Land for Sale in Stevens County, WA

Stevens County is in northeast Washington along the Columbia River and Lake Roosevelt, with 46,445 residents in the 2020 census (43,531 in 2010) over 2,541 square miles. Colville is the county seat. Buyers here often want to split a larger parcel or put a house on a rural lot with its own well, and Washington's state rules on both are specific. This page walks through the ones in the Revised Code of Washington, and points to what only Stevens County can tell you.

Stevens County at a glance

  • County seat: Colville. Cities: Chewelah, Colville and Kettle Falls; towns: Marcus, Northport and Springdale.
  • Census-designated places: Addy, Clayton, Loon Lake, Suncrest and Valley; unincorporated communities include Arden, Evans, Ford, Gifford, Nine Mile Falls, Rice, Tumtum and Wellpinit.
  • 2020 population 46,445; 2,541 square miles, of which 63 is water.
  • Parts of the Colville and Kaniksu national forests and of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area lie in the county, and most of the Spokane Indian Reservation is inside it.

The Stevens County land market

Stevens County land runs from small lots in and around Colville, Chewelah and Kettle Falls to forested acreage, parcels in the Loon Lake area and larger ranch and timber tracts. Because part of the county is national forest, national recreation area and reservation land, ask early how any rural parcel is reached and whether the road is public, private with a recorded easement, or crossing someone else's land.

Dividing land in Washington: short plats and the five-acre rule

Washington's subdivision law (chapter 58.17 RCW) defines a subdivision as the division of land into five or more lots for sale, lease or transfer, and a short subdivision as a division into four or fewer. Cities and towns may raise the short plat limit to nine; the statute says counties may do so only for land in an urban growth area of a county planning under the Growth Management Act. Short plats are approved by county staff under local rules, and the law requires those rules to bar further division of a short plat for five years without a final plat, with one exception for short plats of fewer than four parcels. Separately, RCW 58.17.040 says the chapter does not apply to divisions into lots that are each at least one one-hundred-twenty-eighth of a section (five acres) or larger, unless the county has adopted an ordinance requiring plat approval of such divisions. The text of that section shown on the legislature's site is the version effective until January 1, 2028, so re-check it if you are reading this later. Whether Stevens County requires approval for five-acre-plus divisions is a question for the county's planning department, and the answer decides whether a split needs a survey and an application.

Wells: the 5,000 gallon exemption and what it does not do

Under RCW 90.44.050, withdrawals of groundwater for single or group domestic use of up to 5,000 gallons a day, for stock watering, and for watering a lawn or noncommercial garden of up to half an acre are exempt from the state water-right permit requirement. That is why many rural lots rely on a permit-exempt well. Exempt from the state permit does not mean approved for building: ask Stevens County what proof of water it requires for a building permit, and ask the state Department of Ecology whether any watershed rules limit a new well on the parcel, before you buy.

Before you buy land in Stevens County

  • Whether the parcel is a legal lot of record, and whether it came from a short plat that is still within its five-year limit on further division.
  • Whether Stevens County requires plat approval for divisions into five-acre-plus lots.
  • Water: an existing well log and test, or a utility or water association, and the watershed rules for a new well.
  • Septic: soil and site evaluation through the local health district before you build.
  • Legal access, road maintenance, and any easements across neighboring land.
  • Wildfire exposure and the cost of insuring a home in forested country.
  • Property tax status, including any current-use classification that could be lost.

How to verify legal access to landLand due diligence checklist

Frequently asked questions

What is a short plat in Washington?

A short subdivision is a division of land into four or fewer lots. Under RCW 58.17.020 cities and towns can raise that to nine, and counties only inside an urban growth area under the Growth Management Act.

Can I split a five-acre parcel without a plat in Washington?

RCW 58.17.040 says the platting chapter does not apply to divisions into lots of at least one one-hundred-twenty-eighth of a section (five acres) unless the county has adopted an ordinance requiring approval of such divisions, so check with the county.

Do I need a water right for a domestic well in Washington?

Not for a single or group domestic use of up to 5,000 gallons a day under RCW 90.44.050, but ask the county what proof of water it requires for a building permit.

How many people live in Stevens County, Washington?

The 2020 census counted 46,445 residents, up from 43,531 in 2010.

Sources