Title 54 — Title 54 PUBLIC UTILITY DISTRICTS
13 chapters · 167 sections in this title.
RCW 54.16.005 Definitions.
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The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Broadband infrastructure" means networks of deployed telecommunications equipment and technologies necessary to provide high-speed internet access and other advanced t…
RCW 54.16.010 Surveys, plans, investigations, or studies.
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A district may make surveys, plans, investigations or studies for generating electric energy by water power, steam, or other methods, and for systems and facilities for the generation, transmission or distribution thereof, and for domestic and industrial water supply and irrigati…
RCW 54.16.020 Acquisition of property and rights—Eminent domain.
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A district may construct, condemn and purchase, purchase, acquire, lease, add to, maintain, operate, develop, and regulate all lands, property, property rights, water, water rights, dams, ditches, flumes, aqueducts, pipes and pipe lines, water power, leases, easements, rights-of-…
RCW 54.16.030 Water and irrigation works.
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A district may construct, purchase, condemn and purchase, acquire, add to, maintain, conduct, and operate waterworks and irrigation plants and systems, within or without its limits, for the purpose of furnishing the district, and the inhabitants thereof, and of the county in whic…
RCW 54.16.032 Authority to assist customers in the acquisition of water conservation equipment—Limitations.
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Any district is hereby authorized, within limits established by the Constitution of the state of Washington, to assist the owners of structures in financing the acquisition and installation of fixtures, systems, and equipment, for compensation or otherwise, for the conservation o…
RCW 54.16.035 Provision of water service beyond district subject to review by boundary review board.
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The provision of water service beyond the boundaries of a public utility district may be subject to potential review by a boundary review board under chapter 36.93 RCW.[ 1989 c 84 s 48.]
RCW 54.16.040 Electric energy.
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A district may purchase, within or without its limits, electric current for sale and distribution within or without its limits, and construct, condemn and purchase, purchase, acquire, add to, maintain, conduct, and operate works, plants, transmission and distribution lines and fa…
RCW 54.16.050 Water rights.
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A district may take, condemn and purchase, purchase and acquire any public and private property, franchises and property rights, including state, county, and school lands, and property and littoral and water rights, for any of the purposes aforesaid, and for railroads, tunnels, p…
RCW 54.16.060 Intertie lines.
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A district may build and maintain intertie lines connecting its power plant and distribution system with the power plant and distribution system owned by any other public utility district, or municipal corporation, or connect with the power plants and distribution systems owned b…
RCW 54.16.070 District may borrow money, contract indebtedness, issue bonds or obligations—Guaranty fund.
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(1) A district may contract indebtedness or borrow money for any corporate purpose on its credit or on the revenues of its public utilities, and to evidence such indebtedness may issue general obligation bonds or revenue obligations; may issue and sell local utility district bond…
RCW 54.16.080 Levy and collection of taxes—Tax anticipation warrants.
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A district may raise revenue by the levy of an annual tax on all taxable property within the district, not exceeding forty-five cents per thousand dollars of assessed value in any one year, exclusive of interest and redemption for general obligation bonds. The commission shall pr…
RCW 54.16.083 Community revitalization financing—Public improvements.
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In addition to other authority that a public utility district possesses, a public utility district may provide any public improvement as defined under RCW 39.89.020, but this additional authority is limited to participating in the financing of the public improvements as provided …
RCW 54.16.085 Interfund loans.
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A public utility district may make and repay interfund loans between its funds.[ 1987 c 18 s 2.]
RCW 54.16.090 Contracts with other agencies or utilities—Gifts, etc.—Employees and experts—Advancements.
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A district may enter into any contract or agreement with the United States, or any state, municipality, or other utility district, or any department of those entities, or with any cooperative, mutual, consumer-owned utility, or with any investor-owned utility or with an associati…
RCW 54.16.092 Employment interview expenses.
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When a district commission finds that a vacancy for a technical or managerial position requires special qualifications or entails responsibilities and duties of such a nature that substantial benefits will accrue to the district from personal interviews of candidates for such a v…
RCW 54.16.095 Liability insurance for officials and employees.
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The board of commissioners of each public utility district may purchase liability insurance with such limits as they may deem reasonable for the purpose of protecting their officials and employees against liability for personal or bodily injuries and property damage arising from …
RCW 54.16.097 Actions against officer, employee, or agent—Defense and costs provided by public utility district—Exception.
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Whenever any action, claim, or proceeding is instituted against any person who is or was an officer, employee, or agent of a public utility district established under this title arising out of the performance or failure of performance of duties for, or employment with any such di…
RCW 54.16.100 Manager—Appointment—Compensation—Duties.
