4-8-2024_PW SS Briefings (3) - Laserfiche WebLink

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The revised chapter of state law sets three different deadlines depending on whether a permit requires public notice or hearing,and specifies what actions are accounted for in those deadlines.The new deadlines will be: 1. 65 days for permits that do not require public notice 2. 100 days for permits that require public notice but not a public hearing 3. 170 days for permits that require a public hearing The revised law also clarifies that these deadlines do not apply to time when applicants are making corrections or providing additional information,and that the days counted are calendar days.In addition,governments that fail to meet a specified deadline for a permit application will have to refund a portion of the applicant's fees.Appendix C summarizes the changes made under the revised law. This audit assessed whether selected ioc.at governments met the 1 20-day permit review timeline under state law Across Washington,246 local governments-28 counties and 218 cities-are required to meet the 120-day deadline for permits.Rather than attempting a broad look at all these jurisdictions,we selected six governments to review in detail. Our goal when selecting governments was to include a good mix of cities and counties on both sides of the Cascades.We chose high-growth areas with a variety of population sizes and considered urban and rural designations for counties and population density for cities. Because the provisions of the revised law are not yet in effect,this audit compared the performance of the local governments to the law in force during the 2019-2022 audit period. (Appendix B describes our review of current state law and building codes.)Despite changes in the law,we decided that it was still important to see how governments performed against the 120-day benchmark,and to determine why some permits were not processed within the deadline.We also wanted to examine whether audited governments waived the 120-day deadline entirely.The issues that Local governments cause governments to miss the current deadline,if not addressed,may also cause included in this audit governments to miss the new deadline. City of Bellingham This audit was designed to answer the following questions: City of Richland • To what extent are local governments complying with the 120-day rule, City of Shoreline including the annual reporting requirement? - City of Vancouver • Are local governments using processes appropriately for project permit Kittitas County reviews that exceed 120 days? Snohomish County Growth Management Act Background 10