City initiatives, referenda

AN ACT Relating to city initiatives and referendums; amending RCW 1
35A.11.080, 35A.11.090, 35.17.230, 35A.11.100, 35.17.240, 35.17.270, 2
35.17.280, 35.17.290, 35.17.330, 35.17.340, 35.17.350, and 35.22.200; 3
and reenacting and amending RCW 35.17.260. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
Sec. 1. RCW 35A.11.080 and 1979 ex.s. c 18 s 18 are each amended 6
to read as follows: 7
(1)(a) The qualified electors or legislative body of a noncharter 8
code city with a population of less than 30,000 may provide for the 9
exercise in their city of the powers of initiative and referendum, 10
upon electing so to do in the manner provided for changing the 11
classification of a city or town in RCW 35A.02.020, 35A.02.025, 12
35A.02.030, and 35A.02.035, as now or hereafter amended.13
(b) The exercise of such powers may be restricted or abandoned 14
upon electing so to do in the manner provided for abandoning the plan 15
of government of a noncharter code city in RCW 35A.06.030, 16
35A.06.040, 35A.06.050, and 35A.06.060, as now or hereafter amended.17
(2) The legislative body of a noncharter code city with a 18
population of 30,000 or more must provide, by ordinance, for the 19
exercise of the powers of initiative and referendum. Any noncharter 20
code city that meets the population thresholds under this section 21
H-2626.1
HOUSE BILL 2195
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Parshley, Doglio, and Reed
Prefiled 12/24/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Local Government.
p. 1 HB 2195
must adopt the initiative and referendum process within one year of 1
the effective date of this section. Any noncharter code city that 2
meets the population thresholds after the effective date of this 3
section must adopt the required process within one year of reaching 4
the population thresholds established under this section.5
(3) Whether elective or required, any provisions for the powers 6
of initiative and referendum must comply with RCW 35.17.240 through 7
35.17.360.8
Sec. 2. RCW 35A.11.090 and 1973 1st ex.s. c 81 s 2 are each 9
amended to read as follows: 10
Ordinances of noncharter code cities the qualified electors of 11
which have elected to exercise the powers of initiative and 12
referendum and those of those noncharter code cities that are 13
required to provide for the powers of initiative and referendum shall 14
not go into effect before thirty days from the time of final passage 15
and are subject to referendum during the interim except:16
(1) Ordinances initiated by petition; 17
(2) Ordinances necessary for immediate preservation of public 18
peace, health, and safety or for the support of city government and 19
its existing public institutions which contain a statement of urgency 20
and are passed by unanimous vote of the council; 21
(3) Ordinances providing for local improvement districts;22
(4) Ordinances appropriating money; 23
(5) Ordinances providing for or approving collective bargaining;24
(6) Ordinances providing for the compensation of or working 25
conditions of city employees; and 26
(7) Ordinances authorizing or repealing the levy of taxes; which 27
excepted ordinances shall go into effect as provided by the general 28
law or by applicable sections of Title 35A RCW as now or hereafter 29
amended. 30
Sec. 3. RCW 35.17.230 and 1965 c 7 s 35.17.230 are each amended 31
to read as follows: 32
Ordinances shall not go into effect before thirty days from the 33
time of final passage and are subject to referendum during the 34
interim except: 35
(1) Ordinances initiated by petition; 36
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(2) Ordinances necessary for immediate preservation of public 1
peace, health, and safety which contain a statement of urgency and 2
are passed by unanimous vote of all the commissioners;3
(3) Ordinances providing for local improvement districts;4
(4) Ordinances appropriating money;5
(5) Ordinances providing for or approving collective bargaining;6
(6) Ordinances providing for the compensation of or working 7
conditions of city employees; and8
(7) Ordinances authorizing or repealing the levy of taxes.9
Sec. 4. RCW 35A.11.100 and 1973 1st ex.s. c 81 s 3 are each 10
amended to read as follows: 11
Except as provided in RCW 35A.11.090, and except that the number 12
of registered voters needed to sign a petition for initiative or 13
referendum shall be ((fifteen)) 25 percent of the total number of 14
((names of persons listed as registered voters within the city on the 15
day of )) votes cast for the citywide race receiving the greatest 16
