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Posts for New Legislation and Regulations

Significant Changes Coming to Levy Lid Lifts in 2026

April 15, 2026  by  Steve Hawley
Category:  New Legislation and Regulations ,  Property Taxes

The 101% levy lid restricts local property taxes, but taxing districts can increase property tax revenues through voter-approved levy lid lifts. Starting July 1, HB 2442—the “fiscal flexibility” bill—makes important changes to both single-year and multi-year levy lid lifts.

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No More Pennies for Your Thoughts

April 6, 2026  by  Eric Lowell
Category:  Accounting ,  New Legislation and Regulations

After the U.S. Department of the Treasury stopped printing pennies in November 2025, many had questions about how this would impact cash transactions. New guidance and recent state-based legislation addresses how cash transactions can be properly rounded up or down. 

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Changes to Federal Procurement Thresholds: What Local Governments Need to Know

November 5, 2025  by  Josh Klika
Category:  Purchasing and Contracting ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Will your agency be using federal funds for a local procurement project? Federal acquisition-related thresholds have changed, and your procurement procedures should be updated to reflect this. This could be good news, especially for agencies using the small works roster process. 

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2025 Bill Expands Services Subject to Retail Sales Tax

October 1, 2025  by  Eric Lowell
Category:  New Legislation and Regulations ,  Sales and Use Taxes

Beginning October 1, 2025, the types of services that are subject to retail sales tax are expanding. Which new services will need to be covered and how can local governments prepare for these changes? 

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2025 Personnel Legislation Round-Up

September 8, 2025  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Civil Service ,  Leave Policies ,  Personnel Policies ,  Recruitment and Hiring ,  New Legislation and Regulations ,  Special Districts

The 2025 legislative session resulted in a number of bills that impact hiring/personnel issues, including amendments to the state's Equal Pay and Opportunities Act,  the Fair Chance Act, and expanded protections for pregnant and post-partum women.

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New Elections Laws Passed in 2025

August 18, 2025  by  Linda Gallagher
Category:  New Legislation and Regulations ,  Elections and Voting

Several election-related laws were passed in 2025, all of which were designed to improve the security of the election system and the reliability of voter data across the state. 

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2025 Legislation Affecting Local Government Planning

August 5, 2025  by  Leonard Bauer
Category:  Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management ,  Administration ,  Parking ,  Development Regulations and Zoning ,  Housing ,  Transportation and Land Use ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Several bills from 2025 will impact local government planning, addressing topics as diverse as periodic update deadlines, local parking requirements, and historic landmark property designation.

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2025 Legislative Updates to the Real Estate Excise Tax Program

July 28, 2025  by  Cheryl Grant
Category:  Revenues ,  New Legislation and Regulations

The real estate excise tax (REET) program was modified by recent legislation, giving cities, towns, and counties more flexibility in how locally generated REET funding can be used.

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2025 Housing-Related Legislative Outcomes

July 23, 2025  by  Steve Butler
Category:  Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management ,  Development Regulations and Zoning ,  Housing ,  New Legislation and Regulations

The 2025 state legislative session included bills that encourage the development of more housing as well as the preservation of existing affordable housing, generally by building on legislation from prior sessions. 

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2025 New Legislation Impacting Employment-Related Public Records

July 21, 2025  by  Sarah Doar
Category:  Administration and Management ,  Public Records Act ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Two new public records-related bills clarify the process for employee access to their own employment records and add exemptions to protect employee-identifying information in records related to investigations of unfair employment discrimination and harassment.

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More Process and Proof: 2025 Legislative Changes to Civil Asset Forfeiture Procedures

July 16, 2025  by  Harry Boesche
Category:  Law Enforcement ,  New Legislation and Regulations

New in 2025, HB 1440 has made changes to civil asset forfeiture procedures impacting burden of proof, hearing request deadlines and removal procedures, consolidation of procedures, and agency reporting requirements, among other things.

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2025 Legislative Session Outcomes for Procurement

July 14, 2025  by  Josh Klika
Category:  Purchasing and Contracting ,  New Legislation and Regulations

New in 2025 are five bills that will broadly impact local government procurement in areas related to bidder responsibility, subcontractor requirements, prevailing wages, and more.

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2025 Legislation that Advances Sustainability in Washington Communities

July 7, 2025  by  Lisa Pool
Category:  Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management ,  Cycling and Walking ,  Administration ,  Climate and Sustainability ,  Parking ,  Environmental Laws and Regulations ,  Streets and Sidewalks ,  Housing ,  Utilities ,  New Legislation and Regulations

This year's state legislative session passed bills addressing sustainability and climate action, updating the state's Clean Buildings Performance Standard, enacting extended producer responsibility, and encouraging the development of shared streets.

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HB 1531: Helping Local Governments Support Consistent Public Health Messaging

June 25, 2025  by  Alicia Bones
Category:  Emergency Management ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Effective April 21, 2025, HB 1531 clarifies that public health officers have authority to make science-based decisions during disease outbreaks, and local governments must follow those decisions.

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Adopting SEPA Exemptions May Help Implement Your Comprehensive Plan

June 18, 2025  by  Leonard Bauer
Category:  Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management ,  Environmental Laws and Regulations ,  Housing ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Local governments looking to promote development that implements their comprehensive plans should consider adopting categorical or optional exemptions from the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) for certain types of projects. 

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2025 Legislation Addressing Residential Unit Lot Subdivisions and Lot Splitting

June 16, 2025  by  Jill Dvorkin
Category:  Housing ,  Subdivisions and Planned Developments ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Two recent bills impact the local residential land division process—one provides additional guidance regarding local unit lot subdivision regulation and the other will allow administrative residential lot splitting under certain circumstances.

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2025 Legislation Promotes the Development of Childcare Facilities

June 12, 2025  by  Lisa Pool ,  Barbara Rosen ,  Maria Tobin
Category:  Guest Author ,  Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management ,  Development Regulations and Zoning ,  Inclusive Communities ,  New Legislation and Regulations

One bill from the 2025 legislative session requires certain localities to update their local codes and make it easier for childcare facilities to be sited in a variety of zones. Another requires local governments remove minimum parking standards for these and other facilities. 

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2025 Revisions to Washington Paid Family Medical Leave, Paid Sick Leave, and More

June 9, 2025  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Leave Policies ,  New Legislation and Regulations

The 2025 legislative session brought changes to several leave-related laws, including the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. One change discourages employees from ‘stacking’ PFML paid leave with that offered under the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

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A bee on a yellow daisy

Save the Bees: How Local Governments Can Protect Pollinator Habitat

August 27, 2024  by  Katie Buckley
Category:  Guest Author ,  Environmental Laws and Regulations ,  Land Use Administration ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Pollinators are a critical component of a healthy ecosystem, impacting food security, the abundance of local flora, and agricultural earnings. Local governments can play a role in protecting critical habitat for pollinators with innovative strategies and smart land use policies. 

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Six Housing and Planning Bills that Help Washington Communities Confront the Housing Crisis

August 21, 2024  by  Lisa Pool
Category:  Parking ,  Housing ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Contains summaries of six bills related to co-living, parking standards, building conversions, middle housing, residential building and energy codes, and manufactured housing  passed during the most recent short Washington State legislative session.

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