Short plat threshold

AN ACT Relating to increasing the short plat threshold; amending 1
RCW 58.17.060; and reenacting and amending RCW 58.17.020.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 58.17.020 and 2025 c 271 s 1 are each reenacted and 4
amended to read as follows: 5
As used in this chapter, unless the context or subject matter 6
clearly requires otherwise, the words or phrases defined in this 7
section shall have the indicated meanings. 8
(1) "Binding site plan" means a drawing to a scale specified by 9
local ordinance ((which)) that: (a) Identifies and shows the areas 10
and locations of all streets, roads, improvements, utilities, open 11
spaces, and any other matters specified by local regulations; (b) 12
contains inscriptions or attachments setting forth such appropriate 13
limitations and conditions for the use of the land as are established 14
by the local government body having authority to approve the site 15
plan; and (c) contains provisions making any development be in 16
conformity with the site plan. 17
(2) "Block" is a group of lots, tracts, or parcels within well 18
defined and fixed boundaries. 19
(3) "Clear and objective design and development standards" means 20
locally adopted development regulations that involve no personal or 21
H-3199.1
HOUSE BILL 2702
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Zahn and Parshley
Read first time 01/28/26. Referred to Committee on Local Government.
p. 1 HB 2702
subjective judgment by a public official, and are ascertainable by 1
reference to measurable written or graphic criteria available and 2
knowable to the permit applicant, the public, and public officials 3
prior to submittal. 4
(4) "County auditor" shall be as defined in chapter 36.22 RCW or 5
the office or person assigned such duties under a county charter.6
(5) "County commissioner" shall be as defined in chapter 36.32 7
RCW or the body assigned such duties under a county charter.8
(6) "County road engineer" shall be as defined in chapter 36.40 9
RCW or the office or person assigned such duties under a county 10
charter. 11
(7) "County treasurer" shall be as defined in chapter 36.29 RCW 12
or the office or person assigned such duties under a county charter.13
(8) "Dedication" is the deliberate appropriation of land by an 14
owner for any general and public uses, reserving to himself or 15
herself no other rights than such as are compatible with the full 16
exercise and enjoyment of the public uses to which the property has 17
been devoted. The intention to dedicate shall be evidenced by the 18
owner by the presentment for filing of a final plat or short plat 19
showing the dedication thereon; and, the acceptance by the public 20
shall be evidenced by the approval of such plat for filing by the 21
appropriate governmental unit. 22
A dedication of an area of less than two acres for use as a 23
public park may include a designation of a name for the park, in 24
honor of a deceased individual of good character. 25
(9) "Final plat" is the final drawing of the subdivision and 26
dedication prepared for filing for record with the county auditor and 27
containing all elements and requirements set forth in this chapter 28
and in local regulations adopted under this chapter.29
(10) "Lot" is a fractional part of divided lands having fixed 30
boundaries, being of sufficient area and dimension to meet minimum 31
zoning requirements for width and area. The term shall include tracts 32
or parcels. 33
(11) "Parent lot" means a residential lot that is subdivided into 34
unit lots through the unit lot subdivision process.35
(12) "Planning commission" means that body as defined in chapter 36
36.70, 35.63, or 35A.63 RCW as designated by the legislative body to 37
perform a planning function or that body assigned such duties and 38
responsibilities under a city or county charter. 39
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(13) "Plat" is a map or representation of a subdivision, showing 1
thereon the division of a tract or parcel of land into lots, blocks, 2
streets and alleys, or other divisions and dedications.3
(14) "Preliminary plat" is a neat and approximate drawing of a 4
proposed subdivision showing the general layout of streets and 5
alleys, lots, blocks, and other elements of a subdivision consistent 6
with the requirements of this chapter. The preliminary plat shall be 7
the basis for the approval or disapproval of the general layout of a 8
subdivision. 9
(15) "Short plat" is the map or representation of a short 10
subdivision. 11
(16) "Short subdivision" is the division or redivision of land 12
into four or fewer lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions for the 13
purpose of sale, lease, or transfer of ownership. ((However, the 14
