Municipal Code (formerly Key Ordinances)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Last Update: 29 January 2012
Click on the topic of interest listed below to view more information on these
subjects.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The Town of Beaux Arts Village participates in A Regional Coalition for
Housing (ARCH), a partnership of the County and East King County Cities who
have joined together to assist with preserving and increasing the supply of
housing for low– and moderate-income households in the region. ARCH assists
member governments in developing housing policies, strategies, programs, and
development regulations; coordinates the cities' financial support to groups
creating affordable housing for low– and moderate-income households; and assists
people looking for affordable rental and ownership housing. ARCH's member
governments have supported a wide range of housing created and operated by local
organizations and private developers that serve individuals, families, seniors,
the homeless, and persons with special needs. Please
click here
for more information on ARCH or
click here for information about ARCH's
senior housing options.
ANIMAL CONTROL
King County provides animal-control services to the Town of Beaux Arts Village.
Dog and cats must be licensed annually, and the number of animals is limited to
two dogs and two cats per household. Our regulations require that dogs be
under voice or signal control or on a leash anytime they are off their owners'
property. King County Regional Animal Services does not patrol the Village, but they
will respond to complaints of loose, nuisance, or noisy animals. To
contact
KC
Regional Animal Services with
questions or complaints, please call 206.296.7387. WABA has additional
rules pertaining to dogs on the beach; please refer to Section 11.0 of your
green book for more information.
BALD EAGLE RULES
The Town has two confirmed bald-eagle nests located within our boundaries.
Bald-eagle habitat is protected under Washington State's Bald Eagle Protection
Rules.
If you plan any
construction or tree cutting/trimming, you may need a Bald Eagle Management
Plan.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission sets rules and policies for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), including the Bald Eagle protection rules. For more information about these rules, contacts for additional assistance, and other important information, please visit: http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/01183/wdfw01183.pdf. Before you begin any work, please review this important information.
A bald-eagle management plan is required for many construction projects and any tree-cutting within 800 feet of an eagle nest -- a distance which includes almost every lot in Beaux Arts Village. To view a map depicting the nest locations overlaid with 400- and 800-foot circles, click here.
BEACH AND
BOAT DOCKS
The Beaux Arts Beach and Boat Docks are private property owned, operated and
maintained by the Western Academy of Beaux Arts (WABA). For more
information about WABA and its property, including moorage and boat slips,
please visit their website at www.waba1908.com.
BUILDING PERMITS
Please refer to the Permit Center & Building Dept page of this
website for more information.
BURNING PERMITS
Outdoor burning of brush is no longer allowed. If you have questions,
please contact the Fire
Prevention Section of the Bellevue Fire Department at 425.452.6872.
FEES
FOR LOCAL SERVICES
The Town lists fees for the various services provided to individual residents,
e.g. building permits, variances, water billings, etc., in
Resolution
No. 277.
HAZARDOUS WASTE
DISPOSAL
King County maintains maintains several websites related to the disposal of
hazardous waste as part of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program (LHWMP):
http://www.lhwmp.org/home/default.aspx gives general information about LHWMP,
http://www.lhwmp.org/home/HHW/hhw.aspx includes information for residents on
household hazardous waste disposal and less toxic alternatives, and
http://www.lhwmp.org/home/HHW/disposal-locations.aspx
lists site locations and gives a link to information about business
hazardous waste.
HOSPITALS
The hospital closest to Beaux Arts is Overlake Hospital Medical
Center, 1035
- 116th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA.
Other hospitals located in the greater Seattle include Harborview Medical
Center, Swedish Medical Center, Virginia Mason Medical Center, University of
Washington Medical Center, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center,
Group Health Cooperative, and Evergreen Hospital (Kirkland).
KING
COUNTY INFORMATION
King County maintains a website at
www.kingcounty.gov
filled with valuable information about the county and the services it provides,
including property records, employment, and links to other helpful websites.
