City of Spokane

Spokane Municipal Code

***Note: Many local criminal codes can now be located under Chapter 10.60 SMC while others are now cited under the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), which was incorporated into the municipal code in 2022. (See SMC 10.58.010). Code Enforcement, including Noise Control and Animal Regulations are located in Chapters 10.62 through 10.74.

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Title 17E
Chapter 17E.050
Section 17E.050.090
 

Title 17E Environmental Standards

Chapter 17E.050 SEPA

Article III. Categorical Exemptions and Threshold Determinations

Section 17E.050.090 Use of Exemptions
  1. Each department within the City of Spokane that receives an application for a license or, in the case of governmental proposals, the department initiating the proposal, shall determine whether the license and/or the proposal is exempt. The department’s determination that a proposal is exempt shall be final and not subject to administrative review. If a proposal is exempt, none of the procedural requirements of this ordinance applies to the proposal. The City of Spokane shall not require completion of an environmental checklist for an exempt proposal.
  1. In determining whether a proposal is exempt, the department shall make certain the proposal is properly defined and shall identify the governmental licenses required (WAC 197-11-060). If a proposal includes exempt and nonexempt actions, the department shall determine the lead agency, even if the license application that triggers the department’s consideration is exempt.
  1. If a proposal includes both exempt and nonexempt actions, the City of Spokane may authorize exempt actions prior to compliance with the procedural requirements of this ordinance, except that:
    1. the City of Spokane shall not authorize:
      1. any nonexempt action;
      1. any action that would limit the choice of alternatives for environmental review;
      1. any action that would have a probable significant adverse environmental impact;
    1. a responsible official may withhold approval of an exempt action that would modify the environment, when such modification would result in a probable significant adverse impact or would limit the choice of alternatives for environmental review;
    1. a responsible official may withhold approval of an exempt action that would lead to an applicant making substantial financial expenditures when there is some doubt that the entire proposal (i.e., subdivision) may not be approved.

Date Passed: Monday, February 21, 2005

Effective Date: Wednesday, March 30, 2005

ORD C33583 Section 3