Washington HB 1181: Climate Change in Local Comprehensive Planning

In July 2023, the Washington State Legislature enacted HB 1181, requiring many local governments in the state to plan for climate change impacts as part of their comprehensive planning processes. The legislation integrates these new requirements by amending the local planning requirements in the state’s Growth Management Law. 

Under the new requirements, localities must add a climate change and resiliency element to those plans. This element must include an emissions reduction subelement and a resiliency subelement.

The resiliency subelement must center on equity and consist of the “best available science and scientifically credible projections.” Localities must prioritize overburdened communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. Required components of the resiliency subelement include 

  • Identification of natural areas to create resiliency within individual localities; 
  • Enhancement of community resiliency through social, economic, and built environment factors while also being consistent with the environmental justice goals of HB 1181; and
  • Addressing natural hazards such as “sea level rise, landslides, flooding, drought, heat, smoke, [and] wildfire.”

HB 1181 gives the Department of Ecology an active role in engaging overburdened communities in developing comprehensive plans. HB 1181 requires the Washington Department of Ecology to engage overburdened communities by “establish[ing] funding levels for grants to community-based organizations for the specific purpose of advancing participation of vulnerable populations and overburdened communities in the planning process.” Additionally, local planning elements must emphasize reaching state environmental justice goals. The new planning requirements also aim to ensure that new development does not create or worsen environmental health disparities.

Localities may comply with this section by adopting a natural hazard mitigation plan or similar plan by reference, provided that the hazard mitigation plan or similar plan meets the required components and purposes of the resiliency subelement.

The localities required under HB 1181 to include a climate change and resiliency element in their comprehensive plans must have a population of 6,000 people or more and be within the: 

  • “A county with a density of at least 100 people per square mile and a population of at least 200,000;
  • A county bordering the Columbia and Snake Rivers with a population density of at least 75 people per square mile and an annual growth rate of at least 1.65 percent; or
  • A county located west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains with a population of at least 130,000.”

In addition to funding for grants to overburdened communities, the Department of Ecology will develop and adopt a model climate change and resiliency element for other localities to use and help construct their mitigation and adaptation efforts. The models must be written in collaboration with “departments of Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources, Health, and any federally recognized tribe.” 

HB 1181 also contains new resilience-oriented provisions affecting other aspects of comprehensive planning, such as updates to the land use element. A local land use element must now also identify locations of green infrastructure and urban and community forests within the urban growth area. The land use goals must pay attention to environmental justice concerns as well.  HB 1181 also calls for increased attention to wildfire resilience in the local land use element. Some of the suggested strategies to protect communities from wildfire damage include “adopt[ing] portions of all of the wildfire urban interface code… developing building and maintenance standards consistent with the Firewise USA program… reducing wildfire risks to residential development in high-risk areas… and protecting existing development.” 

HB 1181 also requires updates to the local shoreline master program guidelines. The updated guidelines must require shoreline master programs to address “the impact of sea level rise and increased storm severity.”

Finally, HB 1181 adds new definitions to key resilience terms, such as environmental justice, overburdened communities, vulnerable populations, green infrastructure, and green space.

 

Publication Date: July 23, 2023

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  • Adaptation plan
  • Planning guides

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