wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 6096 > Original Bill
Cities and towns are authorized to charge property owners seeking to connect to the water or sewerage system of the city or town as a condition to granting the right to so connect, in addition to the cost of such connection, such reasonable connection charge as the legislative body of the city or town shall determine proper in order that such property owners shall bear their equitable share of the cost of such system. The equitable share may include interest charges applied from the date of construction of the water or sewer system until the connection, or for a period not to exceed ten years, at a rate commensurate with the rate of interest applicable to the city or town at the time of construction or major rehabilitation of the water or sewer system, or at the time of installation of the water or sewer lines to which the property owner is seeking to connect but not to exceed ten percent per year: PROVIDED, That the aggregate amount of interest shall not exceed the equitable share of the cost of the system allocated to such property owners. Connection charges collected shall be considered revenue of such system.
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Cities and towns collecting connection charges as authorized in subsection (1) of this section must, by 2030, adopt and maintain a system for the deferred collection of connection charges for single-family detached, single-family attached, and multifamily residential construction. The deferral system must include a process by which an applicant for a building permit for a single-family detached, single-family attached, or multifamily residence may request a deferral of the full payment of connection charges. The deferral system offered by a city or town under this subsection must include one or more of the following options:
Deferring collection of the impact fee payment until final inspection; or
Deferring collection of the impact fee payment until certificate of occupancy or equivalent certification.
Cities and towns utilizing the deferral process required by this subsection must withhold certification of final inspection, certificate of occupancy, or equivalent certification until the connection charges have been paid in full.
For the purpose of this subsection (2), "connection charges" means the one-time capital and administrative charges, as authorized in subsection (1) of this section, that are imposed by a utility on a single-family detached, single-family attached, or multifamily residence for a new utility service and costs borne or assessed by a utility for the labor, materials, and services necessary to physically connect a designated residence to the respective utility service.