Fifty foot limit scratched: County removes bin height limits

Grain bins can now be built as tall as possible in Whitman County, though many already are.

County commissioners Monday approved changes to the county’s ag zone ordinance that removed a statutory 50-foot height restriction on grain bins.

Commissioners and planning staff noted many elevators have already been built taller than that restriction.

“We have lots of people that are out of compliance already,” said Commissioner Greg Partch, who asked rhetorically why the restriction had not been removed decades ago.

Had the restriction not been in place, the county could have forced owners to tear do...