PRIA Logo™
WashingtonSB 56112025-2026 Regular SessionSenateWALLET

Streamlining and clarifying local governments' land use permitting workloads.

Sponsored By: Jesse Salomon (Democratic)

Became Law

Your PRIA Score

Score Hidden

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to start

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.

Cities must report permit performance

Certain counties and cities must publish a yearly permit report. The report shows application totals, average review times, days in review, consolidated reviews, and excluded days. They must post it online and send it to the state by March 1 each year. The state publishes a combined report by July 1 each year. The first local report is due March 1, 2025 and includes 2024 data.

Faster permits and fee refunds

Local governments must decide complete permits on a clock: 65 days with no public notice, 100 days with notice, and 170 days with a hearing. Beginning January 1, 2025, local rules must clearly list what each permit application needs to be complete for permits filed after that date. Agencies must offer staged fees: collect up to 80% up front and the rest after meeting the deadline. If a deadline is missed, you get 10% of the fee back for short delays and 20% back for longer delays, unless the city or county had already adopted at least three listed streamlining options. You and the city can also agree in writing to extend a deadline. If you ask to pause review for over 60 days, or do not respond for 60 days after an information request with a warning, the review time can grow by 30 days.

Easier land splits with binding plans

Cities and counties can let some land be divided with a binding site plan instead of the usual subdivision. This covers commercial or industrial land for sale or lease, land divisions for lease, and other types allowed in state law. Land zoned to allow multifamily housing counts as commercial for these rules. After a general binding site plan is approved, staff must handle improvements and final lot approvals administratively. Lots become legal lots of record once the plan and a record of survey are filed, and the number of lots cannot exceed zoning. Sales, transfers, or leases must follow the plan; deals that do not are illegal and can be stopped in court.

Equal treatment for condos and co-ops

Condo and co-op projects must be treated the same as identical projects under other ownership forms. Local rules cannot ban condo or co-op ownership or add permits based only on ownership type. Creating condos and co-ops is not governed by the subdivision chapter, and that chapter cannot be used to allow creation on land that could not be legally sold. Counties may require the assessor to review and approve recorded declarations only to assign assessed value and property taxes, and the review must be timely. Beginning January 1, 2028, when a recorded, approved binding site plan covers the land, converting part of a parcel to condos or co-ops is exempt from subdivision review if the plan includes the required binding statement. Section 2 expires January 1, 2028, and Section 3 takes effect that day.

Free Policy Watch

You just read the policy. Now see what it costs you.

Pick a topic. PRIA runs your household against live legislation and sends you a free personalized readout.

Pick a topic to get started

My TaxesMy HealthMy BudgetMy MoneyMy Freedom
Or tell us something more specific

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Jesse Salomon

    Democratic • Senate

Cosponsors

  • Noel Frame

    Democratic • Senate

  • T'wina Nobles

    Democratic • Senate

  • Yasmin Trudeau

    Democratic • Senate

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 144 • No: 0

House vote • 4/10/2025

3rd Reading & Final Passage

Yes: 96 • No: 0 • Other: 2

Senate vote • 3/12/2025

3rd Reading & Final Passage

Yes: 48 • No: 0 • Other: 1

Actions Timeline

  1. Effective date 7/27/2025*.

    5/7/2025Senate

  2. Chapter 208, 2025 Laws.

    5/7/2025Senate

  3. Governor signed.

    5/7/2025legislature

  4. Delivered to Governor.

    4/22/2025legislature

  5. Speaker signed.

    4/18/2025legislature

  6. President signed.

    4/16/2025legislature

  7. Third reading, passed; yeas, 96; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 2.

    4/10/2025Senate

  8. Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.

    4/10/2025Senate

  9. Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading.

    4/8/2025Senate

  10. Referred to Rules 2 Review.

    4/2/2025Senate

  11. LG - Majority; do pass.

    4/1/2025Senate

  12. LG - Executive action taken by committee.

    4/1/2025Senate

  13. First reading, referred to Local Government.

    3/14/2025Senate

  14. Third reading, passed; yeas, 48; nays, 0; absent, 0; excused, 1.

    3/12/2025Senate

  15. Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading.

    3/12/2025Senate

  16. Floor amendment(s) adopted.

    3/12/2025Senate

  17. 1st substitute bill substituted.

    3/12/2025Senate

  18. Placed on second reading by Rules Committee.

    3/10/2025Senate

  19. Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.

    2/21/2025Senate

  20. LGV - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass.

    2/20/2025Senate

  21. First reading, referred to Local Government.

    1/31/2025Senate

  22. Introduced

    1/31/2025Senate

Bill Text

Related Bills

Back to State Legislation

Take It Personal

Get Your Personalized Policy View

Take the PRIA Score to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.

Already have an account? Sign in