Growth Management and Planning Interlocal Agreements
This page provides examples of interlocal agreements in Washington State related to growth management and planning.
It is part of MRSC's series on the Growth Management Act and Interlocal Cooperation.
Overview
In Washington State, the Interlocal Cooperation Act (Chapter 39.34 RCW) authorizes public agencies to contract with other public agencies via interlocal agreements that enable cooperation among governments to perform governmental activities and deliver public services.
Interlocal agreements between counties and cities for planning and growth management purposes take a variety of forms, including agreements to jointly develop comprehensive plans, agreements to provide or consolidate planning services, agreements regarding annexation that address the transition of service provision from counties to cities and may provide for some revenue sharing, and other agreements for cooperation on planning and growth management issues.
Joint Planning and Urban Growth Area Agreements
The following are examples of agreements for cooperative planning within urban growth areas (UGA) or other cooperative planning efforts between jurisdictions.
- Ellensburg/Kittitas County Interlocal Agreement for Annexation and Development within the Ellensburg UGA (2021) – Addresses coordination of development regulation within the urban growth area (UGA) consistent with city and county comprehensive plans.
- Maple Valley/King County Interlocal Agreement (2010) – Establishes binding planning policies to direct future land use and zoning of a property that will be annexed by the city. The city adopted pre-annexation zoning consistent with the agreement.
- Vancouver and Clark County
- Interlocal Agreement (2007) – Includes agreements regarding coordinated service provision, annexation, and comprehensive planning in the Vancouver UGA.
- Vancouver UGA Annexation Blueprint: 20-Year Plan (2007) – Outlines a general annexation schedule for Vancouver's UGA.
- Whatcom County
- Ferndale/Whatcom County Interlocal Agreement for Planning, Annexation, and Development within the Ferndale UGA (2022) – Agreement adopted pursuant to County Comprehensive Plan Goal 2R concerning planning, annexation, and development in urban growth areas (UGA). Note, Whatcom County entered into similar ILAs with six other cities within the county.
- Whatcom County/Bellingham/Blaine/Everson/Ferndale/Lynden/Nooksack/Sumas Interlocal Agreement for Countywide Planning Policies Amendment Procedures (2022) – Agreement related to countywide planning policies (CPPs) amendment procedures.
- Yakima County Master Interlocal Agreement for Growth Management Act Implementation (2015) – Establishes a management structure for coordination between cities and counties in Urban Growth Areas (UGAs) related to planning, provision of public improvements, and to clarify administrative and development processes in these areas.
Planning Services and Departmental Consolidation Agreements
Some jurisdictions will enter into interlocal agreements when certain planning and building plan review services may be more efficiently provided by contracting with other jurisdictions. This may work particularly well if one jurisdiction has work that doesn't amount to a full-time position or requires special expertise that may be available from another jurisdiction.
Some local governments have established joint planning programs to reduce costs or to improve services.
- Cheney/Liberty Lake Interlocal Agreement for Building Plan Review Services (2021) – Cheney agrees to enforce the Washington State Building Code Act (RCW 19.27.050) and appoint officials to carry out duties and assist with building plan reviews. Liberty Lake will manage permitting processes, make final decisions on building codes, and provide Cheney with resources.
- Millwood/Spokane Valley Interlocal Agreement for Building Review and Planning Services (2023) – Spokane Valley will carry out plan reviews and building permit inspections for Millwood in compliance with the Washington State Building Code. Millwood will direct building permit applicants to Spokane Valley after site plan approval and provide planning services to Spokane Valley on request.
- Selah/Yakima Interlocal Agreement for Building Inspection and Building Plan Review Services (2023) – Also includes the authorizing resolution signed by the town mayor.
- Walla Walla County/Walla Walla Interlocal Agreement for Joint Community Development Agency (2010) – Established under RCW 36.70.180 and RCW 35A.63.030, agency is to be managed by a single director and a three-member board, to provide professional/technical staff support to the separate county and city legislative bodies, planning commissions, and hearing examiners.
- Yacolt/Clark County Interlocal Agreement for Community Planning Services (2017) – Clark County Community Planning agrees to provide planning services to Yacolt in compliance with the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan and Growth Management Act. Also includes the enabling resolution.
Annexation Agreements
For information on annexation interlocal agreements, see our page on Annexation Methods by Cities and Towns, which includes examples of annexation agreements using the unincorporated island-interlocal agreement method, the interlocal agreement method (for code cities ONLY), and the interlocal agreement method for annexation of areas served by fire districts.
Annexation and Growth Management Agreements — County Coordination and Revenue Sharing
These agreements address transition of public service provision from counties to cities and seek to compensate counties, at least on a transitional basis, for lost revenues. The examples relate to transitioning services and property after annexation and the sharing of sales and use taxes within a tax-sharing area.
- Kirkland/King County Interlocal Agreement (2011) – Relating to the Annexation of the Juanita-Finn Hill-Kingsgate Annexation Area to facilitate an orderly transition of services and property.
- Whitman County/Pullman Interlocal Agreement and Adopting Resolution (2015) – Relating to the sharing of sales and use taxes collected within a tax-sharing area and the continued joint planning for the tax-sharing area.
- Woodway/Snohomish County Interlocal Agreement and Adopting Resolution (2016) – Concerning annexation and urban development within the Woodway UGA to facilitate an orderly transition of services and responsibility for capital projects.
- Tacoma/Pierce County Interlocal Agreement (2020) – Final ordinance approving the city/county interlocal agreement to annex the unincorporated "Manitou Potential Annexation Area."
