2026 Rulemaking Activity
The Washington State Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office (ELUHO) is updating the rules of practice and procedure of the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB), Shorelines Hearings Board (SHB), and Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB).
ELUHO invites you to participate in the rulemaking process. Please revisit this page for any updates.
Estimated Rulemaking Timeline (PCHB, SHB, GMHB)
This is the estimated timeline for rulemaking, including informal and formal public comment periods. This estimated timeline is subject to change.
Prenotice Inquiries Filed: March 13, 2026
Preproposal Statements of Inquiry (CR-101) were filed with the Office of the Code Reviser on March 13, 2026:
Proposed Rule Changes: September 4, 2026
Drafts of the proposed rules were posted on ELUHO’s Rulemaking Activity page on September 4, 2026. ELUHO is conducting stakeholder outreach, seeking informal comments, and preparing proposed rule language.
Informal public comments on draft rules can be sent to jamie.merly@eluho.wa.gov from September 4, 2026 - October 31, 2026.
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: November 3, 2026
ELUHO filed proposed rules (CR-102) with the Office of the Code Reviser and posted rule proposals on ELUHO’s Rulemaking Activity page on November 3, 2026. The formal public comment period will run from November 4, 2026 through December 31, 2026.
Formal public comments on draft rules can be sent to jamie.merly@eluho.wa.gov from November 4, 2026 - December 31, 2026. Please include “Formal Comment – [PCHB/SHB/GMHB] Rulemaking” in the subject line.
Public Hearing: December 9, 2026 at 10:00 am
ELUHO will host a public hearing on the proposed rules to receive oral comments on December 9, 2026, at 10:00 am. Zoom links to the hearing can be found within the Notice(s) of Proposed Rulemaking above (CR-102).
End Public Comment: December 31, 2026
The public comment period will conclude. ELUHO will review comments and prepare the rule change package for adoption.
Rulemaking Order - January – February 2027
ELUHO will file rulemaking orders (CR-103P) with the Office of the Code Reviser.
Rule Effective Date
Adopted rules become effective 31 days after filing Rulemaking Order (CR-103P).
See Our Rules
Follow these links to the Pollution Control Hearings Board, Shorelines Hearings Board, Growth Management Hearings Board, and Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office rules.
Chapter 371-08 WAC – Pollution Control Hearings Board Practice and Procedure
Chapter 461-08 WAC – Shorelines Hearings Board Practice and Procedure
Chapter 242-03 WAC – Growth Management Hearings Board Rules of Practice and Procedure
Chapter 198-14 WAC – Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office Public Records
Stay Informed
To be added to our rulemaking distribution list, please send an email to jamie.merly@eluho.wa.gov with “Rulemaking Email List” as the subject line.
Contact Information
Jamie Merly
ELUHO Rules Coordinator
jamie.merly@eluho.wa.gov
(360) 485-1282