Laws, rules, & rulemaking

We have authority delegated through federal and state law to implement and enforce various environmental laws and rules. We accomplish this through our open and public rulemaking process, and by ensuring compliance with those laws and rules.


Rulemaking at Ecology

We a­re committed to transparency and public involvement throughout the rulemaking process.

Use the tabs below to see the different types of laws, rules, and rulemaking.

Read our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about Ecology's rulemaking process.

We invite you to participate in our rulemaking process. Rule chapters listed below indicate our intentions for rulemaking on that chapter. These links will take you to the rulemaking web page which contains information including documents, timelines, and contact information.

You will see rules in various stages of the rulemaking process.

  • Rulemaking that has been officially filed with the Washington State Legislature's Code Reviser's Office (filed a CR-101 form), known as "open rulemaking."
  • Ecology programs that are undergoing an exploratory process for rulemaking, known as "exploratory rulemaking."

See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about the rulemaking process.

Open rulemaking

Air & Climate

Water & Shorelines

Waste & Toxics

Spills & Cleanup

Administrative

Grants & Loans

  • None at this time.

Exploratory rulemaking

The list of closed rulemaking below are organized by topic. These links will take you to rule-specific information including documents, timelines, and contact information. Closed rulemaking web pages are typically kept for reference for two years after the adoption date.

Air & Climate

​Water & Shorelines

​Waste & Toxics

Spills & Cleanup

Grants & Loans

  • None

Administrative​

State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)

The list of rules below are categorized by topical areas. These links will take you to the existing rule language on the Washington State Legislature's Code Reviser's web page.

Air & Climate

Water & Shorelines

Waste & Toxics

Spills & Cleanup

Grants & Loans

Administrative

Noise

State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)

​The Office of the Code Reviser publishes and maintains the list of Washington's laws — the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). To see a complete list of laws, please visit their website.
  • If you want to search all laws (RCWs) and rules, known formally as the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), you can use the search tool on their site.