The update to the Wireless Communications code is intended to regulate wireless communication facilities while being in compliance with federal regulations. This proposal is Development Code Docket Item A-19. A SEPA Determination of Non-Significance has been issued for this project and is accepting public comment. 

Submit a comment on the Wireless Code Draft by noon, on February 7, 2023!

If you'd prefer to speak in person, the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) will hold a public hearing Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. or soon after to accept public comment. Meeting information will be posted on the BoCC Public Meetings webpage the week before the public hearing. An in-person and Zoom option will be available. The County Commissioners may take action following the public hearing on February 7 or at any regularly scheduled meeting thereafter.

Questions? Email the project manager, Kaitlynn Nelson.

Background

The wireless code establishes the permitting process for numerous types of wireless facilities, the criteria for approval, and the design guidelines for each type of facility. An update to the wireless code is required for compliance with the Federal Telecommunications Act and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has adopted multiple orders over the years that impose new and restrictive conditions on local control. Updating the code allows the County to preserve the ability to assert the remaining authority in reviewing wireless facilities. The timeline for adoption of the draft code is based not on a calendar deadline but on the need to fill the gap where the County does not have a code in place to request any requirements beyond the determinations made by the FCC.