Skip to main content
Loading…
This section is included in your selections.

Regulations in this section apply only to private residential docks serving four or fewer residential units. Other types of docks or boating-related modifications and uses are addressed separately in BMC 13.11.030, Boating facilities.

A. General.

1. New docks shall be allowed only for water-dependent uses or public access. For the purposes of this provision a dock associated with a single-family residence is a water-dependent use; provided, that it is designed and intended as a facility for access to watercraft and otherwise complies with the provisions of this section.

2. Private residential docks are prohibited on Swamp and North Creeks. Private residential docks are allowed on the Sammamish River, and shall consist of a ramp extending from the shoreline to a float, oriented parallel to the shoreline to minimize interference with navigation and public use of the river. Piers, intended as boat moorage facilities, are prohibited on all water bodies. See definition of pier.

3. A new, private residential dock may be permitted for each single-family residential lot and multifamily residential parcel exclusively owned for residential use and developed with such use prior to February 6, 2013; provided, that no more than one dock for each single-family residence or multifamily parcel is permitted.

4. In the following circumstances, a joint use dock shall be required:

a. On lots subdivided after February 6, 2013, that create one or more additional lots with waterfront access rights.

b. New residential development of two or more multifamily or single-family dwelling units after February 6, 2013, with waterfront access rights.

5. When a joint-use dock serves more than four residential units, it is regulated under BMC 13.11.030, Boating facilities, as a community dock.

6. No skirting is allowed on any structure.

7. Private residential docks shall not include covered or walled structures.

8. Lighting associated with over-water structures shall be beamed, hooded, or directed to avoid causing glare on adjacent properties and into the water. Illumination levels shall be the minimum necessary for safety.

9. Private residential docks shall be marked with reflectors or otherwise identified to prevent unnecessarily hazardous conditions for water surface users during the day or night. Exterior finish shall be generally nonreflective.

10. Proposals for the replacement of entire ramps, floats, or piles shall comply with all applicable regulations in this section.

11. Additions to private residential docks may be permitted when a single-use dock is converted to a joint-use dock or when the applicant demonstrates a need for increased moorage area; however, under no circumstances shall the proposed additions cause any of the standards of this section to be exceeded.

12. Removal of sediment that is deposited beneath and interferes with the normal use of private residential docks shall be governed by BMC 13.11.060.

13. Repairs to existing legally established private residential docks where the nature of the repair is not described in the regulations of this section shall be considered minor and are permitted, consistent with all other applicable codes and regulations.

14. All private residential docks shall be constructed and maintained in a safe and sound condition. Abandoned or unsafe structures shall be removed or repaired promptly by the owner.

15. Private boat launches serving four or fewer residential units are prohibited on all water bodies. Boat launches serving more than four residential units providing for public access are regulated under BMC 13.11.030, Boating facilities.

16. Existing habitat features (for example, large woody debris and substrate material) shall not be removed from the riparian or aquatic environment except to maintain navigation ways and legally established moorage areas, consistent with BMC 13.11.060 and Chapter 13.13 BMC, and when removal is the minimum necessary and adverse impacts are mitigated pursuant to BMC 13.09.020.

17. Temporary moorages shall be permitted for vessels used in the construction of shoreline facilities. The design and construction of temporary moorages shall be such that upon termination of the project, the aquatic habitat in the affected area shall be returned to its preconstruction condition.

B. Design and Construction Standards.

1. All private residential dock dimensions shall be minimized to the maximum extent feasible, and otherwise comply with the design requirements found in Table 13.11.110-1. An illustration of a float is found in Figure 13.11.110-1. Proposed new, enlarged or replacement docks or floats that do not comply with the dimensional standards contained in this section may only be approved if they obtain a shoreline variance.

Table 13.11.110-1. Private Residential Dock Dimension and Design Standards

New Residential Dock

Dimensional and Design Standards

Maximum Area: surface coverage of over-water structures, NOT including the ramp

• 120 sq. ft. for single residential unit

• 240 sq. ft. for joint-use facility used by two residential units

• 360 sq. ft. for joint-use facility used by three residential units

• 480 sq. ft. for joint-use facility used by four residential units

Maximum Width

• 4 ft. for ramp

• 6 ft. for floats

Maximum Length

• Each float unit may be up to 20 feet per residential unit, and shall be laid end-to-end. The maximum length is thus 20 feet, 40 feet, 60 feet, and 80 feet for facilities serving one, two, three and four residential units, respectively.

• Ramps shall be the minimum length necessary to provide safe access to the float. The length of the ramp and the distance between the float and the OHWM are determined by the height of the bank above the OHWM and the distance waterward of the OHWM needed to place the float and a boat at a depth that does not result in grounding of the float or boat on the substrate or disturbance of the substrate by boat propeller action.

