Utilities Technical Review Committee
King County, Washington
The King County Utilities Technical Review Committee(UTRC) has existed since 1973 and has multiple purposes and responsibilities identified in Chapter 13 and elsewhere in the King County Code (KCC). Its principal purpose is to provide technical review of water and sewer utility comprehensive plans to assure the plans are consistent with adopted County plans, policies, and land use controls; and then recommend plan approval, or not, to the King County Executive and King County Council.
The Committee is also charged with providing the notification to tribal governments for actions that fall within the authority of the committee; reviewing requests for annexations and franchise applications; requests for utility right-of-way construction permits; reviewing and making required findings regarding site-specific development issues (e.g., proposals to extend sewer lines into rural areas); hearing appeals on water utility service proposals (i.e., "timely and reasonable" water service); and generally fulfilling the County's responsibilities under a variety of other water and sewer planning and management provisions of state law (e.g., Public Water System Coordination Act, Growth Management Act (GMA)). In short, the UTRC protects King County's interests in all aspects of utility development to ensure that county plans and policies are implemented.
King County's role in local governance and utility oversight has evolved, and will continue to evolve, for a number of reasons. For instance, the large number of incorporations and annexations within King County over the past ten years has significantly reduced the geographic area over which the County has direct land use permitting responsibility. The development and maturity of local government planning under the GMA has also reduced the magnitude of uncoordinated planning for utility service delivery.
Utilities Technical Review Committee
King County Permits
919 SW Grady Way, Suite 300
Renton, WA 98057
The eight-member committee is made up of representatives from departments across King County.