Washington State requires every county and city to conduct a periodic update every 8 years to their comprehensive plans under the Growth Management Act (GMA). Multiple organizations have collaborated to create a Sound Choice Checklist for Comprehensive Plans that provides a critical and detailed guide for the update process, particularly in regard to Puget Sound recovery.

Required update elements include Land Use, Housing, Transportation, Utilities, Rural , Shoreline, Parks and Recreation, and Climate Change. Additional topics include Stormwater, Open Space, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Areas, Natural or Environment, and Surface Water Management.

Whether involved in updating a comprehensive plan, or a concerned citizen, this checklist if a helpful overview of what is required for the required updates.