40.240.330    Approval Criteria for Fire Protection in Forest Designations (REPEALED)

All uses, as specified, shall comply with the following fire safety guidelines:

A.    All buildings shall be surrounded by a maintained fuel break of fifty (50) feet. Hazardous fuels shall be removed within the fuel break area. Irrigated or fire resistant vegetation may be planted within the fuel break. This could include green lawns and low shrubs (less than twenty-four (24) inches in height). Trees should be spaced greater than fifteen (15) feet between the crowns and pruned to remove dead and low (less than eight (8) feet) branches. Accumulated leaves, needles, and other dead vegetation shall be removed from beneath trees.

B.    Buildings with plumbed water systems shall install at least one (1) standpipe a minimum of fifty (50) feet from the structure(s).

C.    A pond, stream, tank or sump with storage of not less than one thousand (1,000) gallons, or a well or water system capable of delivering twenty (20) gallons per minute shall be provided. If a well pump is located on-site, the electrical service shall be separate from the dwelling.

D.    Access drives shall be constructed to a minimum of twelve (12) feet in width and not exceed a grade of twelve (12) percent. Turnouts shall be provided at a minimum of every five hundred (500) feet. Access drives shall be maintained to a level that is passable to fire equipment. Variances to road guidelines may be made only after consultation with the Director of Public Works, local rural fire district, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

E.    Within one (1) year of the occupancy of a dwelling, the responsible official shall conduct a review of the development to assure compliance with these guidelines.

F.    Telephone and power supply systems shall be underground whenever possible.

G.    Roofs of structures should be constructed of fire resistant materials such as fiberglass shingle or tile. Roof materials such as cedar shake and shingle should not be used.

H.    Any chimney or stovepipe on any structure for use with a woodstove or fireplace should be screened with no coarser than one quarter (1/4) inch mesh metal screen that is noncombustible and corrosion resistant and should be equipped with a spark arrestor.

I.    All structural projections such as balconies, decks and roof gables should be built with fire resistant materials equivalent to that specified in the International Building Code.

J.    Attic openings, soft vents, foundation louvers or other ventilation openings on dwellings and accessory structures should be screened with no coarser than one-quarter (1/4) inch mesh metal screen that is noncombustible and corrosion resistant.

K.    Proposed uses shall comply with all applicable provisions of Title 15, Fire Prevention, including Chapter 15.13, Wildlife Urban Interface/Intermix Ordinance, and Chapter 14.04, Building Code. Section 40.240.330 requirements shall prevail in the event of conflict with these county codes.