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Environmental Regulation & Urban Forestry
The urban environment is a highly important element of the quality of life to the people of Port Angeles. A clean, healthy, and diverse natural environment along with a variety of historical and cultural amenities are key components of a high-quality community.
Local environmental regulations and controls are intended to protect and enhance the area’s unique physical features and to create and maintain a community with a high quality of life where the land is used in a manner that is compatible with the area’s unique physical features, its natural amenities, and the overall environment.
Elements of the City’s natural environment that are protected include the City’s marine shoreline, the steep marine bluff facing the shoreline, the streams running through the city and the ravines that contain them, wetlands and other fish and wildlife habitat conservation areas.
The City of Port Angeles’ environmental regulations are designed to balance environmental protections with development potential to maintain the area’s natural attraction and social well being.
Permits are required for all development and/or uses on sites with Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA’s).
If you are unsure whether your proposed development or use is within an Environmentally Sensitive area, please reach out to the Community and Economic Department at ced@cityofpa.us or 360-417-4750.
A State Environmentally Policy Act (SEPA) Checklist may also be required to be submitted with a permit application. The SEPA is a standardized form that is designed to review the comprehensive and life-cycle environmental impacts of a project at the earliest possible time in the development process.
SEPA review includes a minimum 14-day public comment period. After the comment period closes, the City’s SEPA Responsible Official will issue a "Threshold Determination". Depending on the anticipated adverse impacts, the threshold determination may be a Determination of Non-Significance (DNS), a mitigated determination of Non-significance (MDNS) or a Determination of Significance (DS). When a Determination of Significance is issued, an Environmental Impact Statement will be required before a development may begin. For more information on the SEPA process and if your project requires SEPA review, please visit these websites, or contact City Staff.
SEPA City Code
MRSC SEPA Information
Department of Ecology SEPA Information
Critical Areas are environmentally sensitive places—such as wetlands, streams, geologically hazardous areas, flood zones, and fish and wildlife habitats—that are protected to preserve public safety, water quality, and ecosystem health. The City of Port Angeles regulates development in these areas to ensure responsible land use while safeguarding the natural environment.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs)
Streams, stream ravines, floodplains – frequently flooded areas, marine bluffs, and habitat areas for priority species and species of concern are all considered Environmentally Sensitive Areas as described in Chapter 15.02 of the Port Angeles Municipal Code. Development proposed within these areas requires and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Permit Application to be submitted for review. If you have questions or are unsure whether your project falls within this area, please contact the Community and Economic Development Department at ced@cityofpa.us or 360-417-4750.
Minimum submittal requirements for ESA permitting are located in Section 15.20.060 of the Port Angeles Municipal Code.
Wetlands
Development in wetland areas is strongly regulated due to the importance of wetlands to the environment. Wetlands fall into four categories based on their size, resource quality, and characteristics. Wetlands in the city are protected by additional land surrounding the wetland called a buffer. Wetland buffers are established based on the wetland category and are considered to be part of the environmentally sensitive area. See Chapter 15.24 PAMC
Shorelines
Development in shoreline areas (200 feet upland of the Ordinary High Water Mark and all marine waters north to the International border) requires Shoreline Permitting. Development permits fall into categories distinguished by their association to the water. The Shoreline Master Program contains policy and regulatory language regarding Port Angeles shorelines. See Chapter 15.08 PAMC.
Vegetation Management helps protect the health, safety, and environmental quality of Port Angeles by guiding how trees, shrubs, and other vegetation are maintained or removed, especially in sensitive areas like shorelines, wetlands, and steep slopes. Proper vegetation management supports erosion control, habitat preservation, and long-term sustainability.
Street Tree Program
Street trees provide a wide range of environmental, social, aesthetic, and economic benefits. They improve air quality, conserve energy through reduction of weather impacts by shade production and wind moderation, reduce stormwater impacts, increase property values, provide habitat for fish and wildlife, and enhance the appearance and character of neighborhoods. To assist with the financial hurdles associated with purchasing and installing street trees, City Council approved the acquisition and distribution of street trees. This aligns with goals and objectives in the City’s Climate Resiliency Action Plan, the 2025 -2026 City Strategic Plan, as well as the updates to the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
For more information on the Street Tree Program, click here.
Tree Removal
Tree removal from private property within the city limits does not require a permit, if the area of disturbance is less than one acre. Make sure the tree in question is not in the public right-of-way along the street or in the alley, or within an environmentally sensitive area, as permitting is required in these instances.
Removal and/or pruning of trees from public rights-of-way requires consultation with City staff and may require specific permits for work in the right-of-way and the submission of a ’Hold Harmless’ Waiver and Release form to the City.
Clearing & Grading
Clearing, Grading, Filling, and Drainage
A permit to clear trees or move soil on, to, or from a site may be required. Thresholds for requiring a permit are:
- Land disturbance of 7000 square feet or new/replaced hard surfaces of 2000 square feet or more;
- More than 100 cubic yards of fill and/or excavation (Quantities of fill and excavation are calculated separately and then added together to determine the total quantity for the site)
- Any clearing, filling, excavation, or grading in an environmentally sensitive area, critical area or critical area buffer;
- Clearing or grading that will likely penetrate the groundwater table, including the construction of ponds and reservoirs;
- An excavation which is more than five (5) feet in depth or which creates a cut slope greater than five (5) feet in depth or which creates a cut slope greater than five (5) feet in height and steeper than two units horizontal in one unit vertical (2:1);
- Any re-grading or paving on an area used for stormwater retention or detention or alteration of an existing drainage course;
- Any proposal to cut down or remove more than one quarter of any tree(s) that are required to be preserved by City code, plat condition, or other requirement.
More information on Clearing and Grading is located in Section 15.28 PAMC.
Contact Us
Email the Planning Division at ced@cityofpa.us if you have questions for staff.
Physical Address
321 East 5th Street Port Angeles, WA 98362
Phone: 360-417-4750
Customer Service Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
(Updated 9/26/25)