S-3785.1
SENATE BILL 6181
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2026 Regular Session
By Senators Conway and Nobles
Read first time 01/16/26. Referred to Committee on Local Government.
AN ACT Relating to city incorporation; and amending RCW 35.02.020 .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 35.02.020 and 1994 c 216 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
A petition for incorporation must be signed by registered voters resident within the limits of the proposed city or town equal in number to at least (( ten )) 10 percent of the number of voters residing within the proposed city or town and filed with the auditor of the county in which all, or the largest portion of, the proposed city or town is located. Alternatively, the county legislative authority of a county located west of the Cascade mountains with a population of more than 900,000 but less than 2,000,000, by ordinance, may file a petition for incorporation without gathering resident signatures if the area is fully contained within the urban growth boundary, and the population is over 25,000. The petition must be filed with the auditor by no later than (( one hundred eighty )) 180 days after the date the public meeting on the proposed incorporation was held under RCW 35.02.015 , or the next regular business day following the (( one hundred eightieth )) 180th day if the (( one hundred eightieth )) 180th day is not a regular business day.