SB 5613 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning the development of clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures for residential development.

Senate Bill 5613 aims to establish clear and objective standards for residential development across Washington state. It requires cities and counties to adopt these standards for residential projects by January 1, 2028, ensuring regulations do not create unreasonable costs or delays. The bill directs the Department of Commerce to form a stakeholder work group to analyze development barriers and suggest model codes. While promoting objective standards, it allows for an alternative approval process based on aesthetics, provided developers retain the option of using the clear and objective standards. These provisions apply to residential development within urban growth areas.

Issues: ✓ Housing

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Jan 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Second Substitute Bill → Engrossed Second Substitute Bill · 6 edits · Mar 11, 2025

MODERATE

This bill clarifies and expands the rules for local residential development to ensure fairness and predictability. It adds 'design standards' to the requirement for clear and objective regulations and explicitly prohibits subjective criteria from being the sole reason for denying a permit. The bill also updates the definition of 'administrative design review' to include design standards and expands the definition of 'clear and objective development regulations' to include the public as a party that must be able to understand the criteria.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's requirements was expanded to explicitly include design standards alongside development regulations, and the definition of administrative design review was broadened to cover both design and development standards.

REQUIREMENT

Added 'design standards' to the list of regulations that must be clear and objective for cities and counties.

Added a new provision stating that subjective interpretations cannot be the sole basis for denying a permit if the applicant has the option to use the clear and objective process.

Added a new subsection allowing legislative authorities to adopt future changes to their regulations, provided they submit them for departmental approval.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'administrative design review' to explicitly include 'design and development standards' instead of just design standards.

Expanded the definition of 'clear and objective development regulations' to ensure the criteria are knowable to the permit applicant, the public, and public officials.

ENFORCEMENT

Changed the grounds for petitions to the Growth Management Hearings Board regarding model codes, shifting from a general compliance check to a specific review of the department's written determination on consistency.

Bill → Substitute Bill · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill was renumbered and updated to replace the term 'clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures' with 'clear and objective design and development standards.' The changes streamline the language to focus specifically on design and development criteria, remove references to subjective 'conditions' and 'procedures,' and clarify that local governments can adopt alternative approval processes for appearance-based criteria if they retain the option for the standard process. The bill also adds a deadline for full compliance and clarifies exemptions for areas outside urban growth boundaries.

Scope change

The bill's scope is narrowed to focus strictly on 'design and development standards' rather than a broader mix of standards, conditions, and procedures. It explicitly exempts residential developments located outside of designated urban growth areas from the new requirements.

DEFINITION

Replaced the phrase 'clear and objective standards, conditions, and procedures' with 'clear and objective design and development standards' throughout the text to refine the legal definition of allowable regulations.

Updated the definition of 'clear and objective' to emphasize the absence of personal or subjective judgment and the requirement for measurable written or graphic criteria.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that all development regulations must comply with the new standards by January 1, 2028.

Clarified that alternative approval processes for appearance or aesthetics are allowed only if applicants can still choose to proceed under the standard clear and objective process.

SCOPE

Added an exemption stating that the new standards do not apply to residential development located outside of urban growth areas.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new provision allowing cities or counties to adopt a state model code as an alternative to writing their own standards, subject to department approval.

TIMELINE

Added a 90-day window for local governments to petition the Growth Management Hearings Board if the new state model code does not comply with the act's requirements.

Substitute Bill → Second Substitute Bill · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill was renumbered and transferred from the Senate Housing committee to Ways & Means, with the reading date updated. The core policy shifts from 'design and development standards' to broader 'development regulations,' allowing local governments more flexibility in how they regulate housing while maintaining clear, objective criteria. A new definition for 'clear and objective design standard' was added to clarify that standards must not reduce density, height, or scale below general regulations. The deadline for local governments to comply with these new standards was extended from January 1, 2028, to January 1, 2029, and the model code deadline was set for June 30, 2027.

Scope change

The bill's scope was broadened by replacing the specific term 'design and development standards' with the more general 'development regulations' throughout the text, expanding the types of rules subject to the new clear and objective requirements.

ADMINISTRATIVE

The bill was renumbered from S-1674.1 to S-1984.1 and transferred from the Senate Housing committee to the Senate Ways & Means committee, with the first reading date updated to February 28, 2025.

REQUIREMENT

The terminology for local housing rules was changed from 'design and development standards' to 'development regulations' to broaden the scope of rules covered by the new clear and objective requirements.

DEFINITION

A new definition for 'clear and objective design standard' was added to specify that such standards must include ascertainable guidelines and must not reduce density, height, bulk, or scale below generally applicable regulations.

TIMELINE

The compliance deadline for local governments to meet the new requirements was extended from January 1, 2028, to January 1, 2029.

The deadline for the state Department of Commerce to publish the model code was set to June 30, 2027.

TECHNICAL

Minor text updates were made to replace references to 'design and development standards' with 'development regulations' in various sections and to update the reading date.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 11, 2025

How they voted

44–6

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 51

Mar 11, 2025

D Democratic31

26 Yea 4 Nay 1

83% Yea

R Republican20

18 Yea 2 Nay

90% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Committee

Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. On motion, referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Apr 8, 2025

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Apr 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

lower

Apr 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

lower

Apr 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

APP - Majority; do pass with amendment(s) but without amendment(s) by Housing.

lower

Apr 7, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.

lower

Apr 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.

lower

Mar 31, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

HOUS - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).

lower

Mar 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Housing at 4:00 PM.

lower

Mar 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Housing at 8:00 AM.

lower

Mar 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

Floor amendment(s) adopted.

upper

Feb 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 20, 2025

Committee

Referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.

upper

Feb 7, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing at 10:30 AM.

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors