Growth Management Act - Table of Contents

Overview

• Growth Management Act Basics – Overview of the GMA, including its goals, legal requirements, urban growth areas, the Growth Management Hearings Board, and other key resources.

Comprehensive Planning 

• Capital Facilities Planning – Information about capital facilities planning, including statutes and regulations, and sample plans and policies.
• Comprehensive Planning – Describes comprehensive planning and the comprehensive plan update process, including overviews of all required comprehensive plan elements under the GMA: land use, housing, capital facilities plan, utilities, rural development, transportation, climate change and resiliency, and ports.
• Park Planning, Design, and Open Space – Includes information on parks, recreation, and open space planning and design, including general guidelines, standards, and local examples.
• Planning for Economic Development – Information to help local governments in Washington State plan for economic development, including reference guides and examples of local economic development plans.
• Transportation Plans and Plan Elements – Examples of local transportation plans, including transportation elements of comprehensive plans, transportation improvement plans, and transportation studies.

Environmental Regulations

• Critical Areas – Overview of the regulations for wetlands and other "critical areas" for all cities, towns, and counties under the GMA.
• Flexibility in Environmental Regulation –  Information on flexibility in environmental regulations, including examples of code provisions.
• Shoreline Management Act – Overview of the Shoreline Management Act, focusing on significant court decisions and sample master programs.

Other GMA Related Pages

• Affordable Housing - Table of Contents – Links to MRSC's resources related to affordable housing.
• Agricultural Lands - Laws, Regulations, and Court Decisions – Information on Washington State laws related to agricultural lands, as well as selected court and Growth Management Hearings Board decisions.
• Climate Change - Table of Contents – Links to MRSC's resources related to climate change and its impacts.
• Community Engagement Resources – Highlights a variety of approaches for obtaining public feedback and for involving residents in shaping the plans and programs that significantly affect their lives.
• Concurrency – Overview of concurrency under the GMA, including relevant statutes and examples of local concurrency requirements.
• Development Regulations and Zoning – Provides information on development regulations and zoning codes, including examples of unified development codes, development review procedures codes, moratoria, interim zoning ordinances, and other recommended resources.
• Growth Management and Planning Interlocal Agreements – Examples of interlocal agreements in Washington State related to growth management and planning.
• Historic Preservation – Overview of historic preservation, including state and national designations, examples of local historic preservation programs and ordinances, relevant court decisions, and related resources.
• Impact Fees – Provides overview of impact fees, including information on how they may be used, rate calculations, waivers and exemptions, deadlines for collecting and expending funds, and sample documents from selected jurisdictions.
• Planning and Development Permit Review – Overview of the legal requirements for project review and examples of permit review procedures as well as examples of streamlined processes.
• Rural Land Use Regulation/Development – Information on rural land use and development for local governments in Washington State, particularly those areas that are not designated for long-term resource uses such as agricultural and timber production or mineral extraction.

Blog Posts

• Recent blog posts about Growth Management – Articles written by MRSC staff and contributors about specific aspects of growth management and comprehensive planning, including new legislation and court decisions. Articles are listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent first.