Many of you have followed the articles I’ve written for this paper and know that I also write for the comedy group Church of Great Rain. In addition, I have written two books about Vashon, both in a humorous vein, the first of which was published last year.  

As a doctor (a Ph.D. in geology), I can confirm there is nothing better than a big smile to relieve stress and promote proper digestion. When your job gets you down, putting a whoopee cushion on your boss’s chair is your fastest route to stress relief. But if you work for someone who won’t allow you to expense whoopee cushions (in my case, King County), then you have to try something else to keep smiling, and I recommend creative problem solving.

For the last 13 years I have been helping people find creative solutions to their building permit and land use problems. It’s both easy and rewarding to dissect a problem and find solutions; it’s the larger issue of how we create our own development conflicts that is more difficult to address.  

It is sad but true that here on Vashon, and in much of rural King County, there is a subculture of avoidance when it comes to land use and building codes. Some property owners and contractors avoid permits because of the cost or the inconvenience of not being allowed to do what they planned. Others avoid permits because they feel that they are exempt from rules imposed from across the water.  

It wasn’t long ago that a former editor for The Beachcomber editorialized that this was OK, stating that we have a “live and let live” attitude that is part of Vashon life. I think that approach is fine, provided you also don’t mind if your neighbor’s 15-year-old tools around in a smoky Delta ’88 with no driver’s license and provided you don’t mind that his dog never got a rabies shot. The teenager probably knows how to drive, and the dog probably won’t bite you. What can be wrong with that?

The purpose of building permits is to ensure public health, safety and environmental protection. For example, a significant problem is substandard sewage systems that feed waste into Puget Sound. I’ve been told that there may be hundreds of residences on the shoreline that have been built or remodeled without county review or that were built years ago and don’t meet current codes. Some pipe their “effluents” directly to the beach. County agencies would love to work with cooperative owners to clean up the shoreline, and the county’s Department of Development and Environmental Services and the Health Department have had enough experience in that environment that they usually can find ways to legalize development. 

There also is a big difference between cases where there is a grandfathered structure (a pre-existing structure that is classified “existing non-conforming”) and where development is proposed on a vacant lot. Grandfathered structures come with grandfathered rights.

The most common reason that people don’t receive a building permit is that they just refuse to apply. It’s the same principle that governs winning the lottery: zzzyou have to buy a ticket. Until folks apply, they may not know if their residence is safe to occupy or if their water is safe to drink.  

For instance, it has been my experience that a high percentage of structures that have burned over the past few years have been within 200 feet of the beach. This suggests a correlation between unpermitted construction and defects leading to fires. That’s why the building code addresses chimneys and why the fire marshall reviews permit applications.  

So if you own a house on which there has been unpermitted construction, even if the entire house was built without permits, I urge you to ask for assistance. It’s now easier than ever to get a permit, and if you get the county to approve (or at least accept) your development, you’ll benefit in the long run. You won’t have to bend the truth if you sell your house. If you leave it to your kids, they won’t inherit a headache.

For me, it’s all about our kids. We should be leaving them a cleaner and safer world, so step up and apply for a building permit if you need one. While you’re at it, buy the kids a lottery ticket. You could wind up giving them a second reason to smile.

— Greg Wessel works for the county’s Department of Development and Environmental Services.