number of votes or, if there was no citywide race, the number of 17
votes cast for all candidates for city council, at the last preceding 18
city general election, the powers of initiative and referendum in 19
noncharter code cities shall be exercised in the manner set forth for 20
the commission form of government in RCW 35.17.240 through 35.17.360, 21
as now or hereafter amended. 22
Sec. 5. RCW 35.17.240 and 1965 c 7 s 35.17.240 are each amended 23
to read as follows: 24
Upon the filing of a referendum petition praying therefor, the 25
((commission)) legislative authority shall reconsider an ordinance 26
subject to referendum and upon reconsideration shall defeat it in its 27
entirety or shall submit it to a vote of the people. The operation of 28
an ordinance so protested against shall be suspended until the 29
referendum petition is finally found insufficient or until the 30
ordinance protested against has received a majority of the votes cast 31
thereon at the election. 32
Sec. 6. RCW 35.17.260 and 2015 c 146 s 5 and 2015 c 53 s 29 are 33
each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 34
Ordinances may be initiated by petition of registered voters of 35
the city filed with the ((commission)) legislative authority. If the 36
petition accompanying the proposed ordinance is signed by the 37
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registered voters in the city equal in number to twenty-five percent 1
of the votes cast for all candidates for ((mayor)) the citywide race 2
receiving the greatest number of votes, or, if there was no citywide 3
race, the number of votes cast for all candidates for city council at 4
the last preceding city election, and if it contains a request that, 5
unless passed by the ((commission)) legislative authority , the 6
ordinance be submitted to a vote of the registered voters of the 7
city, the ((commission)) legislative authority shall ((either)):8
(1) Pass the proposed ordinance without alteration within twenty 9
days after the county auditor's certificate of sufficiency has been 10
received by the ((commission)) legislative authority; ((or))11
(2) ((Immediately after the county auditor's certificate of 12
sufficiency for the petition is received, cause to be called a 13
special election to be held on the next election date, as provided in 14
RCW 29A.04.330, provided that the resolution deadline for that 15
election has not passed, for submission of the proposed ordinance 16
without alteration, to a vote of the people unless a general election 17
will occur within ninety days, in which event submission must be made 18
on the general election ballot )) Pass the proposed ordinance with 19
modifications or provide an alternative ordinance addressing the same 20
subject, in which case both the original proposed ordinance and the 21
modified or alternative ordinance will appear on the ballot at the 22
next general election, with voters given the option to reject both 23
measures, enact the original ordinance, or enact the modified or 24
alternative ordinance. If a majority of votes are cast in favor of 25
enacting both ordinances, only the ordinance receiving the greatest 26
number of votes is enacted; or27
(3) Not pass the proposed ordinance or a modified or alternative 28
version of the ordinance, in which case the question of whether to 29
enact the ordinance must appear on the ballot at the next general 30
election. If enacting the ordinance receives a majority of the votes 31
at the election, the ordinance is enacted. 32
Sec. 7. RCW 35.17.270 and 1996 c 286 s 5 are each amended to 33
read as follows: 34
The petitioner preparing an initiative petition for submission to 35
the ((commission)) legislative authority shall follow the procedures 36
established in RCW 35.21.005. 37
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Sec. 8. RCW 35.17.280 and 2009 c 549 s 2018 are each amended to 1
read as follows: 2
Within ten days from the filing of a petition submitting a 3
proposed ordinance the city clerk shall ascertain and append to the 4
petition his or her certificate stating whether or not it is signed 5
by a sufficient number of registered voters, using the registration 6
records and returns of the preceding municipal election for his or 7
her sources of information, and the ((commission)) legislative 8
authority shall allow him or her extra help for that purpose, if 9
necessary. If the signatures are found by the clerk to be 10
insufficient the petition may be amended in that respect within ten 11
days from the date of the certificate. Within ten days after 12
