On June 23, 2008 the Board of County Commissioners adopted Ordinance No. 364 which approved amendments to Walla Walla County Code Chapters 17.16 (Permitted Uses), 17.20 (Parking Standards), and 17.22 (Wineries).  These amendments set forth a new definition for winery, established new threshold criteria for conditional use permit approval, set limits on events and eliminated redundancy in code.  This ordinance was effective on August 1, 2008. All wineries are required to comply with Chapter 17.22, as amended, unless the standards are more restrictive than a permit issued prior to August 1, 2008, in which case the previously issued permit would govern (WWCC 17.22.020).

Under the new regulations two categories of wineries are identified: Type I and Type II.  Chapter 17.16 identifies permitted uses for each zoning district in the County.  In some cases Type I wineries may be reviewed administratively, while Type II wineries may be a conditional use and require a public hearing before the County Hearing Examiner.  Please review Chapter 17.16 to find out which type(s) of wineries are permitted in each zoning district.  For more information on winery standards, please contact the Community Development Department.