SB 6009 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning direct review of administrative decisions by the court of appeals.

SB 6009 allows superior courts to directly transfer certain land use decisions to the Court of Appeals if all parties agree, without requiring a separate motion for discretionary review. This affects individuals or businesses challenging local land use decisions who would otherwise have to navigate the full superior court process first. Key provisions include requiring party consent for transfer, using the existing case record (not new evidence), and waiving attorney fee claims for the transfer phase (except if the case later reaches the Supreme Court). The bill repeals prior requirements that limited this transfer option, streamlining the review process for consenting parties.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 7, 2026 Last action Mar 12, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill Substitute Bill · 3 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered and its procedural status updated to reflect it as a 'Substitute Bill' read on a later date. Substantively, the expiration date for the judicial review transfer provision was extended from June 30, 2026, to July 1, 2026, and a new provision was added to protect parties from having their refusal to transfer a case used as evidence against them in court.
Scope change
The scope of the bill's applicability regarding the expiration of the judicial review transfer mechanism was extended by approximately one month.
TIMELINE

The expiration date for the judicial review transfer provision was changed from June 30, 2026, to July 1, 2026.

ENFORCEMENT

A new rule was added stating that a party's refusal to consent to transferring a case to the Court of Appeals cannot be used as evidence against them in court.

TECHNICAL

The bill was renumbered from S-3454.2 to S-4246.1 and updated to reflect its status as a Substitute Bill with a new reading date.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2026

How they voted

510
Passed
Total votes 51
Feb 11, 2026
D Democratic31
31 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican20
20 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
6
Committee
6
Feb 25, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
CRJ - Majority; do pass.
lower
Feb 25, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 8:00 AM.
lower
Feb 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Civil Rights & Judiciary at 10:30 AM.
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (51-0)
senate
Jan 22, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 15, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors