Frequently Asked Questions

The City provides a map that identifies properties and their zoning districts. Click here to access the map. You will be prompted to read a disclaimer, then check a box on the screen agreeing to the terms and conditions of the disclaimer. Click OK. Select the Layer List in the menu on the left and select the Planning layer category to turn on the City zoning layer. You can view instructions on how to use the map here.

The requirements for each zone are contained in Title 17 of the Port Angeles Municipal Code. Rezones of property within the City may not immediately be reflected on the online zoning map upon taking effect. 

The approximate locations of property lines for parcels in the City are depicted on the Multi Use Map. This map is for illustrative purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for accurate location of property lines in the field by a qualified professional. The definitive location of property lines must be determined through a survey of the property's legal boundaries. If a survey has been conducted for your property in the past, the survey may be contained in a title report for the property, or be recorded with the Clallam County Auditor’s Office. Survey markers indicating the location of property corners may be present on the ground. If you cannot locate an existing survey of your property, it may be helpful to search the Auditor's website for recorded surveys of neighboring properties to see if they depict any of your property's boundaries. 

Title 17 of the Port Angeles Municipal Code determines what uses can be permitted by right or conditionally in each of the City's zones. If you know which zone your property is located in, please navigate to the chapter in Title 17 PAMC dedicated to that zone for a list of permitted uses. Chapter 17.03 PAMC contains a list of zones in the City and identifies the corresponding chapter containing applicable regulations. 

Some uses are only permitted as accessory uses. For a use to qualify as an accessory use, it must be both subordinate and incidental to the principal use of the property. A use is to be considered accessory when it occupies less than 50 percent of a building's or lot's total square footage. There is no list of prohibited uses in Title 17 PAMC. If a use is not listed as permitted in a zone, either by right or conditionally, the use is considered to be prohibited in that zone. 

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This depends on many factors, including the size of your lot, the zone in which your property is located, the location of the addition, and available utility capacity. There is no single size limit that can be generalized, since each development would need to account for the unique conditions of the site. However, no addition may cause the property to exceed the maximum site coverage allowed in the zone. Site coverage is the amount of impervious surface on a parcel, including structures, paved driveways, sidewalks, patios, and other impervious surfaces. The maximum allowable site coverage differs by zone. Please refer to the appropriate chapter applicable to your zone in Title 17 of the Port Angeles Municipal Code to determine the maximum site coverage standard applicable to development on your property. In addition to ensuring that the proposed addition will not cause the maximum allowable site coverage to be exceeded, the addition must meet all other applicable dimensional and design standards applicable to the property. Setback information by zone is available through the following links: 

• R7 Zone
• R9 Zone
• R11 Zone 
• RMD Zone 
• RHD Zone

All building additions require that a building permit be obtained. Building permit application forms are available at https://www.cityofpa.us/992/Building-Permits. You may find the guidance document available at https://cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/8351/Making-a-Residential-Site-Plan helpful when preparing a site plan. If you have questions about building code requirements, the Building Division can be contacted using the contact information available at https://www.cityofpa.us/369/Building.

You may need a permit to trim or remove trees on your property. Before commencing with any work, please ensure that the trees you want to trim or remove are not located in publicly owned right-of-way, within an environmentally sensitive or critical area, or within a designated buffer for a sensitive area such as a wetland, the marine bluff, stream ravine, or stream corridor. 

If the tree you are concerned with is located in the public right-of-way, it is considered a street tree and is subject to the regulations of Chapter 11.13 PAMC. More information about the pruning or removal of street trees is available here. 

You can locate the approximate boundaries of your property using the City’s Multi Use Map available here. Instructions for using the map tool can be viewed here. This map is for illustrative purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for accurate location of property lines in the field by a qualified professional. 

All vegetation management activity in any environmentally sensitive area must comply with the standards of Chapter 15.20 PAMC and may only occur following the issuance of an Environmentally Sensitive Area Permit or Development Exception. Tree topping is prohibited in environmentally sensitive areas.  

Before removing any tree or other vegetation located within the boundaries of private property, please be sure that the vegetation is not part of required landscaping for the site. 

This depends on several factors, including which zone your home is located in. Some residential zones allow for the establishment of home occupations through an administrative conditional use permit process. With small-scale, residence-based business activity becoming more popular in the form of online retail stores, farmers market vendors, or small artisan craft operations, many Port Angeles residents are interested in undertaking small business activity in their homes. 

