Title 53 — Title 53 PORT DISTRICTS

Port districts shall determine if any construction project over forty thousand dollars can be accomplished less expensively by contracting out. If contracting out is less expensive, the port district may contract out such project.[ 1982 c 92 s 2.]

Port districts may enter into leases and contracts of every kind and nature with the United States of America or any of its departments, the state of Washington or any of its departments, or its political subdivisions or with any municipal corporation or quasi municipal corporati…

Notices required in port districts in which no newspaper is published may be given by publication in any newspaper of general circulation in the county.[ 1921 c 39 s 3; RRS s 9704.]

All port districts organized under the provisions of this act shall be, and they are hereby, authorized and empowered to initiate and carry on the necessary studies, investigations and surveys required for the proper development, improvement and utilization of all port properties…

The port commission shall have authority to create and fill positions, to fix wages, salaries and bonds thereof, to pay costs and assessments involved in securing or arranging to secure employees, and to establish such benefits for employees, including holiday pay, vacations or v…

Employees, officers, and commissioners of port districts shall, when engaged in official business of the port district, be entitled to receive their necessary and reasonable travel and other business expenses incurred on behalf of the port district. Reimbursement of such expenses…

Each port district shall adopt a resolution (which may be amended from time to time) which shall establish the basic rules and regulations governing methods and amount of reimbursement payable to such port officials and employees for travel and other business expenses incurred on…

As used in RCW 53.08.180 through 53.08.200, the term "employees" shall be as defined in RCW 41.48.020 and no distinction shall be made for the purposes of coverage under the social security act, between persons employed by a port district on a casual or temporary basis, or on a r…

Each port district, which has not previously done so, shall within thirty days of June 8, 1955, submit for approval by the governor a plan for extending the benefits of Title II of the federal social security act, as amended, in conformity with applicable provisions of said act a…

All port districts are authorized to make contributions on employees' wages, and to impose upon their employees contributions with respect to their wages in accordance with RCW 41.48.030 through 41.48.050.[ 1955 c 219 s 3.]

The board of commissioners of each port 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 their acts…

Whenever any action, claim, or proceeding is instituted against any person who is or was an officer, employee, or agent of a port district established under this title arising out of the performance or failure of performance of duties for, or employment with any such district, th…

(1) A port district may formulate all needful regulations for the use by tenants, agents, servants, licensees, invitees, suppliers, passengers, customers, shippers, business visitors, and members of the general public of any properties or facilities owned or operated by it, and r…

A port district may at its option file with the county auditor a plat of any of its properties or facilities, showing thereon such private streets, alleys, access roads, parking areas, parks and other places as the port district may wish to have treated as public for purposes of …

(1) Any two or more port districts 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 acquire jointly all lands, property, property rights, leases, or …

(1) It shall be in the public purpose for all port districts to engage in economic development programs. In addition, port districts may contract with nonprofit corporations and private and public entities that provide training systems as defined in RCW 28C.18.010 and promote wor…

(1) Any port district in this state, acting through its commission, has power to expend moneys and conduct promotion of resources and facilities in the district or general area by advertising, publicizing, or otherwise distributing information to attract visitors and encourage to…

A port district may construct, improve, maintain, and operate public park and recreation facilities when such facilities are necessary to more fully utilize boat landings, harbors, wharves and piers, air, land, and water passenger and transfer terminals, waterways, and other port…

Before undertaking any such plan for the acquisition and operation of any park or recreational facility the proposed plan therefor shall be first submitted in writing to the director of the parks and recreation commission and to the governing body of any county or municipal park …

Any port district operating an airport with a police department as authorized by RCW 14.08.120 or designated as a port of entry by the federal government is authorized to appoint police officers with full police powers to enforce all applicable federal, state, or municipal statut…

In addition to the other powers under this chapter, a port district, in connection with the operation of facilities and improvements of the district, may perform all necessary activities related to the intermodal movement of interstate and foreign cargo: PROVIDED, That nothing co…

A port district may acquire, lease, construct, purchase, maintain, and operate passenger-carrying vessels on Puget Sound, interstate navigable rivers of the state, and intrastate waters of adjoining states. Service provided shall be under terms, conditions, and rates to be fixed …

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this section, RCW 53.08.480, and 53.08.320.(1) "Moorage facility" means any properties or facilities owned or operated by a moorage facility operator which are capable of use for the m…

A moorage facility operator may adopt all rules necessary for rental and use of moorage facilities and for the expeditious collection of port charges. The rules may also establish procedures for the enforcement of these rules by port district, city, county, metropolitan park dist…

Any port district in this state, acting through its commission, may expend port funds toward construction, upgrading, improvement, or repair of any street, road, or highway that serves port facilities.[ 1990 c 5 s 1.]

