Thurston County | Planning | Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)

Public Access is Closed to MOST County Facilities Due to COVID-19.

In response to Governor Inslee's Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, Thurston County has moved to an essential services model, in effect
through Sunday, May 31, 2020. Courts and other elected offices may operate under different hours or restrictions.

(Solid waste facilities are open. For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/2SldUPq)
(For more information on essential functions, visit: https://bit.ly/3dwIBK8)
(For office contacts, visit: https://bit.ly/3bs7bdy)

Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)

Thurston County is home to species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. This affects County building permits. A property owner can build where these species live, but first needs a mitigation plan (also called a Habitat Conservation Plan) in order to comply with federal law. The County is voluntarily developing a 30 year mitigation plan to cover its permit applicants, in response to this federal listing.

The HCP describes how covered species will be protected, and defines a reserve network to help ensure the long term survival of the species. This effort is to reduce and streamline the regulatory burden on County property owners, and to provide them with regulatory certainty.

An umbrella HCP would provide:

Mitigation options for applicants who need them.
A consistent, year-round environmental-review process.
A streamlined permitting process.