Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development
Division of Community Services A GUIDELINE TO THE RULES AND REGULATIONS
FOR BUILDING ON THE QUINAULT INDIAN RESERVATION The Quinault Indian Reservation
In the Treaty of Olympia - 1855, the tribes and bands that now comprise the Quinault Indian Nation ceded ownership about a third of the Olympic Peninsula to the United States of America. In return, the Treaty reserved, "for the use and occupation of these tribes and bands, aforesaid, a tract or tracts of land sufficient for their wants within the Territory of Washington, to be selected by the President of the United States, and hereafter surveyed or located and set apart for their exclusive use, and no white man shall be permitted to reside thereon without permission of the tribe and the superintendent of Indian Affairs or Indian agent." It is very evident that the intent of this clause in the Treaty is to provide an area to be used only by the tribes and bands of the Quinault Nation or only with their permission. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that, because of U.S. Congressional action through the General Allotment Act, that tribes cannot absolutely exclude non-Indians from their reservations based on this Treaty clause. Today, these two factors greatly influence land use controls on the Quinault Indian Reservation: 1) the Quinault Reservation was originally set aside for the exclusive use of the tribes and bands of the Quinault Nation, and 2) non-Indians can own land and live on the Quinault Reservation. Regulatory Authority
The Quinault Indian Nation is the federally recognized government of the Quinault Indian Reservation. The Quinault Indian Nation has civil regulatory authority over the lands within the boundaries of the Quinault Reservation. The Quinault Nation's land use, zoning, sanitation and building regulations apply to all Reservation landowners and are similar to the land use, zoning, sanitation and building regulations adopted by both Jefferson and Grays Harbor Counties. Although there are some differences between the Quinault Indian Nation's regulations and the Counties' regulations, those differences relate to the unique character of the Quinault Indian Reservation. The Quinault Indian Nation and its staff are committed to assisting all Reservation landowners in a prompt and courteous manner. All Reservation landowners are encouraged to contact the Quinault Indian Nation's Department of Planning, Community & Economic Development with any questions or concerns they may have. Reservation Beach Lands
The Quinault Indian Nation owns all beach lands on the Quinault Indian Reservation. The beach lands extend up to the ordinary high water mark of the Pacific Ocean. The Reservation beach lands have been closed to the general public since 1969, meaning that any person that is not enrolled in the Quinault Nation, is not allowed on the beach, without explicit permission from the Quinault Nation or being accompanied by a enrolled Quinault Nation member. Zoning
All lands on the Quinault Indian Reservation are zoned by the Quinault Nation in one of the following zones: residential, commercial, industrial, industrial buffer, forestry, forestry buffer, and wilderness. Within each zone, separate standards and regulations apply. Title 48 is the Quinault Indian Nation law governing zoning and its administration/enforcement. Please contact the department regarding specific questions about each zone.
Contact our department:
807 5th Avenue, Suite 3
PO Box 189
Taholah, WA 98587
Telephone: (360) 276-8211 / Fax: (360) 276-0076
Email: skalama@quinault.org
Department Manager: Charles Warsinske, ext. 397
Land Use Planner: Richard Carpenter, ext. 369
Office Manager, ext. 228 |
