LAND USE PERMITS

It is the responsibility of the City of Yelm to provide for the health, safety and general welfare of its citizenry and the public. To help in doing this, we attempt to achieve maximum uniformity of planning, engineering, and construction practices within the City of Yelm.

We strive to:

• facilitate orderly growth and development of the City of Yelm, consistent with the policies, goals and objectives of the Yelm Comprehensive Plan;
• protect the health, safety and general welfare of the city's residents;
• promote sound economic development and protect property values;
• preserve and protect vital aspects of the natural environment;
• establish minimum standards for the control of environmental pollution;
• minimize the adverse effects of contaminants which may result from the use of land by any activity or person;
• designate land use districts and provide for compatibility between the several districts; and
• provide flexible regulations and controls for the intensity and character of land use.

We wish to prevent the overcrowding of land; lessen congestion in the streets and highways; promote the effective use of land; promote safe and convenient travel on streets and highways; provide for adequate light and air; promote the proper arrangement of streets, lots, easements, pathways and other private or public ways; provide for adequate water, drainage, sewer and other public facilities; encourage the most appropriate use of land; promote coordination of development as land develops; conserve and restore natural beauty and other natural resources; maintain and perpetuate environmental quality; provide for the expeditious review and approval of proposed subdivisions; provide for the housing and commercial needs of the citizens of the area; and require uniform monumenting of land subdivisions and conveyance by accurate legal description.

We require Land Use applications and approval or permits for any change and/or development within the City of Yelm. Applications for permits or other approvals are subject to applicable fees as set forth in the Yelm Development Fee Schedule. However, prior to submitting an application, the applicant may request a no-fee Pre-Submission Conference. This is a single collective meeting with the Community Development Director, Development Services Engineer, Building Official, and Planner to discuss review procedures and preliminary designs. The purpose of this conference is to eliminate potential problems and permit the application to be processed without delay. To enable constructive discussion, the applicant should submit a general plan or drawing describing the proposal in a summary and approximate manner. At the conference, staff will make available pertinent information. The conference should take place prior to detailed work by an engineer or surveyor. City representatives will be prepared to discuss topics such as the comprehensive plan, street layout, shoreline master plan, zoning, availability of sewer and water, development concepts, environmental impact, and relation to future development of adjacent land, if applicable to the application.