Information about King County's solid waste facilities (dumps), including the
location and operating hours of the transfer stations in our area, can be found
at
http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/facilities/transfer.asp and about
purchasing compost bins online at www.composters.com/kingcounty.
 | Cable TV/Internet service is provided by Comcast. Sign up for service online or by phoning 206.527.5300 or toll-free 1.877.824.2288. |
| Garbage Collection is provided by Allied Waste, 425.646.2800. During severe weather, customers may check the status of garbage collection in the area by clicking on the visiting the Allied Waste website. |
| Gas/Electric Service is provided by Puget
Sound Energy, 425.454.2000 or toll-free |
| Sewer Service is provided by City of Bellevue, 425.452.6973. |
| Telephone service is provided by Qwest, 1.800.244.1111. |
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION
King County Metro Transit
operates bus services throughout King County. Their website provides
access to bus schedules and maps and is updated to include information about
schedule and route changes caused by snow and inclement weather.
MAILBOXES AND MAILSTANDS
Each Villager owns and is responsible for his/her own mailboxes, including its
purchase and installation. The various families using a particular
mailstand are responsible for the maintenance of and repairs to that
mailstand. If a mailstand needs to be replaced, you may contact the Town Clerk
to obtain a copy of a suggested plan for building a mailstand similar to several
located throughout the Village or work with your neighbors to develop a style
that appeals to the group.
The Town of Beaux Arts Village and the Beaux Arts Water Department share a locking mailbox on the mailstand across from the water tower on SE 27th St. This mailbox is only for incoming mail intended for the Town of Beaux Arts Village or the Beaux Arts Water Department. Please do not put your outgoing mail or your mail for WABA in the Town's mailbox.
NAME SIGNS
One of the many unique characteristics of the Village is the posting of
individual/family name signs on a corner post near your home. If you
are new to the Village or need your sign replaced for any reason, please contact
the Town Clerk at 425.454.8580 or by email at townhall@beauxarts-wa.gov
with your name, address, and preferred sign location, if any. The
Town Clerk will arrange for your sign to be made and posted for you.
After your sign is posted, you will receive an invoice for the cost of the sign
(typically around $30).
PARKING
The Town's parking rules can be found in Chapter 10.10 of the
Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code.
POLICE AND FIRE
PROTECTION
DIAL 911 IF YOU HAVE A POLICE, FIRE, OR MEDICAL EMERGENCY.
| The Town contracts with the King County Sheriff's Office for police-protection services, including crime response and traffic enforcement. Please contact them by calling 911, whether you have an emergency or a routine matter. The dispatcher answering your call will ask you several questions to help them prioritize your call and ensure that if it is an emergency it is handled immediately. |
| The Town contracts with the Bellevue Fire Department for fire-protection and Medic One services. Please contact them for emergency matters at 911 or for routine matters at 425.452.6892 |
| The Town also has a Town Marshal who coordinates the Blockwatch Program and acts as a liaison between the King County Sheriff's Office. Please refer to your Green Book for more information about the Marshal's duties and the Blockwatch Program. |
| Beaux Arts Village is located in the 41st Legislative District of Washington State. Our current state representatives are: Senator Randy Gordon, Representative Marcie Maxwell, and Representative Judy Clibborn. |
| Beaux Arts is located in the 8th Congressional District of the United States. Our current US representatives are: Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Patty Murray, and Representative David Reichert. |
POST OFFICES
There are two post offices near Beaux Arts. The Bellevue
Main Post Office is located at 1171 Bellevue Way (at NE 12th
Street). The Midlakes
Post Office is located at 11405 NE 2nd Pl in Bellevue (near 116th Ave
NE and NE 4th Street).
The Town also has its own Outgoing Mail box, located next to the mailstand on SE 28th St. just west of 105th Ave SE. This greenish blue box sits on its own pole and is marked "OUTGOING MAIL ONLY".
PROPERTY TAXES
Property taxes are the Town's primary source of operating revenue, but the Town
only receives a portion of the property taxes paid by each property owner.
State statutes mandate that the Town may increase the dollar value of its
property-tax levy by no more than 1% without putting a larger increase before
the people for a vote. If you have questions about your current property
tax bill or property taxes in general, please
click here for more information.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
MAINTENANCE
Two of the most distinctive features of the Village are its narrow streets and
the abundant foliage that lines them. Most Villagers and their visitors agree there's no other place in the
Puget Sound area quite like
this. What we see and enjoy does not happen by accident, but rather is the
result of a mutual understanding among Villagers that has spanned many
years. This understanding balances the diverse views we hold about how
foliage in the Village should look with the safety needs of those who use our
streets -- drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
The urban forest growing in Beaux Arts is an important element in its character. Villagers may NOT remove any tree from public property unless the Council has granted that person permission to do so. In reviewing a request to remove a tree on public property, the Council considers the health of the tree and the potential danger it poses to persons or property. Similarly, Villagers who notice a tree on public property that appears to be dead, dying, or dangerous are asked to contact Clerk-Treasurer Sue Ann Spens at townhall@beauxarts-wa.gov and report the location and type of tree so that an arborist can assess the tree's condition and determine if it should be removed.
