No new jails or immigration detention centers can be built in unincorporated Thurston County for at least a year.

The Board of County Commissioners adopted Ordinance 16635 on June 16, halting all permits for the siting, expansion, or establishment of public and private involuntary detention and correctional facilities across every zoning designation in unincorporated county land. The moratorium took effect immediately.

The action was triggered in part by a December 2025 U.S. Department of Homeland Security pre-solicitation notice seeking a private provider to establish an ICE detention and transportation facility in the region. The Board began evaluating local controls in March 2026.

"This moratorium is a practical and necessary step that gives us time to carefully examine Thurston County's land-use policies around federal detention actions," Board Chair Tye Menser said in a county press release. "As a community, we have a responsibility to ensure our policies reflect our values."

County staff identified gaps in four sections of Thurston County Code: Title 20 lacks a definition for correctional or detention facilities, Title 21 doesn't address them in rural zoning districts, and Titles 22 and 23 lack facility-specific criteria for operational and public safety impacts. The ordinance also notes that detention facilities are frequently tax-exempt, reducing local tax revenue while imposing infrastructure demands on water, sewer, transportation, and emergency services.

The freeze excludes hospitals, behavioral health facilities, residential care facilities, and crisis recovery centers. A special provision allows an existing permit application for the expansion of Maple Lane, a state Department of Social and Health Services secure treatment facility in Rochester, to continue processing.

The county press release says the moratorium aligns Thurston County with similar actions recently taken by King and Pierce counties.

A required public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5. Time and location have not yet been posted. County planning staff and the Planning Commission will spend the next year reviewing codes, developing regulatory options, conducting public outreach, and drafting permanent amendments to Titles 20 through 23. The moratorium expires in June 2027 unless extended or replaced by new permanent regulations.

Residents can track the process at the Thurston County Amendments webpage (thurstoncountywa.gov) under "New Uses and Related Standards."