SB 6096

S-4749.1
  SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6096
State of Washington  69th Legislature        2026 Regular Session
By Senate Housing (originally sponsored by Senators Goehner, Bateman,
and Nobles)
READ FIRST TIME 02/04/26.
1     AN ACT Relating to delayed utility connection  fees   for
2 residential construction; and amending RCW 35.92.025.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4     Sec. 1.   RCW 35.92.025 and 1985 c 445 s 6 are each amended to
5 read as follows:
6     (1) Cities and towns are authorized to charge property owners
7 seeking to connect to the water or sewerage system of the city or
8 town as a condition to granting the right to so connect, in addition
9 to the cost of such connection, such reasonable connection charge as
10 the legislative body of the city or town shall determine proper in
11 order that such property owners shall bear their equitable share of
12 the cost of such system. The equitable share may include interest
13 charges applied from the date of construction of the water or sewer
14 system until the connection, or for a period not to exceed ten years,
15 at a rate commensurate with the rate of interest applicable to the
16 city or town at the time of construction or major rehabilitation of
17 the water or sewer system, or at the time of installation of the
18 water or sewer lines to which the property owner is seeking to
19 connect but not to exceed ten percent per year: PROVIDED, That the
20 aggregate amount of interest shall not exceed the equitable share of
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1 the cost of the system allocated to such property owners. Connection
2 charges collected shall be considered revenue of such system.
3     (2)(a) Except as provided in (d) of this subsection, cities and
4 towns collecting connection charges as authorized in subsection (1)
5 of this section must, by 2030, adopt and maintain a system for the
6 deferred collection of connection charges for single-family detached,
7 single-family attached, and multifamily residential construction. The
8 deferral system must include a process by which an applicant for a
9 building permit for a single-family detached, single-family attached,
10 or multifamily residence may request a deferral of the full payment
11 of connection charges. The deferral system offered by a city or town
12 under this subsection must include one or more of the following
13 options:
14     (i) Deferring collection of the connection charges payment until
15 final inspection; or
16     (ii) Deferring collection of the connection charges payment until
17 certificate of occupancy or equivalent certification.
18     (b) Cities and towns utilizing the deferral process required by
19 this subsection must withhold certification of final inspection,
20 certificate of occupancy, or equivalent certification until the
21 connection charges have been paid in full.
22     (c)(a) and (b) of this subsection do not apply to cities and
23 towns that have implemented a system for the deferred collection of
24 connection charges as of the effective date of this act.
25     (d) For the purpose of this subsection (2), "connection charges"
26 means the one-time capital and administrative charges, as authorized
27 in subsection (1) of this section, that are imposed by a utility for
28 physical connection to existing infrastructure for a single-family
29 detached, single-family attached, or multifamily residence.
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