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Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS® advocacy team has hit the ground running in 2025 as several carry-over items from 2024 will continue to be worked on this year. Those include:

  • Pierce County Short-Term Rental Regulations
  • Pierce County Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations
  • City of Tacoma Tree Canopy Coverage
  • Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department “Healthy Housing Registry”
  • City of Tacoma’s Proposed Business Safety and Resilience Program
  • Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department “stress tests” for septic systems 

Pierce County

TPCAR has been tracking proposed short term rental regulations (STR), as well as accessory dwelling unit (ADU) regulations, for unincorporated areas of Pierce County. Both items had been ordered to undergo environmental impact studies with those reports due back to the Council in October 2024. It’s unclear if that process occurred, and at this time we are not aware of any immediate desire for either item to be brought back for Council consideration. The STR provisions would have limited the number of STR’s allowed to operate under common ownership, as well as established zoning to preclude them in specific areas of the county.

City of Tacoma Tree Canopy Coverage

As a part of its final approval process for Home in Tacoma (HIT) Phase 2, Tacoma City Council removed tree canopy coverage provisions to be considered at a future time after the HIT ordinance takes effect (Feb. 1, 2025). TPCAR is focused on advocating for provisions which ensure that housing capacity added during HIT are not undercut by new tree regulations, while also ensuring flexibility for homeowners and incentives for planting of new trees and expansion of tree canopy coverage is areas of the city which currently are lacking.

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department “stress tests” for septic systems

In early August, after several conversations and additional feedback provided by Tacoma-Pierce County Association of REALTORS, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department decided to pause implementation of a septic stress test requirement which was originally effective as of July 15, 2024.

This means that, for the time being, a stress test will not be required when submitting a home sale inspection application for a gravity septic system.

This is a huge win for our membership and consumers as, even in the short 2-week window where the tests were required, there were examples of systems suffering total failure and costing sellers money and a home sale. As members consider the value of membership it’s important to remember that REALTOR® advocacy is most effective with an active and supportive membership base and that our relationships created with elected officials through our RPAC and advocacy programs are the most effective way to protect the interests of consumers and the real estate industry.

Our Advocacy Team will continue to keep our membership updated on this issue as it evolves.

The Pierce County and Tacoma updates reflect a commitment to structured growth, economic resilience, and environmental stewardship, providing REALTORS® and community members with essential information as they navigate these changes.

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