“Habitat assessment” (for the purpose of Chapter 17.120 SMC, Critical Areas – Frequently Flooded Areas – Specific Standards) means a written document that describes a project, identifies and analyzes the project’s impacts to habitat for species discussed in the “Endangered Species Act – Section 7 Consultation Final Biological Opinion and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Essential Fish Habitat Consultation for the Implementation of the National Flood Insurance Program in the State of Washington, Phase One Document – Puget Sound Region,” and provides an effects determination.

“Halfway house” means a licensed home for inmates on release from more restrictive custodial confinement or initially placed in lieu of such more restrictive confinement wherein supervision, rehabilitation, and counseling are provided to mainstream a person back into society.

Handicraft and Artisan Studios. See “Artisan/handicraft studio.”

“Hardship” means special conditions or circumstances existing that are peculiar to the location, size, and characteristics of the land, structure, or building involved and which are not applicable to the same degree to the lands, structure, or buildings in the same zoning district; or special conditions or circumstances that did not result from the action of the applicant; or from a literal interpretation of this code would deprive the applicant of rights commonly enjoyed by other properties in the same zoning district.

“Hazardous substances” means any substances or materials that, by any reason of their toxic, caustic, corrosive, abrasive, or otherwise injurious properties, may be detrimental or deleterious to the health of any person handling or otherwise coming into contact with such material or substance.

“Health care facility” means an establishment primarily engaged in furnishing medical, surgical or other services to individuals, including clinics; medical and dental laboratories; outpatient care facilities; blood banks; and oxygen and miscellaneous types of medical supplies and services. This definition includes inpatient facilities.

“Health club” means gymnasiums (except those associated with educational institutions), private clubs (athletic, health, or recreational), reducing salons, and weight control establishments.

“Hearing examiner” means an officer of the city of Stanwood appointed for the purposes of holding quasi-judicial hearings and rendering decisions on land use applications.

Height, Building. See “Building height.”

“Height in Shoreline Management Act jurisdiction” (SMP) is measured from average grade level to the highest of a structure; provided, that television antennas, chimneys, and similar appurtenances shall not be used in calculating height, except where such appurtenances obstruct the view of the shoreline of a substantial number of residences on areas adjoining such shorelines, or the applicable master program specifically requires that such appurtenances be included; provided further, that temporary construction equipment is excluded in this calculation.

“High school” means any school, public or private, intended for the education of children from the ninth through the twelfth grade.

“Highest adjacent grade” means the highest natural elevation of the ground surface, prior to construction, adjacent to the proposed walls of a structure.

“Highway” means a major roadway or thoroughfare, primarily designed for through traffic.

“Historic property” means a building, structure, object, area, or site that is significant in the history, architecture, archaeology, or culture of Stanwood, the state, or the nation.

“Historic structure” means any structure that is:

“Home building supplies” means an establishment which sells hardware, building materials and lumber. The lumber may be in the main building or in a yard or storage shed.

“Home occupation” means an economic enterprise carried on within a dwelling unit or accessory building which is customarily incidental and secondary to the residential use of the unit as outlined in the residential performance standards of this code. (Bed and breakfast facilities shall not be deemed to be home occupations.)

“Homeless housing” means housing types that are usually geared specifically towards homeless populations including:

“Homeowners’ association” means a private, nonprofit corporation of homeowners of a fixed area constituted for the purpose of owning, operating, and maintaining various common properties.

“Horticulture” means the science and art of cultivating flowers, fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants.

“Hospital” means a facility providing primary health services and medical or surgical care to persons, primarily inpatients suffering from illness, disease, injury, deformity, other abnormal physical or mental conditions, chemical or substance dependency or abuse, and including as an integral part of the institution related facilities such as laboratories, outpatient facilities, and training facilities.

“Hotels and guest houses” means any building containing more than six guest rooms used, or intended to be used, rented, or hired out to be occupied or that are occupied for sleeping purposes by guests, whether rent is paid in money, goods, labor, or otherwise. It does not include buildings in which sleeping accommodations are provided for persons who are harbored or detained to receive medical, charitable, or other care or treatment, or provided for persons who are involuntarily detained under legal restraint.

“House of worship/church” means a building or structure wherein persons regularly assemble for religious worship, which is specifically designed and used primarily for such purpose, and which is maintained and controlled by a religious body organized to sustain public worship.

“Household appliance” means a major appliance, or domestic appliance, and is usually defined as a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting.

“Hydric soil” means soil that is saturated, flooded or ponded long enough to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part. The presence of hydric soil shall be determined by following the procedure described in the Washington State Wetland Identification and Delineation Manual, or subsequent amendments.

“Hydrogeologic site evaluation” means an analysis of a site’s groundwater, aquifers, and geology performed by a licensed hydrogeologist.

“Hydrologically isolated” means those wetlands that are outside of and not contiguous to any 100-year floodplain of a lake, river, or stream, and have no contiguous hydric soil or hydrophytic vegetation between the wetland and any surface water.

“Hydrology” means the study of water, including surface water, rain water and groundwater – its origin, occurrence, movement, and quality.

“Hydroperiod” means the seasonal occurrence of flooding and/or soil saturation; it encompasses depth, frequency, duration, and seasonal pattern of inundation.

“Hydrophytic vegetation” means macrophytic plant life growing in water or on a substrate that is at least periodically deficient in oxygen as a result of excessive water content. The presence of hydrophytic vegetation shall be determined following the methods described in the Washington State Wetland Identification and Delineation Manual.

“Hyporheic zone” means the saturated zone located beneath and adjacent to streams that contains some portion of surface waters, serves as a filter for nutrients, and maintains water quality. (Ord. 1499 § 1 (Exh. A), 2021; Ord. 1486 § 1 (Exh. A), 2020; Ord. 1373 § 10, 2014; Ord. 1294 §§ 5, 6, 2011; Ord. 1164 § 4, 2004; Ord. 1110 § 3, 2002; Ord. 1084 § 3, 2000; Ord. 929 Ch. 5, 1995).