The Town depends on Villagers to maintain the rights of way immediately adjacent to their property by mowing, weeding, trimming, etc. as necessary to keep these areas attractive. By the same token, Villagers are encouraged to add landscaping to the rights-of-way that lie between their property and the paved roadway, also known as planting strips. However, in doing so, it is very important to observe the rules established by the Town's Right of Way Code. Please take a moment to review these rules in Chapter 12.15 of the Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code before you start planning any improvements to the public property adjacent to your own.
SCHOOLS
Beaux Arts Village is located in the Bellevue
School District. The three main public schools serving Beaux
Arts are Enatai Elementary School, Chinook Middle School, and Bellevue High
School.
STREET LIGHTS
Street lights are operated and maintained by Puget Sound Energy. If
you see a street light that is out at night, constantly on during the day,
or appears to be operating improperly, please report it to PSE by phone at
1.877.229.1235 (toll-free) or online at www.intolight.com.
Before you report the outage, you will need to make note of the pole number.
Most street light poles have a 12-digit grid number (black & yellow
numbering on metal tags) or INTOLIGHT tag (INTOLIGHT logo on metal tag).
If no pole number is visible, note the street intersection or home address that
is nearest the pole.
TOWN
SALES-TAX NUMBER
When you have goods delivered or services performed at your home, e.g.
heating-oil deliveries, construction work, home repairs, tree maintenance, etc.,
please ask the merchant to write the Beaux Arts Sales Tax Number 1703
on their copy of your invoice. When the merchant reports their sales-tax
collections to the Washington State Department of Revenue, a portion of the
sales tax you have paid to them will be returned to the Town and used for local
projects: repairing streets, maintaining Town property, covering administrative
expenses, etc.
TREES AND TREE-CUTTING
The Town of Beaux Arts Village is known for its trees! The Town's
abundance of trees lends it a tranquil forest-like feel despite being only
minutes away from two urban centers. Villagers have placed a high value on
this forest for many years and have managed it through shared community pride
and a vision for its preservation rather than through formal regulations.
Unfortunately, it seems that community pride is no longer enough to preserve this treasure.
In July 2008, the Town enacted rules to regulate the
cutting of trees and a permit process for monitoring that cutting. In
November 2008, the code was amended to clarify certain definitions.
Please review Chapter 16.25 of the
Beaux Arts Village Municipal Code for more information.
VILLAGE CLEAN-UP AND
DUMPSTERS
Each Spring and Fall, the Town Council sets a date for a Town Clean-up, and
notices announcing the dates and any special projects (e.g. Ivy Attack) are
posted on mailstands. The Town procures commercial dumpsters, which are brought into the
Village just prior to each event and removed a few days later. These dumpsters are
only for dumping yard waste cleared from Town property only and should never be
used for private yard waste.
VOTER
REGISTRATION
The King County Records,
Licensing, and Elections Division handles voter registration for the entire
County. You may review the online information or call them at
206.296.VOTE.
WESTERN ACADEMY OF BEAUX ARTS
(WABA)
WABA maintains a website filled with information about its various events.
Please visit www.waba1908.com for more
information. WABA also has its own mailbox identified with a WABA parking
sticker and the address 10010 SE 28th Street. This locked box is on the
mailstand on SE 28th Street just west of 104th Avenue SE.
WASHINGTON STATE INFORMATION
The State of Washington maintains a
website of valuable information about the state, including state government,
employment, tourism, etc. as well as links to other helpful sites.
WATER
DEPARTMENT BILLING AND QUESTIONS
Please refer to the Water Dept page of this
website for more information.
ZIP CODE
The zip code for the Town of Beaux Arts Village is 98004. If you wish
to use Beaux Arts as your mailing address (which the Town encourages), please be
sure to use this zip code or mail may not reach you. Using your ZIP+4 also
helps ensure that the Town receives sales tax proceeds for purchases that are
delivered to your home. To find you ZIP+4,
please use the following link:
http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp.