Commercial shellfish fees

AN ACT Relating to commercial shellfish fees; amending RCW 1
43.70.250; reenacting and amending RCW 69.30.010; adding a new 2
section to chapter 69.30 RCW; creating a new section; and declaring 3
an emergency. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
Sec. 1. RCW 43.70.250 and 2025 c 360 s 15 are each amended to 6
read as follows: 7
(1) ((It)) (a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, it 8
shall be the policy of the state of Washington that the cost of each 9
professional, occupational, or business licensing program be fully 10
borne by the members of that profession, occupation, or business.11
(b) Fees and surcharges established under chapter 69.30 RCW are 12
exempt from this requirement.13
(2) The secretary shall from time to time establish the amount of 14
all application fees, license fees, registration fees, examination 15
fees, permit fees, renewal fees, and any other fee associated with 16
licensing or regulation of professions, occupations, or businesses 17
administered by the department. Any and all fees or assessments, or 18
both, levied on the state to cover the costs of the operations and 19
activities of the interstate health professions licensure compacts 20
with participating authorities listed under chapter 18.130 RCW shall 21
S-4338.1
SENATE BILL 6318
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Senators Chapman, Dozier, Krishnadasan, Liias, Muzzall, Schoesler,
Shewmake, Short, and J. Wilson
Read first time 01/27/26. Referred to Committee on Agriculture &
Natural Resources.
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be borne by the persons who hold licenses issued pursuant to the 1
authority and procedures established under the compacts. In fixing 2
said fees, the secretary shall set the fees for each program at a 3
sufficient level to defray the costs of administering that program 4
and the cost of regulating licensed volunteer medical workers in 5
accordance with RCW 18.130.360, except as provided in RCW 18.79.202 6
and in section 2 of this act . In no case may the secretary impose any 7
certification, examination, or renewal fee upon a person seeking 8
certification as a certified peer support specialist trainee under 9
chapter 18.420 RCW or, between July 1, 2025, and July 1, 2030, impose 10
a certification, examination, or renewal fee of more than $100 upon 11
any person seeking certification as a certified peer support 12
specialist under chapter 18.420 RCW. Subject to amounts appropriated 13
for this specific purpose, between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2029, 14
the secretary may not impose any certification or certification 15
renewal fee on a person seeking certification as a substance use 16
disorder professional or substance use disorder professional trainee 17
under chapter 18.205 RCW of more than $100. 18
(3) All such fees shall be fixed by rule adopted by the secretary 19
in accordance with the provisions of the administrative procedure 20
act, chapter 34.05 RCW. 21
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 69.30 22
RCW to read as follows: 23
(1) Annual shellfish operation license fees established under 24
this chapter shall be as follows: 25
(a) The fee for a harvester may not exceed $416;26
(b) The fee for a zero to 49 acre shellstock shipper may not 27
exceed $469; 28
(c) The fee for a wholesale shellstock shipper may not exceed 29
$469; 30
(d) The fee for a more than 50 acre shellstock shipper may not 31
exceed $752; 32
(e) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of less than 2,000 33
square feet of floor space may not exceed $856; 34
(f) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of between 2,000 35
and 5,000 square feet of floor space may not exceed $1,036; and36
(g) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of more than 5,000 37
square feet of floor space may not exceed $1,912. 38
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(2) Biotoxin testing fees established under this chapter for 1
companies harvesting species other than geoduck intertidally shall be 2
as follows: 3
(a) The fee for a harvester with two or less harvest sites may 4
not exceed $484; 5
(b) The fee for a harvester with three or more harvest sites may 6
not exceed $733; 7
(c) The fee for a shellstock shipper between zero and 49 acres 8
with two or less harvest sites may not exceed $538;9
(d) The fee for a shellstock shipper between zero and 49 acres 10
with three or more harvest sites may not exceed $836;11
(e) The fee for a shellstock shipper of more than 50 acres may 12
not exceed $1,317; 13
(f) The fee for a wholesale shellstock shipper may not exceed 14
$271; 15
(g) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of less than 2,000 16
square feet of floor space and two or less harvest sites may not 17
exceed $1,030; 18
(h) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of less than 2,000 19
