Title 36 — Title 36 COUNTIES

Subject to chapter 48.62 RCW, any county by a majority vote of its board of county commissioners may enter into contracts to provide health care services and/or group insurance for the benefit of its employees, and may pay all or any part of the cost thereof. Any two or more coun…

The board of county commissioners of any county is hereby authorized and empowered in its discretion by resolution or ordinance passed by a majority of the board, to take whatever action it deems necessary to enable the county to participate in the programs set forth in the Econo…

A county may assist in the development or preservation of publicly or privately owned housing for persons of low income by providing loans or grants of general county funds to the owners or developers of the housing. The loans or grants shall be authorized by the legislative auth…

See RCW 35.21.630.

(1) The legislative authority of any county has the authority to enact an ordinance, for the purpose of preserving the public safety or reducing acts of violence by or against juveniles that are occurring at such rates as to be beyond the capacity of the police to assure public s…

The board of county commissioners is authorized to designate the name of any park established by the county.[ 1965 ex.s. c 76 s 3.]Notes:Acquisition of property for park, recreational, viewpoint, greenbelt, conservation, historic, scenic, or view purposes: RCW 36.34.340.

Any county may acquire title to or any interest in real and personal property for the purpose of historic preservation and may restore, improve, maintain, manage, and lease the property for public or private use and may enter into contracts, borrow money, and issue bonds and othe…

The board of county commissioners of the several counties may employ such staff as deemed appropriate to serve the several boards directly in matters including but not limited to purchasing, poverty and relief programs, parks and recreation, emergency services, budgetary preparat…

Any county in this state acting through its council or other legislative body shall have power to expend moneys and conduct promotion of resources and facilities in the county or general area by advertising, publicizing, or otherwise distributing information for the purpose of at…

The board of county commissioners may establish an employee safety award program to reward and encourage the safe performance of assigned duties by county employees.The board may establish standards and regulations necessary or appropriate for the proper administration and for ot…

The legislative authority of any county shall have the power to furnish, upon such terms as the board may deem proper, with or without consideration, financial or other assistance to any municipal corporation, or political subdivision within such county for the purpose of impleme…

No county may enact or enforce an ordinance or regulation mandating automatic number identification or automatic location identification for a private telecommunications system or for a provider of private shared telecommunications services.[ 1995 c 243 s 8.]Notes:Findings—Severa…

(1) A county legislative authority may adopt an ordinance creating an emergency medical service district in all or a portion of the unincorporated area of the county and, pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, within the corporate limits of any city or town. The ordinance ma…

Vacancies in the position of county freeholder shall be filled with a person qualified for the position who is appointed by majority action of the remaining county freeholders.[ 1984 c 163 s 1.]

Where the zoning and planning provisions of a county require landscaping, parking, or other improvements as a condition to granting permits for commercial or industrial developments, the county may credit donations of right-of-way in excess of that required for traffic improvemen…

If a county operating under home rule charter zones pursuant to its inherent charter authority and not pursuant to chapter 35.63 RCW, nor chapter 36.70 RCW, and that county does not provide for the siting of family day care homes in zones or areas that are designated for single-f…

A final decision by a hearing examiner involving a conditional or special use permit application under a home rule charter that is requested by a party that is licensed or certified by the department of social and health services or the department of corrections is subject to med…

(1) The settlement of Indian land and other claims against public and private property owners is declared to be in the interest of public health and safety, orderly government, environmental protection, economic development, and the social well-being of the citizens of this state…

With respect to the National Scenic Area, as defined in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act, P.L. 99-663, the exercise of any power or authority by a county pursuant to this chapter shall be subject to and in conformity with the requirements of chapter 43.97 RCW, in…

If a county operating under home rule charter zones pursuant to its inherent charter authority and not pursuant to chapter 35.63 RCW, nor chapter 36.70 RCW, and that county does not provide for the siting of residential care facilities in zones or areas that are designated for si…

The legislative authority of each county may acquire a fee simple interest, or lesser interest, in conservation areas in the county and may maintain the conservation areas. The conservation areas may be acquired and maintained with moneys obtained from the excise tax under RCW 82…

A charter county that plans under the authority of its charter is subject to the provisions of RCW 36.70.795.[ 1992 c 207 s 5.]

A county legislative authority may not require any state agency or unit of local government to secure the performance of a permit requirement with a surety bond or other financial security device, including cash or assigned account, as a condition of issuing a permit to that unit…

No county shall enact or enforce an ordinance or regulation that fails to conform to the limited preemption entitled "Amateur Radio Preemption, 101 FCC 2nd 952 (1985)" issued by the federal communications commission. An ordinance or regulation adopted by a county with respect to …

A county legislative authority may establish a library capital facility area pursuant to chapter 27.15 RCW.[ 1995 c 368 s 8.]Notes:Findings—1995 c 368: See RCW 27.15.005.

