Laserfiche WebLink
Audit Results <br />Local governments could improve their permit review process by setting <br />standard policies for when it is appropriate to use deadline extensions, and clearly <br />communicating the policy with applicants. <br />Only one established a longer time frame for a specific <br />permit type <br />Our review of each government's development regulations found that they <br />generally did not specify different timeframes for permits that were known to <br />require more time to process. Bellingham specifically established a 180-day <br />timeframe for simple rezoning applications. Some managers at other governments <br />said they were not aware state law offered them this option to set longer time <br />frames. If local governments do not document the known additional time needed <br />for certain permit types, permit applicants have less predictability for how long the <br />process takes, a key Growth Management Act goal. <br />Two audited gover�ti��t�Lits inapprn rL- ��e `y used, <br />waivers to eliminate permit dear,'[[ ti. ; <br />Although state law allows for reasonable deadline extensions, two governments <br />chose to waive deadlines entirely. Richland and Snohomish County managers <br />said that during the audit period, with agreement from the specific applicant, <br />they waived the deadline rather than extending it for a specific amount of time. <br />However, by asking to waive a deadline entirely, the government may be placing <br />undue pressure upon the applicant to agree, out of concern that their application <br />will be denied if they do not do so. For example, a representative of the building <br />industry testified at a legislative committee hearing that builders feel pressure to <br />accept longer review times when the local government initiates the process. <br />Richland reviewers initiated waivers at the time of application for about six months, <br />according to a planning manager. The manager said the city ceased the practice in <br />May 2022. The manager said the current process is to ask applicants for deadline <br />extensions on a case -by -case basis. <br />Snohomish County reviewers asked applicants to agree to waivers for about <br />30 percent of the approximately 600 land use permits processed between 2019 <br />and 2022. Snohomish was the only local government that provided data on the <br />frequency of waivers. County reviewers typically initiated deadline waivers after <br />their first review by sending a waiver form (illustrated in Exhibit 9 on the following <br />page) to the applicant with the request for corrections or additional information. <br />One manager said the county instituted this process to avoid having to issue a denial <br />when the review reaches the 120-day deadline. The form specifically mentions <br />allowing the county to review the application beyond the 120-day deadline. <br />Growth Management Act Audit Results 125 <br />