The funds authorized by RCW 53.08.330 may be expended by the port commission in conjunction with any plan of improvements undertaken by the state of Washington, an adjoining state, or a county or municipal government of either, in combination with any of said public entities, and…

(1) When a port district provides its own fire protection services with port district employees, and port district property is included as part of an annexation, incorporation, consolidation, or merger by a city, town, or fire protection district, and fire protection services for…

(1) A port 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 the distric…

(1) Before providing retail telecommunications services, a port district must report to its governing body and to the state broadband office the following about the area to be served by the port district:(a) An assessment of the current availability of broadband infrastructure an…

(1) A person or entity that has requested wholesale telecommunications services from a port district may petition the commission under the procedures set forth in RCW 80.04.110 (1) through (3) if it believes the district's rates, terms, and conditions are unduly or unreasonably d…

A countywide port district located in part or in whole within the Grays Harbor pilotage district, as defined by RCW 88.16.050(2), may commence pilotage service with the following powers and subject to the conditions contained in this section.(1) Persons employed to perform the pi…

A port district may enter into a contract with any city, town, or county for the purpose of exercising any powers of a community renewal agency under chapter 35.81 RCW.[ 2002 c 218 s 27.]Notes:Severability—Savings—Construction—2002 c 218: See notes following RCW 35.81.005.

A port district 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 jur…

In addition to the authority provided in this chapter, a port district may participate in and expend revenue on cooperative watershed management actions, including watershed management partnerships under RCW 39.34.210 and other intergovernmental agreements, for purposes of water …

By January 1, 2010, each port with more than ten million dollars in annual gross revenues, excluding grant and loan funds, shall maintain a database on a public website of all contracts, including public works and personal services. At a minimum, the database shall identify the c…

(1) If a port district purchases property for a facility outside the port's jurisdiction, the port district or districts with responsibility for the future property development and use must prepare and implement a communication plan within sixty days after contracting with a site…

(1) Prior to transferring ownership of a vessel owned by a port district and used primarily to conduct port business, the port district shall conduct a thorough review of the physical condition of the vessel, the vessel's operating capability, and any containers and other materia…

(1) Following the inspection required under RCW 53.08.460 and prior to transferring ownership of a port district-owned vessel, a port district shall obtain the following from the transferee:(a) The purposes for which the transferee intends to use the vessel; and(b) Information de…

(1) Every moorage facility operator must:(a) Obtain and maintain insurance coverage for the moorage facility;(b) Require, as a condition of moorage, all vessels other than transient vessels to provide proof of marine insurance to the moorage facility.(2) Unless rules adopted by t…

(1) Before entering into any contract for the construction of or replacement of any bridge on port controlled land, the port's executive officer must consider whether to require the installation of informational signs that address the hazards of diving or jumping off the bridge a…

(1) Two or more port districts, operating under a mutual agreement pursuant to RCW 53.08.240, may levy and collect jointly the property tax assessments authorized under RCW 53.36.020 under the following conditions:(a) The port districts are adjacent, and the boundaries of the por…

(1) For the purpose of this section, "qualified cargo and passenger port" means a Washington public port district that: (a) Provides or seeks to provide wharfage, dock, warehouse, or other marine terminal facilities to marine carriers; and (b) participates in a meeting of other c…

For purposes of this chapter, "gross operating revenue" means the total of all revenues received by a port district.[ 1992 c 147 s 5.]Notes:Severability—1992 c 147: See note following RCW 53.04.020.

(1) The powers of the port district shall be exercised through a port commission consisting of three or, when permitted by this title, five members. Every port district that is not coextensive with a county having a population of five hundred thousand or more shall be divided int…

Any less than countywide port district that uses commissioner districts may cease using commissioner districts as provided in this section.A ballot proposition authorizing the elimination of commissioner districts shall be submitted to the voters of a less than countywide port di…

All elections relating to a port district shall conform with general election law, except as expressly provided in Title 53 RCW.[ 1992 c 146 s 5.]

A ballot proposition shall be submitted to the voters of any port district authorizing an increase in the number of port commissioners to five whenever the port commission adopts a resolution proposing the increase in number of port commissioners or a petition proposing such an i…

When the population of a port district that has three commissioners reaches five hundred thousand, in accordance with the latest United States regular or special census or with the official state population estimate, there shall be submitted to the voters of the district, at the …

Two additional port commissioners shall be elected at the next district general election following the election at which voters authorized the increase in port commissioners to five members.The port commissioners shall divide the port district into five commissioner districts pri…

The port commission may authorize a change to its electoral system pursuant to RCW 29A.92.040.[ 2018 c 113 s 209.]Notes:Findings—Intent—Short title—2018 c 113: See RCW 29A.92.005 and 29A.92.900.