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Posts for New Legislation and Regulations

2026 Planning Legislation Simplifies Affordable Housing Development, Land Banking, Permitting, and More

May 20, 2026  by  Lisa Pool
Category:  Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management ,  Development Regulations and Zoning ,  Housing ,  Land Use Administration ,  Rural Uses ,  New Legislation and Regulations

New bills from the 2026 state legislative session address local land use and planning by encouraging the development of STEP housing, allowing residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones, establishing a legal framework for land banking authority, and more.

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Expanded Housing Options for Counties Thanks to Two 2026 Bills

May 6, 2026  by  Leonard Bauer
Category:  Comprehensive Planning-Growth Management ,  Housing ,  Rural Uses ,  New Legislation and Regulations

Two new bills make it easier to develop more affordable housing options in rural areas of counties while also protecting rural character and natural resources. Counties should work to ensure that this new housing serves long-term and not short-term rental needs.

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What to Know About the New Restrictions on Flock and Similar Camera Systems

April 27, 2026  by  Harry Boesche
Category:  Law Enforcement ,  New Legislation and Regulations ,  Law Enforcement Records Disclosure

Automated license plate readers (ALPR) systems are used by many Washington local governments. Public concerns about warrantless surveillance, individual privacy, and the potential misuse of ALPR, led the legislature to recently place restrictions on ALPR use through SB 6002.

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Closing the Blinds: New Public Records Act Exemption Limits Disclosure of ALPR Data

April 20, 2026  by  Sarah Doar
Category:  Law Enforcement ,  New Legislation and Regulations ,  Law Enforcement Records Disclosure

After many months of wondering how to handle records requests for Automated License Plate Reader data, local governments now have some (but not all!) answers in how to balance privacy interests and stay in compliance with the Public Records Act.

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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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