Bill > SB5659

This bill addresses Washington's housing shortage by requiring every county, city, and town to approve enough new housing to eliminate their proportional share of the state's total housing shortage by 2035. The Department of Commerce will calculate each local government's specific housing construction target using the best available data, with calculations to be completed by April 1, 2026. Local governments will be required to regularly evaluate their local codes, ordinances, and regulations to identify and remove barriers to housing construction, and they must track and report on building permit applications, with encouragement to increase approvals if more than 33% of applications are being denied. If local governments identify state-level requirements that impede their ability to meet housing targets, they must report these to the Department of Commerce, which will then forward the reports to state leadership. The legislature intends to review these reports and potentially amend state requirements to help local governments meet their housing construction goals. The bill emphasizes collaboration between state and local governments to address the severe housing shortage, with the ultimate aim of creating more than 1,000,000 new homes in Washington over the next decade.

Budget and Finance, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5659&Year=2025&Initiative=false