Utility reviews now run on the permit clock too
Housing · Statewide, landing locallyWhat happened: Since June 11 (HB 2418), water and sewer districts and other agencies that review a housing permit face the same deadlines as the city, and owe the applicant 20% of their review fee when they miss one. By June 2027, cities must also name one official to issue final permit decisions and one contact for each application.
Why it matters: Cities have been on shorter permit deadlines since January 2025. A city that misses one owes part of the fee back unless it has adopted at least three of ten state-listed streamlining steps, and Bellingham says it has adopted several. Utility reviews had no clock until now. Bellingham's last report, for 2024 under the older 120-day rule, counted 29 of 279 decisions past the deadline. The 2025 report, due to the state March 1, isn't posted.