submission of the amended petition the clerk shall make an 13
examination thereof and append his or her certificate thereto in the 14
same manner as before. If the second certificate shall also show the 15
number of signatures to be insufficient, the petition shall be 16
returned to the person filing it. 17
Sec. 9. RCW 35.17.290 and 1965 c 7 s 35.17.290 are each amended 18
to read as follows: 19
If the clerk finds the petition insufficient or if the 20
((commission)) legislative authority refuses either to pass an 21
initiative ordinance or order an election thereon, any taxpayer may 22
commence an action in the superior court against the city and procure 23
a decree ordering an election to be held in the city for the purpose 24
of voting upon the proposed ordinance if the court finds the petition 25
to be sufficient. 26
Sec. 10. RCW 35.17.330 and 1965 c 7 s 35.17.330 are each amended 27
to read as follows: 28
If the number of votes cast thereon favor the unaltered proposed 29
ordinance, it shall become effective immediately and shall be made a 30
part of the record of ordinances of the city. If the number of votes 31
cast thereon instead favor a modified or alternative ordinance, then 32
only that ordinance is effective and must be made a part of the 33
record of ordinances of the city. If a majority of voters vote to 34
reject both an unaltered ordinance and a modified or alternative 35
ordinance, then neither is enacted or effective.36
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Sec. 11. RCW 35.17.340 and 1965 c 7 s 35.17.340 are each amended 1
to read as follows: 2
Upon the adoption of an ordinance initiated by petition, the city 3
clerk shall write on the margin of the record thereof "ordinance by 4
petition No. . . . .," or "ordinance by vote of the people," and , if 5
approved by a vote of the people, it cannot be repealed or amended 6
except by a vote of the people for two years. Thereafter, the 7
ordinance may additionally be amended or repealed by the city 8
legislative authority if at least two-thirds of the members of the 9
city legislative authority vote in favor of amendment or repeal.10
Sec. 12. RCW 35.17.350 and 1965 c 7 s 35.17.350 are each amended 11
to read as follows: 12
The ((commission)) legislative authority may by means of an 13
ordinance submit a proposition for the repeal or amendment of an 14
ordinance, initiated by petition, by submitting it to a vote of the 15
people at any general election and if a majority of the votes cast 16
upon the proposition favor it, the ordinance shall be repealed or 17
amended accordingly. 18
A proposition of repeal or amendment must be published before the 19
election thereon as is an ordinance initiated by petition when 20
submitted to election. 21
Sec. 13. RCW 35.22.200 and 2015 c 53 s 36 are each amended to 22
read as follows: 23
(1) The legislative powers of a charter city shall be vested in a 24
mayor and a city council, to consist of such number of members and to 25
have such powers as may be provided for in its charter. The charter 26
may provide for direct legislation by the people through the 27
initiative and referendum upon any matter within the scope of the 28
powers, functions, or duties of the city. Any charter city with a 29
population of 30,000 or more that does not provide for direct 30
legislation by initiative and referendum must cause a ballot 31
proposition for amending the charter of the city to provide for 32
direct legislation as provided for in RCW 35.17.230 through 35.17.360 33
to be submitted to voters for approval at the next general election 34
after the effective date of this section. Any charter city that does 35
not provide for direct legislation by initiative and referendum that 36
meets the population threshold of 30,000 after the effective date of 37
this section must cause a ballot proposition for amending the charter 38
p. 6 HB 2195
of the city to provide for direct legislation as provided for in RCW 1
35.17.230 through 35.17.360 to be submitted to voters for approval at 2
the next general election occurring more than 90 days after the 3
population threshold is reached. 4
(2) The mayor and council and such other elective officers as may 5
be provided for in such charter shall be elected at such times and in 6
such manner as provided in Title 29A RCW, and for such terms and 7
shall perform such duties as may be prescribed in the charter, and 8
shall receive compensation in accordance with the process or 9
standards of a charter provision or ordinance which conforms with RCW 10
35.21.015. 11
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