A county has the authority, subject to the processes and limitation outlined in chapter 79.100 RCW, to store, strip, use, auction, sell, salvage, scrap, or dispose of an abandoned or derelict vessel found on or above publicly or privately owned aquatic lands within the jurisdicti…

Every county shall maintain a current expense fund to which shall be credited all taxes levied for that purpose and all fees collected, fines assessed, and forfeitures adjudged in the county the proceeds of which have not been specifically allocated to any other purpose.[ 1963 c …

Any board of county commissioners may establish by resolution a cumulative reserve fund in general terms for several different county purposes as well as for a very specific county purpose, including that of buying any specified supplies, material or equipment, or the constructio…

An item for said cumulative reserve fund may be included in the county's annual budget or estimate of amounts required to meet public expense for the ensuing year and a tax levy made within the limits and as authorized by law for said item; and said item and levy may be repeated …

No money in any cumulative reserve fund shall be used for any purpose other than that for which the fund was created except:(1) If the purpose of the creation of a cumulative reserve fund has been accomplished by the completion of the proposed building or improvement, the balance…

The county legislative authority of each county with a population of one hundred twenty-five thousand or more shall establish a salary fund to be used for paying the salaries and wages of all officials and employees. The county legislative authority of any other county may establ…

The county legislative authority of any county may establish by resolution a fund to be known as the claims fund, which shall be used for paying claims against the county. Such claims fund shall be reimbursed from any county funds or other funds under the jurisdiction or control …

Whenever the county treasurer deems it expedient and for the best interests of the county he or she may invest any moneys in the county current expense fund in outstanding warrants on the county tax refund fund in the following manner: When he or she has determined the amount of …

Upon receipt of any such warrant on the tax refund fund the county treasurer shall enter the principal amount thereof, and accrued interest thereon, as a suspense credit upon his or her records, and shall hold the warrant until it with interest, if any, is paid in due course out …

Whenever it appears to the county treasurer that the face amount plus accrued interest of the tax refund warrant next eligible for investment exceeds by one hundred dollars the amount of moneys in the county current expense fund available for investment, the county treasurer may …

In making settlements of accounts between outgoing and incoming county treasurers, any county tax refund warrant in which money in the county current expense fund has been invested shall be deemed in every way the equivalent of cash and shall be receipted for by the incoming coun…

The boards of county commissioners may annually levy a tax upon all taxable property in the county, for the purpose of creating a fund to be known as "county lands assessment fund."[ 1963 c 4 s 36.33.120. Prior: 1929 c 193 s 1; RRS s 4027-1.]

The county lands assessment fund may be expended by the county commissioners to pay in full or in part, any assessment or installment of assessments of drainage improvement districts, diking improvement districts, or districts formed for the foregoing purposes, or assessments for…

The amount of the levy in any year for the county lands assessment fund shall not exceed the estimated amount needed over and above all moneys on hand in the fund, to pay the aggregate amount of such assessments falling due against the lands in the ensuing year; and in no event s…

Into the county lands assessment fund shall also be paid any surplus moneys from the sale by the county, pursuant to foreclosure of real estate taxes, of any lands lying in any district formed for diking or drainage purposes or for assessment of road improvements, over and above …

Upon request the county treasurer shall furnish to the county legislative authority a list of all lands owned by the county, together with the amounts levied as assessments and the district in or by which such assessments are levied, against each description of the lands, as it a…

Moneys received as rentals of irrigated lands may be applied to the payment of current irrigation charges or assessments against the land.[ 1963 c 4 s 36.33.170. Prior: 1929 c 193 s 6; RRS s 4027-6.]

The county treasurer shall cash any United States bonds owned by the county as they mature or, with the approval of the state finance committee and of the county finance committee, he or she may at any time sell them. In either event he or she must return the proceeds into the tr…

The board of county commissioners may establish an election reserve fund for the payment of expenses of conducting regular and special state and county elections and compensation of election and registration officers and annually budget and levy a tax therefor. It may also make t…

The limits placed upon the amount to be accumulated in the current expense fund shall not affect the election reserve fund nor shall the existence of the election reserve fund affect the amount which may be accumulated in the current expense fund, nor shall any unexpended balance…

The legislative authority of any county may budget, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 36.40 RCW, and expend any portion of the county road property tax revenues for any service to be provided in the unincorporated area of the county notwithstanding any other provision …

Every county shall establish, by resolution, an "equipment rental and revolving fund", hereinafter referred to as "the fund", in the county treasury to be used as a revolving fund for the purchase, maintenance, and repair of county road department equipment; for the purchase of e…

The legislative body of any county may authorize, by resolution, the use of the fund by any other office or department of the county government or any other governmental agency for similar purposes.[ 1977 c 67 s 2.]

With the approval of the county legislative body, the county engineer, or other appointee of the county legislative body, shall administer the fund and shall be responsible for establishing the terms and charges for the sale of any material or supplies which have been purchased, …

Rates for the rental of equipment owned by the fund shall be set to cover all costs of maintenance and repair, material and supplies consumed in operating or maintaining the equipment, and the future replacement thereof. The rates shall be determined by the county engineer or oth…