legislative authority of any city or town may by local ordinance 15
increase the number of lots, tracts, or parcels to be regulated as 16
short subdivisions to a maximum of nine. The legislative authority of 17
any county planning under RCW 36.70A.040 that has adopted a 18
comprehensive plan and development regulations in compliance with 19
chapter 36.70A RCW may by ordinance increase the number of lots, 20
tracts, or parcels to be regulated as short subdivisions to a maximum 21
of nine in any urban growth area.))22
(a) Outside of an urban growth area, a city, town, or county must 23
allow a division or redivision of land into four or fewer lots, 24
tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions. However, the legislative 25
authority of a city, town, or county may by local ordinance increase 26
the number of lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions to be 27
regulated as short subdivisions to a maximum of nine; and28
(b) Inside an urban growth area, a city, town, or county must 29
allow a division or redivision of land into nine or fewer lots, 30
tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions. However, a city, town, or 31
county must increase the number of lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or 32
divisions to be regulated as short subdivisions to 30 if the average 33
lot size of all lots created through such a short subdivision does 34
not exceed the minimum lot size adopted for the parcels under the 35
comprehensive plan and development regulations of the jurisdiction.36
(17) "Subdivision" is the division or redivision of land into 37
five or more lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions for the 38
purpose of sale, lease, or transfer of ownership, except as provided 39
in subsection (16) of this section. 40
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(18) "Unit lot" means a subdivided lot within a residential 1
development as created from a parent lot and approved through the 2
unit lot subdivision process. 3
(19) "Unit lot subdivision" means a subdivision or short 4
subdivision proposed as part of a residential development project 5
that meets the development standards applicable to the parent lot at 6
the time the application is vested, but which may result in 7
development on one or more individual unit lots becoming 8
nonconforming as to specified land use and development standards 9
based on the analysis of the individual unit lot. By June 30, 2026, 10
all unit lot subdivisions shall require notification to purchasers of 11
their legal status as further described in RCW 58.17.060.12
Sec. 2. RCW 58.17.060 and 2025 c 271 s 2 are each amended to 13
read as follows: 14
(1) The legislative body of a city, town, or county shall adopt 15
regulations and procedures, and appoint administrative personnel for 16
the summary approval of short plats and short subdivisions or 17
alteration or vacation thereof. When an alteration or vacation 18
involves a public dedication, the alteration or vacation shall be 19
processed as provided in RCW 58.17.212 or 58.17.215. Such regulations 20
shall be adopted by ordinance and shall provide that a short plat and 21
short subdivision may be approved only if written findings that are 22
appropriate, as provided in RCW 58.17.110, are made by the 23
administrative personnel, and may contain wholly different 24
requirements than those governing the approval of preliminary and 25
final plats of subdivisions and may require surveys and 26
monumentations and shall require filing of a short plat, or 27
alteration or vacation thereof, for record in the office of the 28
county auditor: PROVIDED, That such regulations must contain a 29
requirement that land in short subdivisions may not be further 30
divided in any manner within a period of five years without the 31
filing of a final plat, except that when the short plat contains 32
fewer than ((four parcels)) the maximum number of lots allowed in the 33
jurisdiction under RCW 58.17.020(16), nothing in this section shall 34
prevent the owner who filed the short plat from filing an alteration 35
within the five-year period to create up to ((a total of four )) the 36
maximum number of lots within the original short plat boundaries: 37
PROVIDED FURTHER, That such regulations are not required to contain a 38
p. 4 HB 2702
penalty clause as provided in RCW 36.32.120 and may provide for 1
wholly injunctive relief. 2
An ordinance requiring a survey shall require that the survey be 3
completed and filed with the application for approval of the short 4
subdivision. 5
(2) Cities, towns, and counties shall include in their short plat 6
regulations and procedures pursuant to subsection (1) of this section 7
provisions for considering sidewalks and other planning features that 8