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The commission, by resolution introduced at a regular meeting and adopted at a subsequent regular meeting, shall appoint and may remove at will a district manager, and shall, by resolution, fix his or her compensation.The manager shall be the chief administrative officer of the d…
RCW 54.16.110 May sue and be sued—Claims.
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A district may sue in any court of competent jurisdiction, and may be sued in the county in which its principal office is located or in which it owns or operates facilities. No suit for damages shall be maintained against a district except on a claim filed with the district compl…
RCW 54.16.120 Local utility districts authorized.
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A district may, by resolution, establish and define the boundaries of local assessment districts to be known as local utility district No. . . . ., for distribution, under the general supervision and control of the commission, of water for all purposes, public and private, includ…
RCW 54.16.130 Local districts—Procedure—Financing.
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The commission shall by resolution establish the method of procedure in all matters relating to local utility districts. A public utility district may determine by resolution what work shall be done or improvements made at the expense, in whole or in part, of the property special…
RCW 54.16.140 Petition or resolution for local district—Hearing—Notice.
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Any such improvement shall be ordered by resolution of the commission either upon petition or resolution therefor. When a petition, signed by ten percent of the owners of land in the district to be therein described, is filed with the commission, asking that the plan or improveme…
RCW 54.16.142 Local utility districts—Notice must contain statement that assessments may vary from estimates.
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Any notice given to the public or to the owners of specific lots, tracts, or parcels of land relating to the formation of a local utility district shall contain a statement that actual assessments may vary from assessment estimates so long as they do not exceed a figure equal to …
RCW 54.16.145 Local utility districts—Sanitary sewer or potable water facilities—Notice to certain property owners.
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Whenever it is proposed that a local utility district finance sanitary sewers or potable water facilities, additional notice of the public hearing on the proposed local utility district shall be mailed to the owners of any property located outside of the proposed local utility di…
RCW 54.16.150 Procedure when petition is signed by majority of landowners.
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When a petition signed by a majority of the landowners in a proposed local improvement district is filed with the commission, asking that the improvement therein described be ordered, the commission shall forthwith fix a date for hearing thereon after which it shall, by resolutio…
RCW 54.16.160 Assessment roll—Hearing—Appellate review—Expenses.
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Before approval of the roll, a notice shall be published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, stating that the roll is on file and open to inspection in the office of the secretary, and fixing a time not less than fifteen no…
RCW 54.16.165 Segregation of assessments.
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Whenever any land against which there has been levied any special assessment by any public utility district shall have been sold in part or subdivided, the board of commissioners of such public utility district shall have the power to order a segregation of the assessment.Any per…
RCW 54.16.170 Apportionment of cost of improvement.
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When an improvement is ordered hereunder, payment for which shall be made in part from assessments against property specially benefited, not more than fifty percent of the cost thereof shall ever be borne by the entire public utility district, nor shall any sum be contributed by …
RCW 54.16.180 Sale, lease, disposition of properties, equipment, and materials—Procedure—Acquisition, operation of sewage system by districts in certain counties.
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(1) A district may sell and convey, lease, or otherwise dispose of all or any part of its works, plants, systems, utilities and properties, after proceedings and approval by the voters of the district, as provided for the lease or disposition of like properties and facilities own…
RCW 54.16.190 General resolutions.
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The commission of a district may adopt general resolutions to carry out the purposes, objects, and provisions of this title.[ 1955 c 390 s 20. Prior: 1945 c 143 s 1(n); 1931 c 1 s 6(n); Rem. Supp. 1945 s 11610(n).]
RCW 54.16.200 Joint exercise of powers and joint acquisition of properties.
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Any two or more public utility districts organized under the provisions of the laws of this state shall have the power, by mutual agreement, to exercise jointly all powers granted to each individual district, and in the exercise of such powers shall have the right and power to ac…
RCW 54.16.220 Columbia river hydroelectric projects—Grant back of easements to former owners.
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Notwithstanding any other provision of law, every public utility district acquiring privately owned lands, real estate or property for reservoir purposes of a hydroelectric power project dam on the Columbia river, upon acquisition of title to said lands, whether acquired by purch…
RCW 54.16.230 Sewage system works—Acquire, construct, operate, etc.—Authorizing election—Procedure.
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A public utility district may acquire, construct, operate, maintain, and add to sewage systems, subject to and in compliance with the county comprehensive plan, under the general powers of Title 54 RCW or through the formation of local utility districts as provided in RCW 54.16.1…
RCW 54.16.240 Sewage system works—Resolution or petition—Voter approval or rejection.
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The commission of a public utility district, by resolution may, or on petition in the same manner as provided for the creation of a district under RCW 54.08.010 shall, submit to the voters for their approval or rejection the proposal that said public utility district be authorize…
RCW 54.16.250 Sewage system works—Ballot proposition—Canvass.
