2024-04-08-minutes-public-works-study-session

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Pr l�tidit �ul�s r. a �S Audited governments met state -mandated permitting deadlines inconsistently in some areas, sometimes by wide margins Results in brief State law sets out a 120-day deadline for local governments to process Iand use, civil and building permits. Performance of the six local governments against this target varied widely and depended on the type of permit being processed. Audited governments met the state -mandated deadline for more than 90 percent of building permits, but some struggled to process land use and civil permits in time — often by wide margins. In the case of land use permits, four governments processed at least 75 percent of applications within 120 days. Key factors for slow processing of these permits included project complexity, staffing shortages and inefficient processes. Washington law gives local governments two ways to make exceptions to the 120- day rule. However, none of the audited governments documented their process for extending permit deadlines for specific projects. Two audited governments inappropriately used waivers to eliminate permit deadlines entirely. 1:. LAW' eats GUl 11 Z -( 311,�' dC:E(EGG'lG l'C? G(' lcca{l Washington's Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A) mandates that cities and counties process land use, civil and building permits within 120 days. Under the act, 18 counties must write comprehensive plans and development regulations to help ensure they meet the deadline, another 10 counties chose to participate. All but the smallest cities and towns within those counties must also comply, and 95 percent of the state's population live in affected places. It applies to a variety of building, civil and land use permits, including subdivisions, planned unit developments, conditional uses, and site plan reviews. The purpose of the requirement is to give permit applicants more predictability about how long it will take for their permits to be approved. Growth Management Act Audit Results 1 13