Shoreline management
in King County, Washington

King County's beauty is no doubt characterized by its bounty of water bodies. King County has nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline along major lakes and rivers and Vashon-Maury Island. These shorelines provide habitat for fish and wildlife, places for public enjoyment and space for wide-ranging waterfront land uses.

Shoreline Master Program

On January 14, 2013, the Washington Department of Ecology gave final approval to an update to King County’s Shoreline Master Program. The modified program is in effect as of January 28, 2013. The Shoreline Master Program consists of the following elements:

• Goals and Policies - Chapter 5 of the King County Comprehensive Plan.
  • Map: Shorelines of the State (7.9 Mb pdf)
  • Map: Shorelines Designations - Northwest King County (2 Mb)
  • Map: Shorelines Designations - Northeast King County (2.5 Mb) 
  • Map: Shorelines Designations - Southeast King County (1.3 Mb)
  • Map: Shorelines Designations - Southwest King County (1.9 Mb)
• Development regulations – the majority of the new regulations have been incorporated into King County Code Chapter 21A.25.
• List of King County Shorelines (171 Kb pdf)
• Supplemental materials

About the Shoreline Master Program

• Fact sheets
• Shoreline ecology
• Public access and recreation
• Land use
• Shoreline history
• Example of historical change
Shoreline educational videos
• Lake shorelines
• River shorelines
• Saltwater shorelines
• Glossary of terms
• Public survey findings

For more information about shoreline management in King County, please contact Harry Reinert, Special Projects Manager, Department of Permitting and Environmental Review.