Decking and Material Standards

• Floats shall be decked with grating on all deck surfaces not underlain by float tubs, with a maximum area of float tub of 70 percent of the total float area. The number and area of float tubs shall be minimized to the amount necessary based on design and engineering considerations. Grating shall allow for a minimum of 40 percent light transmission. The city shall also approve other configurations that provide equal or greater effective light transmission.

• Ramps shall be fully grated.

• Any paint, stain or preservative applied to components of the over-water structure must be leach-resistant, completely dried or cured prior to installation. Materials shall not be treated with pentachlorophenol, creosote, chromated copper arsenate (CCA) or comparably toxic compounds as outlined in the latest edition of the Western Wood Preservers Institute Best Management Practices for the Use of Treated Wood in Aquatic and Sensitive Areas.

• All float tubs shall be fully encapsulated.

Location

• Floats shall be located no less than five feet and no more than 10 feet from the ordinary high water mark measured from the landward edge of the float. To avoid interfering with river navigation and public use of the water, private moorage facilities may extend no farther waterward than one-third the width of the river in the location of the proposed structure.

– The shoreline administrator may allow floats to be positioned up to an additional 10 feet waterward from the ordinary high water mark as needed to reach a sufficient boat moorage depth (greater than three feet).

• Floats shall be located at least 50 feet from the mouth of any named or numbered tributary entering the Sammamish River.

• Private moorage facilities shall be located at least 10 feet from the extended side property lines, except for joint-use structures, which may abut property lines; provided, that adjacent property owners have mutually agreed to the structure location.

Anchor Piles

• No more than two anchor piles shall be allowed per private moorage facility (shared facilities may have two piles per 20 feet of float length, but the number of piling for such facilities shall be the minimum number given site-specific engineering and design considerations).

• Anchor piles shall be the minimum size feasible given site-specific engineering and design considerations, but in no cases shall anchor piles be greater than 12 inches in diameter.

• Piles shall not be treated with pentachlorophenol, creosote, CCA or comparably toxic compounds. If ACZA piling are proposed, the applicant will meet all of the best management practices, including a post-treatment procedure, as outlined in the amended Best Management Practices of the Western Wood Preservers.

Mitigation for New or Additions to Existing Docks, Floats or Over-Water Structures

• Any existing in-water and over-water structures shall be removed if they are associated with either a private residential dock other than the subject dock, or other recreational use.

• Native riparian vegetation shall be planted along at least 80 percent of the water frontage by length along the water’s edge. The vegetated area shall average 10 feet in depth from the OHWM, but may be a minimum of five feet wide to allow for variation in landscape bed shape and plant placement. Total square feet of landscaped area shall be equal to a continuous 10-foot-wide area. Joint-use docks required under the provisions of this SMP shall have the required vegetated area along all properties sharing the dock. Other joint-use docks shall be required to provide the same mitigation as required for one property, which can be split evenly between the subject properties.

• Mitigation plantings shall consist of a mixture of native trees, shrubs and groundcover and be designed to improve habitat functions. At least three trees per 100 linear feet of shoreline or three trees per property, whichever greater, and 60 percent shrubs must be included in the plan. Plant density and spacing shall be appropriate for the site and commensurate with spacing recommended for each individual species proposed. An alternative planting plan or mitigation measure in lieu of meeting these requirements shall be allowed if approved by other state and federal agencies. In addition, the city shall accept existing native trees, shrubs and groundcover as meeting the requirements of this section, including vegetation previously installed as part of a prior development activity; provided, that the existing vegetation provides a landscape strip at least as effective in protecting shoreline ecological functions as the required vegetation.

Boatlifts

• One free-standing or floating boatlift is allowed per detached dwelling unit; OR

• Two jet ski lifts or one fully grated platform lift is allowed per detached dwelling unit.

• Boatlift-mounted canopies are prohibited.

• Boatlifts shall be located on the waterward side of the dock.

• A maximum of two cubic yards of fill are permitted to anchor a boatlift, subject to the following requirements:

– May only be used if the substrate prevents the use of anchoring devices that can be embedded into the substrate;

– Must be clean;

– Must consist of rock or pre-cast concrete blocks;

– Must only be used to anchor the boatlift;

–Minimum amount of fill is utilized to anchor the boatlift.

Mooring Buoys

• No more than one mooring buoy is permitted per detached dwelling unit, in lieu of a dock.

• Mooring buoys may not interfere with navigation.

Fig. 13.11.110-1. Float Illustration

(Ord. 2112 § 3 (Exh. C), 2013).