SB 5839 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning county ferry district authority.

This bill amends Washington State law to update how county ferry districts operate and fund services. It removes the "passenger-only" restriction on ferries and wharves, allowing districts to manage broader ferry services. Ferry districts can now levy property taxes up to 75 cents per $1,000 assessed value (or 7.5 cents for counties over 1.5 million people) to cover ferry operations, vessel maintenance, and related infrastructure. The bill also clarifies that districts may issue bonds for ferry construction, using revenues from these tax levies to repay debt. These changes directly affect county ferry districts and the communities they serve.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Dec 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Dec 5, 2025 Last action Feb 26, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to add a new section that regulates state ferry operations, preventing the state from building new crossings within 10 miles of existing private or franchised routes unless a waiver is granted. This change expands the bill's scope from solely governing county ferry districts to also include state ferry crossings and toll bridges.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include state ferry crossings and toll bridges, whereas the original version only addressed county ferry districts.

SCOPE

Added a new section (Sec. 4) that restricts the state department from constructing or operating ferry crossings or toll bridges within 10 miles of existing private or franchised crossings.

REQUIREMENT

Established a process for the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to grant waivers from the 10-mile restriction based on public interest factors like congestion and air quality.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill's header to reflect the new section number (S-3883.1) and changed the reading date from January to February 2026.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

upper

Jan 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 4:00 PM.

upper

Jan 22, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 4:00 PM.

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors