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Issue 5 | October 2025

Health code update | Monthly REPORT 

Happy October! We hope you're enjoying the fall season. In this edition of Decoding the Health Code, we're sharing updates on the latest health code revisions, what's next, and how you can get involved. Together, we’re building a clearer, more consistent health code that supports both healthy communities and a healthy environment.

What’s NEW THIS MONTH

October Board of Health Meeting

The Snohomish County Board of Health approved an updated Environmental Health fee schedule for 2025-2026 at its October meeting. These fees help cover the costs of providing permitting services for activities regulated by the Health Department. 

Fee adjustments typically align with annual staff Cost-Of-Living Adjustments (COLA). Even with these changes, fee revenue covers only about 40% of the Environmental Health Division's budget. Adjustments approved by the Board include: 

  • Most fees increasing by 5%. This reflects the 2025 and 2026 COLA. 
  • Food safety fees increasing by 10%. This includes the 5% COLA plus an additional 5% to support plan review capacity building.
  • No changes to late fees and the Health Officer’s Order fee.

For a complete list of updated fees, see the Board of Health staff report. The updated schedule takes effect November 1, 2025. 

What else is happening?

Next steps on the Property Transfer Inspection requirement

Thank you for your engagement over the past several months! We're now reviewing feedback from community members, industry professionals, and others on the proposed property transfer inspection requirement for septic systems. 

This winter, we'll begin finalizing program details and draft code language. The concept is planned to go before the Board of Health in 2026.  

Share your thoughts on connecting to public sewer! 

Washington State rules outline when new construction outside the Urban Growth Area would be required by the health department to connect to public sewer instead of installing a septic system. We're developing local code language to clarify how this requirement applies in Snohomish County. This rule concerns ONLY new construction and is intended to apply in extremely narrow situations. 

We're currently seeking feedback on the draft code language. Links to the relevant WACs and RCWs are available on our health code webpage under the "connecting to public sewer" tab. If you'd like to share comments, please email us.

STAY IN TOUCH 

We're continuing to develop septic code updates and will share more about new concepts  for review in next month's newsletter.

Thank you for staying engaged in this code modernization effort! As always, feel free to reach out with questions, ideas, or to share this newsletter with others who may be interested.

  • Email us at SCBHC@snoco.org
  • Visit us at snohd.org/1844/Health-Code-Update
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Snohomish County Health Department
3020 Rucker Ave., Everett, Washington
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