SB 5510 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning conservation district revenue limitations.

SB 5510 sets limits on how conservation districts in Washington State can collect revenue from landowners through rates and charges. It caps annual per-acre charges at $0.10 and per-parcel fees at $7.50 (up to $22.50 in larger counties), with annual adjustments based on the Seattle-area consumer price index starting in 2029. Forestland charges are limited to one-tenth of the average rate for other lands, with special rules for large forestland holdings. These rates are collected like property taxes through county assessors and treasurers, directly affecting landowners and conservation districts across the state.

Issues: ✗ Budget & Taxes

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to update the maximum annual per parcel fees for conservation districts and introduce a new mechanism for adjusting these fees over time. The original bill set fixed dollar caps based on county population, while the substitute bill lowers the initial caps for smaller counties and establishes a formula to automatically adjust the maximum fees every three years starting in 2029 based on inflation.

Scope change

The scope of applicability remains the same (Washington conservation districts), but the financial thresholds for who pays and how much they pay have been significantly altered.

FISCAL

The maximum annual per parcel fee for counties with populations under 480,000 was reduced from $5 to $7.50, and the cap for counties over 1.5 million was raised from $15 to $22.50.

TIMELINE

A new provision requires the Department of Revenue to adjust the maximum per parcel fees every three years starting March 1, 2029, using the Consumer Price Index for the Seattle metropolitan area.

REQUIREMENT

The Department of Revenue is now required to publish the adjusted fee rates on its public website by March 31st of each adjustment cycle.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted to include page numbers and updated committee/sponsorship information, reflecting its progression through the legislative process.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 13, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.

upper

Feb 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.

upper

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors