A King County hearing examiner has decided to partially grant and partially deny Paul and Susan Gorman’s appeal regarding a watercraft they built in 2002.

The couple, who live on Ames Lake in unincorporated King County near Redmond, have been in an ongoing dispute with the county for more than a dozen years.

As previously reported, the Gormans’ appeal addressed four issues: whether the county has jurisdiction to regulate an object that has been documented as a vessel by the state; how the object is being used; whether the county has the authority to require permit applications and approvals for replacing the use of an object; and whether the object in question complies with the county’s current code requirements.

According to the examiner’s report, by Aug. 15, the Gormans are now required to either “apply for the necessary permits and approvals for the float and for the ramp/walkway if the ramp/walkway is attached to the shoreline and thereafter diligently pursue obtaining the necessary permits and approvals;” or “remove the float and ramp/walkway from Ames Lake.”

In a statement to the Reporter, the Gormans said, “We are stunned and disappointed by the hearing examiner’s decision. We presented photos, a video of us cruising Ames Lake in our boat, and 10 sworn affidavits from neighbors, friends, and family members who have accompanied us as we cruised Ames Lake on our boat. The county provided hearsay from only one neighbor who later declined to give a sworn statement, and the testimony of two county officials who have been to our property only three or four times over 13 years.”

The Gormans said they either have to remove their boat from the lake or permit it as a float, the latter of which would require them to remove it anyway. They would then have to “pay $6,000 for a permit, and rebuild it so it conforms to King County’s recently adopted float permit standards.”

“We have always wanted a boat that we can cruise around in and swim off of. Ames Lake is perfect for that,” the couple said. “King County is denying us the right to enjoy the lake in the same manner as other boat owners use the lake. We are torn between complying with the hearing examiner’s decision and removing our boat from Ames Lake, or going to court to save our boat on behalf of all boat owners in King County.”