Cle Elum Land Water Mitigation Certificates: Costs and Timing

In Upper Kittitas County, the asking price on a vacant homesite outside town covers the land. It does not cover the legal right to pump household water from a new well. That right comes from a water bank, and the parcel's location on a county map decides which bank can sell it, roughly what it costs, and whether approval takes about two weeks or about two years. Two parcels with similar price tags can turn out to be very different purchases once water is counted.

The Water Starts as a Retired Senior Right

The Upper Kittitas Groundwater Rule, WAC 173-539A, took effect January 22, 2011. It covers new groundwater uses that rely on the permit exemption, which is the category most single-home wells fall into. Since December 2, 2015, Kittitas County has extended a similar requirement across the Yakima Basin part of the county. Every new groundwater use has to be mitigated, and every well using mitigation from a public or private bank has to be metered.

The county's water resources page explains where mitigation comes from. It is created "when older, senior water use ceases so that new uses can be established." Water for a new cabin's kitchen tap is offset by older water use that stops somewhere else in the basin.

That older use can be very old. Ecology's February 2025 water bank quantity summary lists the rights behind the New Suncadia banks. The Swauk-First Creek rights carry priority dates from 1877 to 1889. The Teanaway River rights date from 1883 to 1898. Each bank holds a limited amount of water tied to a specific basin. That is why where a parcel sits matters as much as the parcel itself.

The Map Color Decides the Timeline

Kittitas County maps water bank service areas in COMPAS, its online mapping service. The county's COMPAS water resources guide shows how to open the Water Mitigation Suitability Map for a parcel and turn on each bank's zones. The colors mean something specific, and each one points to a different path to a buildable lot.

For a buyer, the gap between two weeks and two years matters a great deal. A buyer hoping to break ground next summer on a parcel that needs Ecology review could face a wait of about two years from the date the review begins. The county says some parcels that are otherwise eligible for its bank still "require Washington State Department of Ecology review and approval," with an estimated review time of about two years. None of this shows up on a listing sheet. It shows up when someone opens the parcel in COMPAS.

What the County Bank Sells, Including One Counterintuitive Rule

For parcels that qualify, the public Kittitas County Water Bank offers fixed packages. The county's over-the-counter process sheet lists the prices from the posted fee schedule, which is Resolution 2025-047, dated March 4, 2025.

Metering adds $180 a year. The first year is charged up front, which brings the all-in totals at application to $4,075 for Package A and $4,990 for Package B.

One rule here surprises people. A parcel that already has outdoor irrigation from another source, and the county names KRD as an example, can buy only Package A, which is indoor-only. A parcel without that access can buy only Package B, which includes a small lawn or garden allowance. Eligibility is set by a signed irrigation affidavit in the mitigation application. Buyers picturing a garden around a new mountain home will want to know which side of that line the parcel falls on before they plan the landscaping.

The county's fees page still links Resolution 2025-047 as its Public Works fee schedule. No 2026 schedule turned up in our research, so it is worth confirming current figures with Public Works directly.

When the Parcel Sits Outside the County Bank's Reach

A parcel outside the county bank's green or yellow zones may still be served by a private bank. Ecology's directory of Yakima Basin water banks lists several that cover parts of Upper Kittitas County. They include New Suncadia, with separate banks for Big Creek, Swauk-First Creek, and the Teanaway River, as well as Big Creek Water Right, Swiftwater Ranch, Bourne, Trailside, and Yakima River Mitigation Water Services.

The most recent price list in that directory is dated June 29, 2022, so its numbers show the range buyers have faced rather than today's quotes. Still, the spread is wide:

• New Suncadia, Big Creek and Swauk-First Creek: $10,000 for 350 gallons per day, including 500 square feet of irrigation, plus a bank processing charge of $2,700 in the green zone or $3,700 in the yellow zone, plus other listed fees
• New Suncadia, Teanaway River: $4,400 for a 300-gallon package or $4,800 for a 350-gallon package, plus Ecology processing charges of $1,250 in the green zone or $1,800 in the yellow zone, plus other charges
• Big Creek Water Right LLC: $15,000 for indoor domestic use in the Big Creek basin
• Yakima River Mitigation Water Services: $4,400 for 350 gallons per day, plus $2,100 processing and smaller recording and escrow fees

The water itself is not interchangeable either. In Ecology's February 2025 summary, both New Suncadia Big Creek rights show essentially nothing left to allocate. The Swauk-First Creek rights show their full balances unallocated, and most of the Teanaway rights show large remaining balances. Those figures are water-right balances, not a list of packages for sale, and they predate this year by more than eighteen months. They do show that the basin a parcel drains to can matter more than the road it sits on.

The Steps After Closing, in Order

Once a buyer owns the parcel, the county's over-the-counter process runs in a set order, and some steps start deadlines.

1. Individual well site review. This is filed with Kittitas County Public Health before drilling. It checks the 50-foot setback from property lines and the 100-foot setback from the septic drainfield, and it takes about three business days.
2. Mitigation application. This goes to Public Works after the well is drilled, with the package fee and the first year of metering.
3. Recording. The certificate and any related agreements are recorded on the parcel's title record.
4. Adequate Water Supply Determination. Filed with Public Health, it checks water quantity, quality, and mitigation.
5. Building permit application. For county bank mitigation, this has to be filed within two years of the certificate's issuance.
6. Meter installation. The meter goes on the mainline ahead of any residential laterals or spigots, and it must be installed and inspected before the certificate of occupancy.

The two-year clock in step five shapes how a land purchase is planned. A certificate bought too early can run out before the house design is ready. An owner who intends to hold land for several years before building may find it useful to know when that clock starts.

A Few Direct Questions

Did the county's September 2026 code update change the packages? No. Kittitas County adopted Ordinance 2026-005 on September 17, 2026. Package A and B quantities, the cistern package, and short-plat eligibility stayed the same. The main change was that a qualifying Group B public water system application can now meet the two-year filing condition, alongside a residential building permit. The county's water bank web page still describes only two packages and a filing condition tied to building permits, so the code text is the more current reference.

Does the 2026 drought affect a new household well? Ecology declared a Yakima Basin drought emergency on April 8, 2026, and restrictions on junior surface-water rights remain in effect through 2026. The county reports 52% allocations for proratable users. It also says household-use protections for most rural homes are backed by senior water rights, which is the same mechanism behind the mitigation certificates described above.

Can a seller's existing certificate come with the land? Certificates are recorded on the parcel's title record, so a title search should show whether one is attached. The two-year building permit condition for county bank certificates runs from issuance, not from a sale. It is worth asking Public Works how that timing applies to a certificate a prior owner bought.

Does every new home near Cle Elum need this? Most new building permits with potable water need an Adequate Water Supply Determination. The county lists exceptions, including certain platted lots, water systems that haven't changed, and structures without potable plumbing. Parcels on a city or community water system follow a different path from parcels relying on a new private well.

If a homesite near Cle Elum, Roslyn, Ronald, or the Teanaway is on your list, we're glad to pull it up in COMPAS with you, look at its water bank zone, and go over what water would mean for your timeline before you write an offer. Contact The Graham Group to start with the parcel's water.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.