Chelan County Emergency Management

06/01/2026

It's that time of the year again. Memorize the evacuation levels, their colors and their meanings BEFORE an emergency hits your neighborhood.

06/01/2026

It's fire season -- turn on your location on your cell phone in case we need to send you an emergency alert. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1078535613607265

06/01/2026

It's June 1! That means the burning of yard waste -- tree limbs, brush, leaves, etc. -- is now banned until Oct. 1 in unincorporated Chelan County.

Debris Burning is CLOSED as of today, June 1st.

Recreational Campfires in an approved ring remain open.

More information is available here: https://www.chelanfd3.org/fire-danger/

The current fire danger is: HIGH

05/29/2026

As an update to the Memorial Day weekend malware event: Chelan County’s departments and offices will continue to work with some limitations next week as its IT department and forensic specialists work to securely restore affected systems.

We do not yet have a timeline on when systems will be back up and our investigation to determine the nature and scope of the event remains ongoing.

“Offices and departments got creative this week, putting together workarounds so they can be open and serve the public,” said Commissioner Shon Smith, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. “We are making progress, but our phones, email and other systems will be down next week. We are asking the public to be patient with us at this time and, if you need a county department, visit the office in person so we can assist you.”

If you have business with a Chelan County office, please remember to bring cash or a check for payments. Offices are open; only the Sheriff’s Office counter is closed to the public.

Keep up on specific updates from individual departments on the Chelan County Government page, where updates are posted daily.

05/29/2026

We've made some changes with our partners at RiverCom 911 and updated the Chelan County Emergency Incidents Map. That means we have a new link for the map: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/634880e739884cf2a4d39771e86d5ac9

No evacuations in place -- just wanted you all to have it as wildfire season gets moving. We like to be prepared at Chelan County Emergency Management!

05/28/2026

We may have thunderstorms rolling in tonight!

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Idaho, Montana and Washington until 12 AM PDT. Prepare for the potential of severe weather into tonight!

05/28/2026

Community Development is operating. Please read the details below if you are headed in to talk with our planning and building department.

We are taking both building and land use permits. Please pay with cash or check only (exact amounts). Bring 2 copies of construction plans -- on paper and to scale. Your full submittal packet MUST be a paper copy and delivered or mailed to our front counter, 301 Washington St., suite 301, Wenatchee, WA, 98801.

Inspection requests need to be requested in person.

Paper applications are available in our front office.

New applications for June 1-July 31 short-term rentals can be applied for through RentalScape or printed and submitted to our front counter.

County code is available online via Code Publishing’s website: www.codepublishing.com/WA/ChelanCounty/

Any and all questions need to be in-person as phones and our computer network are down.

The Chelan County Planning Commission will hold special meetings in June to review the proposed updates to the Chelan County Comprehensive Plan. More details to come.

05/28/2026

If you have jury duty with Chelan County, please make sure you are checking these updates while our phone, email and computer systems are down.

For Jury Groups 1-8 scheduled to call in Friday, May 29, after 5 p.m. and any other jurors scheduled to call for the days June 2-4, you are excused and done for the term.

Jury Groups 9-11 that are scheduled to call in on June 5 after 5 p.m., please check back on this page unless the county system, including computers and phones are back up and running by then.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

--Chelan County Jury Administrator

05/28/2026

The burning of yard waste -- tree limbs, leaves, shrubs, and more -- is banned in unincorporated Chelan County's lower elevations beginning June 1 (that's Monday!).

The lower elevations are designated as the Valley Zone and you will see these signs throughout the Valley Zone. The burn ban takes effect in the Mountain Zones -- those signs are up too -- on July 1.

Want our advice? The U.S. Forest Service predicts it will be an "above average" year for wildfires. Don't burn yard waste. Take it to the Dryden Transfer Station, the Chelan Transfer Station or, if you live in the Apple Maggot Quarantine Zone, to Winton Mfg.

A ban on the outdoor burning of yard waste starts June 1 in the unincorporated, lower elevation areas of Chelan County. (Called the Valley Zone.) If you see one of these signs with the June 1 date, that's the area impacted.

Remember, fireworks are banned!

05/27/2026

An update: If you plan on appearing in Chelan County Superior Court by Zoom, please confirm by emailing [email protected] to make sure you have the correct Zoom information.

Chelan County Superior is operating but on a more limited basis. Assume your case is going to be heard as scheduled unless you hear otherwise from court staff.

Our filing system, emails and phones are down for now. If you need to reach the court for any reason, please do not message any of the judges directly, but you can email [email protected].

If you plan on appearing by Zoom, please confirm via the email listed above to make sure you have the correct Zoom information.