If you are interested in running a small business from your residence, you may need a permit authorizing the use. Some home occupations, listed in Section 17.17.030 PAMC, are considered exempt from the permit requirements applicable to other home occupations. Please read Chapter 17.17 PAMC to understand the City’s regulations applicable to an occupation or business undertaken within a dwelling unit located in a residential zone. If you are not sure whether your proposed business qualifies as a home occupation, please contact City Staff to discuss your venture and be prepared to provide details of its operation. If the business activity cannot be classified as a home occupation, it may be prohibited as a primary or accessory use in your zone. 

What is an environmentally sensitive area? 

All environmentally sensitive areas are critical areas, but not all critical areas are considered environmentally sensitive areas for the purpose of determining which regulations apply. Critical areas include environmentally sensitive areas, wetlands, shorelines, beaches and associated coastal drift processes,  lands subject to the Port Angeles Shoreline Master Program, and their associated buffers. Environmentally sensitive areas include any of the following areas and their associated buffers: 

1. Aquifer recharge areas;

2. Streams or stream corridors;

3. Frequently flooded areas; 

4. Geologically hazardous areas, including erosion hazard areas, landslide hazard areas, and seismic hazard areas;

5. Habitat areas for priority species and species of concern; and

6. Locally unique features, including ravines, marine bluffs, and beaches and associated coastal drift processes.

What regulations apply in environmentally sensitive areas? 

All development proposed within or near an environmentally sensitive area is subject to the regulations and requirements of Chapter 15.20 of the Port Angeles Municipal Code, which is intended to protect environmentally sensitive areas in the City of Port Angeles. 

Section 15.20.040 PAMC explains how the location of an environmentally sensitive area must be determined. A field investigation performed by a qualified professional is the only way to determine environmentally sensitive area boundaries with certainty. 

What regulations apply in other types of critical areas?  

Other types of critical areas are subject to distinct regulations contained in Title 15 PAMC, as follows: 

• Shorelines: Chapter 15.08 PAMC, which contains the Shoreline Master Program
• Areas of Special Flood Hazard: Chapter 15.12 PAMC
• Wetlands: Chapter 15.24 PAMC

Reminder: Please call 811 before you dig, regardless of the situation.

The Port Angeles Municipal Code (PAMC) allows for a park model unit to be placed on a lot as an alternative to a traditional detached accessory dwelling unit in all zones where accessory dwelling units are an allowed accessory use, subject to certain criteria.  Ordinance No. 3710, amending portions of Title 17 PAMC, is available here and contains standards that all park model units must meet. These new standards applicable to park model units were adopted by the City Council on March 21, 2023. Prior to the adoption of Ordinance No. 3710, park model manufactured homes were prohibited in most locations in the City per Section 17.96.025 PAMC. Now, park models can be permitted as an alternative to a detached accessory dwelling unit in residential zones per the amended Section 17.21.020 PAMC, if all applicable state and local requirements are met.

The amended Section 17.21.020 PAMC contains nine development standards that all park models must meet in order to qualify as an acceptable alternative to a traditional accessory dwelling unit in the City. Any park model must be shown to comply with the requirements of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Chapter 296-150P in order to be considered by the City as compliant with the new PAMC design standards applicable to park models. The City does not administer the standards contained in WAC Chapter 296-150P. Please contact the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries if you have any questions about the standards of WAC Chapter 296-150P. 

A building permit is required to enable the placement of a park model unit on a property. Building permit application forms are available at https://www.cityofpa.us/992/Building-Permits. You may find the guidance document available at https://cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/8351/Making-a-Residential-Site-Plan helpful when preparing a site plan. If you have questions about building code requirements, the Building Division can be contacted using the contact information available at https://www.cityofpa.us/369/Building.

All park model units must be connected to municipal utilities. Standards regarding water, wastewater, and electrical connections are contained in Title 13 PAMC, administered by the Public Works & Utilities Department.

Nuisances are identified in Chapter 8.30 of the Port Angeles Municipal Code. Nuisance complaints should be directed to the Code Enforcement Division of the Port Angeles Police Department. If you would like to notify the Code Enforcement Division of activity or conditions you have observed that can be classified as a nuisance, you can do so by filling out and submitting the Public Nuisance Complaint Form available here.