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Sustainable building

Resources for developers, builders, architects, and homeowners interested to build toward a sustainable King County.

GreenTools for green building

Help for professional builders to reduce waste, save money, and recycle. Earn recognition for adopting green building practices.

Energize! Heat Pump Program

Free and reduced cost heat pumps for residents in urban unincorporated King County areas of North Highline (White Center) and Skyway/West Hill.

Septic System Maintenance and Side Sewer Repair Rebate Program

Rebates for work to improve septic systems and side sewers for qualifying locations and/or incomes.

King County C-PACER Program

Property assessed financing mechanism to help commercial, industrial, agricultural and multifamily buildings become more efficient and resilient.

Transfer of development rights program

Buy and sell the rights to build homes in certain places to provide important public benefits like farms, forests, open spaces, trails, and lands for wildlife. By transferring the rights to build in one place to another, landowners can make money, and the public can keep these special areas protected forever.

Current use taxation programs

Apply for reduced taxes on your rural property in exchange for conserving natural resources.

Rural stewardship planning 

Free technical help for rural residents to design sites for development while protecting valuable natural resources.

Surface water management fee discounts and cost-sharing program

Reduce your SWM fee by applying sustainable building practices that reduce and cleanse your stormwater.

King County surface water design manual

Help for engineers to design storm drainage systems that cleanse stormwater and reduce flooding problems for downstream neighbors.

Construction Stormwater Pollution Prevention Standards

How to keep your construction site clean in northwest rains.

Stormwater pollution prevention

Look up best practices to apply on business and multifamily lands to help control stormwater pollution to avoid fouling lakes, streams and Puget Sound.

Puget Sound shoreline stewardship guidebook

Informs residents of beach and bluff shorelines about natural shoreline protection, managing runoff, using native plants, controlling aggressive invasive plants and keeping septic systems working.

Flood Elevation Program

Provides help to raise homes above flood level to reduce risk of damage from flooding.

Wetland information

Learn about the importance of wetlands, find maps, development regulations and supportive programs.

Pacific Northwest native plants

Identify native plants, find out how to grow them and where to order native plants that are adapted to thrive in our area.

Featured news

Oct. 25, 2024
External report, KING5 News
Sound Transit approves route for West Seattle light rail extension

Oct. 25, 2024
External article, Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber
Approaches to keeping Vashon housing affordable

Oct. 23, 2024
External article, Puget Sound Business Journal
Seattle area's office vacancy rate hits record high

Oct. 22, 2024
External article, Seattle Magazine
Report: Seattle’s Vacant Offices Could Become Shared Living Spaces

Apr. 23, 2024
King County highlights growing zero-emission fleet, announces $6 million EV charging grant 

Apr. 15, 2024
External article, Seattle Times
Eastside carbon emissions still below pre-pandemic levels, studies find 

Jan. 17, 2024
External article, Seattle Times
Northwest innovators chase the dream of greener concrete

Strategic Climate Action Plan

Plan to increase resilience to climate damage and reduce climate pollution in King County. Updated every five years.

Shoreline Management Program

Learn about King County's program to protect shorelines, promote public access, and plan for land use along the shorelines of Puget Sound, large rivers and lakes.

Resource recovery

Local efforts to establish a sustainable, circular economy by turning waste into resources.

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