assure safe walking conditions for students who walk to and from 9
school. 10
(3) All cities and towns located in a county planning under RCW 11
36.70A.040 shall adopt or enact procedures for unit lot subdivisions. 12
Portions of the parent lot not subdivided for individual unit lots 13
shall be owned in common by the owners of the individual unit lots, 14
or by a homeowners' association comprised of the owners of the 15
individual unit lots. 16
(a) These procedures shall include, at a minimum, the requirement 17
that prominent informational notes be placed on the unit lot 18
subdivision's plat, and recorded in the county or counties in which 19
such land is located, to acknowledge each of the following:20
(i) Approval of the design and layout of the unit lot's housing 21
development project was granted based on detailed review of that 22
specified project, as a whole, on the parent lot, including specific 23
reference to the applicable permit or file number for that specified 24
project; 25
(ii) Subsequent subdivision actions, additions, or modifications 26
to the unit lot housing development project's structures may not 27
create or increase any nonconformity of the parent lot as a whole, 28
and shall conform to the approved unit lot housing development 29
project or to the land use and development standards in effect at the 30
time of the proposed actions, additions, or modifications;31
(iii) If a structure or portion of a structure within the unit lot 32
housing development project has been damaged or destroyed, any 33
repair, reconstruction, or replacement of any structure shall conform 34
to the approved unit lot housing development project or to the land 35
use and development standards in effect at the time the proposed 36
repair, reconstruction, or replacement project's permit application 37
becomes vested; and 38
p. 5 HB 2702
(iv) Additional development or redevelopment of the individual 1
unit lots may be limited as a result of the application of 2
development standards to the parent lot. 3
(b) These procedures shall also: 4
(i) Not require any public predecision meeting or hearing, nor 5
any design review other than administrative design review, except for 6
those required to comply with state law, including chapter 90.58 RCW. 7
A city must ensure that the community and property owners within 250 8
feet of the unit lot to be subdivided are provided notice consistent 9
with RCW 36.70B.110 of how to provide written comments to the 10
administrative decision maker, including through notice posted on the 11
closest public sidewalk or roadway; 12
(ii) Apply only clear and objective design and development 13
standards; 14
(iii) Be logically integrated with the application, review, and 15
approval procedures that apply to the underlying unit lot housing 16
development project to the greatest extent feasible; and17
(iv) Be specifically subject to the maximum time period for local 18
government actions as set forth in RCW 36.70B.080, unless extended 19
pursuant to project-specific mutual agreement as permitted by RCW 20
36.70B.080. 21
(c) After the deadlines in (e) of this subsection, no city or 22
town subject to this section may decline to accept, process, or 23
approve an application for a unit lot subdivision, consistent with 24
the procedural requirements of (a) and (b) of this subsection, solely 25
because that city or town has not completed adoption or enactment of 26
the procedures required under this section. 27
(d) Nothing in this section: 28
(i) Prohibits a city or county from applying public health, 29
safety, building code, and environmental permitting requirements to a 30
development project that is subject to or integrated with a unit lot 31
subdivision process; 32
(ii) Requires a city or county to authorize a development project 33
or a unit lot subdivision in a location where development is 34
restricted under other laws, rules, or ordinances, such as in 35
locations where development is limited as a result of physical 36
proximity to on-site sewage system infrastructure, critical areas, or 37
other unsuitable physical characteristics of a property.38
(e) Cities and towns that are required to submit their next 39
comprehensive plan update in 2027 pursuant to RCW 36.70A.130 must 40
p. 6 HB 2702
adopt or amend by ordinance, and incorporate into their development 1
regulations, zoning regulations, and other official controls, the 2
requirements of this section in their next comprehensive plan update. 3
All other cities and towns must implement the requirements of this 4
section within two years of July 27, 2025. 5
(f) Nothing in this subsection alters the vesting requirements 6
set forth in RCW 58.17.033. 7
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