square feet of floor space and three or more harvest sites may not 20
exceed $1,474; 21
(i) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of between 2,000 22
and 5,000 square feet of floor space and two or less harvest sites 23
may not exceed $1,208; 24
(j) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of between 2,000 25
and 5,000 square feet of floor space and three or more harvest sites 26
may not exceed $1,777; and 27
(k) The fee for a shucker-packer with a plant of more than 5,000 28
square feet of floor space may not exceed $3,304. 29
(3) The fee for an export certificate may not exceed $75.30
Sec. 3. RCW 69.30.010 and 2011 c 194 s 1 are each reenacted and 31
amended to read as follows: 32
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter 33
unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 34
(1) "Approved shellfish tag or label" means a tag or label 35
meeting the requirements of the national shellfish sanitation program 36
model ordinance. 37
(2) "Commercial quantity" means any quantity exceeding: (a) Forty 38
pounds of mussels; (b) one hundred oysters; (c) fourteen horse clams; 39
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(d) six geoducks; (e) fifty pounds of hard or soft shell clams; or 1
(f) fifty pounds of scallops. The poundage in this subsection (2) 2
constitutes weight with the shell. 3
(3) "Department" means the state department of health.4
(4) "Establishment" means the buildings, together with the 5
necessary equipment and appurtenances, used for the storage, culling, 6
shucking, packing and/or shipping of shellfish in commercial quantity 7
or for sale for human consumption. 8
(5) "Ex officio fish and wildlife officer" means an ex officio 9
fish and wildlife officer as defined in RCW 77.08.010.10
(6) "Export certificate" means a certificate issued by the 11
department to a licensed shucker-packer or shellstock shipper for use 12
in the foreign export of a lot or shipment of shellfish.13
(7) "Fish and wildlife officer" means a fish and wildlife officer 14
as defined in RCW 77.08.010. 15
(((7))) (8) "Harvester" means a shellfish operation with 16
activities limited to growing shellstock, placing shellstock in a 17
container, harvesting shellstock, transporting shellstock using 18
proper transportation conveyances within Washington state, and 19
delivering shellstock to a shellfish dealer licensed by the 20
department within four hours of landing it. A harvester does not 21
process shellfish, ship shellfish outside of Washington state, sell 22
shellfish outside of Washington state, sell shellfish to retail 23
outlets, shuck shellfish, repack shellfish, or store shellfish in any 24
location outside of the approved growing area from where the 25
shellfish is harvested.26
(9) "Harvest site" means an area of intertidal or subtidal 27
property within a commercial shellfish growing area, that is 28
described by a unique county parcel number, department of fish and 29
wildlife tract number, department of fish and wildlife catch area 30
number, tribal identification number, or other government 31
identification.32
(10) "Person" means any individual, partnership, firm, company, 33
corporation, association, or the authorized agents of any such 34
entities. 35
(((8))) (11) "Sale" means to sell, offer for sale, barter, trade, 36
deliver, consign, hold for sale, consignment, barter, trade, or 37
delivery, and/or possess with intent to sell or dispose of in any 38
commercial manner. 39
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(((9))) (12) "Secretary" means the secretary of health or his or 1
her authorized representatives. 2
(((10))) (13) "Shellfish" means all varieties of fresh and frozen 3
oysters, mussels, clams, and scallops, either shucked or in the 4
shell, and any fresh or frozen edible products thereof.5
(((11))) (14) "Shellfish growing areas" means the lands and 6
waters in and upon which shellfish are grown for harvesting in 7
commercial quantity or for sale for human consumption.8
(((12))) (15) "Shellstock" means live molluscan shellfish in the 9
shell. 10
(16) "Shellstock shipper" means a shellfish operation that does 11
not shuck shellfish or repack shucked shellfish.12
(17) "Shucker-packer" means a shellfish operation that may shuck 13
and pack shellfish.14
(18) "Wholesale shellstock shipper" means dealers who perform no 15
harvesting, have no harvest sites, and are limited to purchasing and 16
reshipping shellfish.17
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Section 2 of this act applies 18
retroactively to all fees and surcharges established under chapter 19
69.30 RCW on or after February 1, 2026.20
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act is necessary for the immediate 21
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of 22
the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes 23
effect immediately.24
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