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The legislative authority of the county in which the public utility district is located, upon receipt of the resolution of the public utility district commission or petition as provided for in RCW 54.08.010, shall submit such proposal to the voters of the district at the next gen…
RCW 54.16.260 Sewage system works—Accounts and funding.
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Accounts and funding for any sewage system or systems shall be kept as provided in RCW 43.09.210.[ 1975 1st ex.s. c 57 s 4.]
RCW 54.16.270 Sewage system works—Existing authority not affected.
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Nothing contained in RCW 54.16.230 through 54.16.260 shall change or alter the present authority of certain public utility districts as regards sewage systems and as provided in RCW 54.16.180.[ 1975 1st ex.s. c 57 s 5.]
RCW 54.16.280 Energy conservation plan—Financing authorized for energy conservation projects in structures or equipment—Limitations.
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Any district is hereby authorized, within limits established by the Constitution of the state of Washington, to assist the owners of structures or equipment in financing the acquisition and installation of materials and equipment, for compensation or otherwise, for the conservati…
RCW 54.16.281 Energy conservation—Utility cool roof program—Tree planting program.
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The legislature encourages any public utility district to assist their customers in the acquisition and installation of materials and equipment, for compensation or otherwise, for the conservation or more efficient use of energy including, but not limited to, materials and equipm…
RCW 54.16.285 Limitations on termination of utility service for residential heating and of electric or water utility service during heat-related alerts.
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*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2575.SL) ***(1) A district providing utility service for residential space heating shall not terminate such utility service between November 15 through March 15 if the customer:(a) Notifies the utility of the inability to pay the bill. This notice shou…
RCW 54.16.300 Combined utility functions.
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A public utility district by resolution may combine two or more of its separate utility functions into a single utility and combine its related funds or accounts into a single fund or account. The separate utility functions include electrical energy systems, domestic water system…
RCW 54.16.310 Operation, maintenance, and inspection of sewage disposal facilities, septic tanks, and wastewater disposal facilities and systems—Maintenance costs.
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A public utility district as authorized by a county board of health, may perform operation and maintenance, including inspections, of on-site sewage disposal facilities, alternate sewage disposal facilities, approved septic tanks or approved septic tank systems, other facilities …
RCW 54.16.320 Assumption of substandard water system—Limited immunity from liability.
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A public utility district assuming responsibility for a water system that is not in compliance with state or federal requirements for public drinking water systems, and its agents and employees, are immune from lawsuits or causes of action, based on noncompliance with state or fe…
RCW 54.16.330 Telecommunications facilities—Purposes—Limitations—Provision of telecommunications services—Eminent domain.
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(1) A public utility district in existence on June 8, 2000, may construct, purchase, acquire, develop, finance, lease, license, handle, provide, add to, contract for, interconnect, alter, improve, repair, operate, and maintain any telecommunications facilities within or without t…
RCW 54.16.340 Wholesale telecommunications services—Petition for review of rates, terms, conditions.
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(1) A person or entity that has requested wholesale telecommunications services from a public utility district providing wholesale telecommunications services under this chapter may petition the commission under the procedures set forth in RCW 80.04.110 (1) through (3) if it beli…
RCW 54.16.350 Tariff for irrigation pumping service—Authority to buy back electricity.
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The commission may approve a tariff for irrigation pumping service that allows the district to buy back electricity from customers to reduce electricity usage by those customers during the district's particular irrigation season.[ 2001 c 122 s 2.]Notes:Effective date—2001 c 122: …
RCW 54.16.360 Cooperative watershed management.
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In addition to the authority provided in RCW 54.16.030 relating to water supply, a public utility district may participate in and expend revenue on cooperative watershed management actions, including watershed management partnerships under RCW 39.34.210 and other intergovernmenta…
RCW 54.16.370 Purchase of electric power and energy from joint operating agency.
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A district may contract to purchase from a joint operating agency electric power and energy required for its present or future requirements. For projects the output of which is limited to qualified alternative energy resources as defined by RCW 19.29A.090(3), the contract may inc…
RCW 54.16.380 Appliance repair service—Operation by district.
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Any public utility district that has operated an electrical appliance repair service for at least ten years prior to July 24, 2005, may continue to operate an electrical appliance repair service within its service territory.[ 2005 c 175 s 2.]Notes:Intent—2005 c 175: "It is the in…
RCW 54.16.385 Appliance repair service—Requirements.
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When a public utility district provides electrical appliance repair services under RCW 54.16.380, the public utility district shall:(1) Charge customers the true and fair cost for the services;(2) Keep records documenting the revenues and expenditures for the services and make th…