This section modifies existing section 82.02.050. Here is the modified chapter for context.
It is the intent of the legislature:
To ensure that adequate facilities are available to serve new growth and development;
To promote orderly growth and development by establishing standards by which counties, cities, and towns may require, by ordinance, that new growth and development pay a proportionate share of the cost of new facilities needed to serve new growth and development; and
To ensure that impact fees are imposed through established procedures and criteria so that specific developments do not pay arbitrary fees or duplicative fees for the same impact.
Counties, cities, and towns that are required or choose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040 are authorized to impose impact fees on development activity as part of the financing for public facilities, provided that the financing for system improvements to serve new development must provide for a balance between impact fees and other sources of public funds and cannot rely solely on impact fees.
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(A) Deferring collection of the impact fee payment until the time for the final inspection; or
(B) Deferring collection of the impact fee payment until the time for the certificate of occupancy or equivalent certification
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ii. Counties, cities, and towns utilizing the deferral process required by this subsection (3)(a) **must** withhold certification of final inspection, certificate of occupancy, or equivalent certification until the impact fees have been paid in full.
iii. The amount of impact fees that may be deferred under this subsection (3) must be determined by the fees in effect at the time the applicant applies for a deferral.
iv. Unless an agreement to the contrary is reached between the buyer and seller, the payment of impact fees due at closing of a sale must be made from the seller's proceeds. In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, the seller bears strict liability for the payment of the impact fees.
b. The term of an impact fee deferral under this subsection (3) may not exceed eighteen months from the date of building permit issuance.
c.
A county, city, or town with an impact fee deferral process on or before April 1, 2015, is exempt from the requirements of this subsection (3) if the deferral process delays all impact fees and remains in effect after September 1, 2016.
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i. Each applicant for a single-family residential construction permit, in accordance with his or her contractor registration number or other unique identification number, is entitled to annually receive deferrals under this subsection (3) for the first twenty single-family residential construction building permits per county, city, or town. A county, city, or town, however, may elect, by ordinance, to defer more than twenty single-family residential construction building permits for an applicant. If the county, city, or town collects impact fees on behalf of one or more school districts for which the collection of impact fees could be delayed, the county, city, or town must consult with the district or districts about the additional deferrals. A county, city, or town considering additional deferrals must give substantial weight to recommendations of each applicable school district regarding the number of additional deferrals. If the county, city, or town disagrees with the recommendations of one or more school districts, the county, city, or town must provide the district or districts with a written rationale for its decision.
ii. For purposes of this subsection (3)(d), an "applicant" includes an entity that controls the applicant, is controlled by the applicant, or is under common control with the applicant.
e. Counties, cities, and towns may collect reasonable administrative fees to implement this subsection (3) from permit applicants who are seeking to delay the payment of impact fees under this subsection (3).
The impact fees:
Shall only be imposed for system improvements that are reasonably related to the new development;
Shall not exceed a proportionate share of the costs of system improvements that are reasonably related to the new development; and
Shall be used for system improvements that will reasonably benefit the new development.
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Impact fees may be collected and spent only for the public facilities defined in RCW 82.02.090 which are addressed by a capital facilities plan element of a comprehensive land use plan adopted pursuant to the provisions of RCW 36.70A.070 or the provisions for comprehensive plan adoption contained in chapter 36.70, 35.63, or 35A.63 RCW. After the date a county, city, or town is required to adopt its development regulations under chapter 36.70A RCW, continued authorization to collect and expend impact fees is contingent on the county, city, or town adopting or revising a comprehensive plan in compliance with RCW 36.70A.070, and on the capital facilities plan identifying:
Deficiencies in public facilities serving existing development and the means by which existing deficiencies will be eliminated within a reasonable period of time;
Additional demands placed on existing public facilities by new development; and
Additional public facility improvements required to serve new development.
If the capital facilities plan of the county, city, or town is complete other than for the inclusion of those elements which are the responsibility of a special district, the county, city, or town may impose impact fees to address those public facility needs for which the county, city, or town is responsible.