CONTACT: Susan Melnyk, Chief Communications Manager, Thurston County or e-mail Susan.Melnyk@co.thurston.wa.us

Commissioners Place Temporary Stop on Permitting New Correctional and Detention Facilities in Thurston County
A Public Hearing on the measure will be scheduled for August 5, 2026.

OLYMPIA – Thurston County Commissioners today put a one-year halt on permitting new public and private involuntary detention centers and correctional facilities in Thurston County. The temporary freeze aligns Thurston County with similar land-use actions recently made by King and Pierce counties.

Officials say the measure will allow time for the County’s volunteer citizen advisory group the Planning Commission and County staff to review and develop local code amendments regarding how and where detention facilities can operate. 

“This moratorium is a practical and necessary step that gives us time to carefully examine Thurston County’s land-use policies around federal detention actions,” said Chair of the Board of County Commissioners Tye Menser. “As a community, we have a responsibility to ensure our policies reflect our values - protecting public safety, advancing transparency, and upholding fairness and dignity for all. The Planning Commission and staff will evaluate codes, collect public input, and draft thoughtful updates that reflect the County’s current operational and safety standards. In coming years we’ve got opportunities for collaboration on juvenile facilities with other agencies - so the timing is right for this review.”

A public hearing on the development pause will be scheduled for August 5, 2026, in compliance with state law RCW 36.70A.390 that requires a public hearing within at least 60-days of placing a local moratorium on zoning decisions. 

Officials say they anticipate seeing suggestions for updated standards from staff and the Planning Commission later this year or early next year before the permit moratorium ends in June 2027. Those draft proposals will be brought before the community in another public hearing, and to the Board for review.

The County’s moratorium is the result of a Board initiative begun in March to evaluate local controls regarding federal detention facilities. By law, the County’s temporary pause isn’t exclusive to federal detention facilities and extends to other public and private involuntary correctional and detention centers and as well, but officials say it won’t affect vital services like private residential facilities for sex offenders, halfway houses for juveniles, or Tribal facilities which fall under different codes. 

County officials also put a provision in the moratorium to accommodate an existing special use permit already being processed for a Washington Department of Social and Health Services expansion of its secure health treatment facility, Maple Lane, in the Rochester area. Maple Lane provides long-term inpatient care and counseling for civilly committed individuals. 

To learn more about the County’s temporary halt on involuntary detention facility permitting, and to find more information about the August 5 public hearing when it becomes available, visit the County’s Amendments webpage and scroll down to New Uses and Related Standards. 

You can also follow code updates as they make their way through the Planning Commission review and public hearing process before advancing to the Board.