Once the County Council approves the final list of docket proposals, Final Docket XXI will be processed in conjunction with the 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update and will be acted on by the County Council in 2024. Click to view the following Docket XXI summary table (PDF) and the Planning and Development Services’ evaluations and recommendations. 


Background

The Comprehensive Plan is a living document that embodies all of the community priorities and policies that guide decision-making in Snohomish County. Broad in scope, the Comprehensive Plan touches on issues ranging from land use planning and transportation investments to environmental protection and park space. And importantly, the Comprehensive Plan acts as a community vision over a long time period. From time to time, the policies that guide this vision may warrant changes. Individuals from the public and the County may propose amendments to the Comprehensive Plan at any time. But under established processes, those amendment proposals may only be considered by the County at specific time periods.


The Docket Process

Docketing is a public participation procedure required by the state Growth Management Act to allow interested citizens the opportunity to request amendments to Snohomish County’s comprehensive plan and implementing development regulations. Snohomish County has adopted docketing procedures in Chapter 30.74 of County code.

Through docketing, Planning and Development Services (PDS) accepts applications on an annual basis, performs required evaluations, and forwards its recommendations to the County Council for consideration. The deadline for a docket application submittal is the last business day in October. View the following documents or contact Frank Slusser, Senior Planner, for more information:

To learn more about docketing, view the full process on the Docketing Process page.


The County-Initiated Amendment Process

Proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan that are County-initiated are also reviewed by PDS, the Planning Commission through a public hearing, and the County Council through a public hearing. The procedures for processing County-initiated proposals are contained in Chapter 30.73 of the County code.