WAC: WAC stands for Washington Administrative Code – Regulations of executive branch agencies are issued by authority of statutes. Like legislation and the Constitution, regulations are a source of primary law in Washington State. The WAC codifies the regulations and arranges them by subject or agency.
RCW: RCW stands for the Revised Code of Washington. The RCW is the compilation of all permanent laws now in force in Washington State.
If you feel any information on this page is incorrect or out of date, please let us know — corrections are made promptly.
Public Records & Open Meetings
RCW 42.56 = Public Records Act (PRA). Right to inspect and copy public records of state and local government agencies.
RCW 42.30 = Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) — governs open meetings, notice, minutes, and executive sessions for Washington public agencies.
RCW 42.30.035 = Minutes of regular and special meetings required; must be promptly available for public inspection.
Elections & Campaign Finance
RCW 29B.45.010 = Public office facilities may not be used to campaign for or against a candidate or ballot proposition (formerly RCW 42.17A.555, recodified effective January 1, 2026).
RCW 46.20.155 = Voter registration services required when issuing or renewing a driver’s license or identicard.
Vehicles & Traffic
WAC 204-24-050 = Use of tire chains or other traction devices.
WAC 204-24-040 = Traction devices. Chains, Studs, etc.
RCW 46.61.100 = Keep right except to pass
RCW 46.09.455 = Authorized and prohibited uses for wheeled all-terrain vehicles (WATV).
Local Government & Land Use
RCW 39.34 = Interlocal Cooperation Act — authorizes formal cooperative agreements (Interlocal Agreements/ILAs) between two or more governmental entities.
RCW 35.77.010 = Requires cities and towns to prepare and adopt a 6-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
RCW 36.70A = Growth Management Act (GMA) — Washington’s land-use planning law.
WAC 197-11-920 = Agencies with Environmental Expertise — a SEPA rule listing which state agency has subject-matter expertise for each environmental review category; designates the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) for archaeological/historical review. Relevant to any large Roslyn development routed through Master Planned Development review (RMC 18.160.090), which explicitly bundles SEPA environmental review (RMC 18.40).
Taxation & Levies
RCW 84.55.050 = Election to authorize increase in regular property tax levy (levy lid lift) — limited propositions, procedure.
RCW 84.26 = Historic Property special valuation — excludes qualified rehabilitation costs from a historic property’s assessed value for 10 years, for properties listed on a local historic register (in Roslyn, administered under RMC 18.60.050).
WAC 458-61A-205 = Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) rules for governmental transfers — when a government entity like a city transfers property claiming a tax exemption (e.g., a /usr/bin/bash transfer), the REET affidavit is legally required to state the specific exemption reason, citing the authorizing statute or constitutional provision relied on.
WAC 458-61A-304 = Real Estate Excise Tax supplemental statement — a uniform form required alongside the REET affidavit for three situations: date-of-sale/interest/penalties issues, gifts, or IRS tax-deferred exchanges. A /usr/bin/bash governmental transfer claimed as a gift would trigger this.
Other
RCW 9.46.210 = Enforcement/Commission as a law enforcement agency
RCW 68.60 = Abandoned and Historic Cemeteries and Historic Graves Act — protects “historic graves” (50+ years old), including those not located within a dedicated, platted cemetery; requires notifying the Dept. of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) before disturbance.
RCW 68.50.645 = Duty of a person discovering human skeletal remains — requires immediate work stoppage and notification of the county coroner and law enforcement, regardless of location.
Environmental Cleanup & Contamination
RCW 70A.305 = Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) — Washington’s hazardous waste cleanup law (formerly RCW 70.105D). Governs cleanup of contaminated sites like the Roslyn No. 4 Mine site.
WAC 173-340-410 = Defines the three types of MTCA compliance monitoring (protection, performance, confirmational) required for a cleanup action. Post-cleanup soil monitoring is only required if contamination is left in place under a cap.
WAC 173-340-420 = Requires Ecology to periodically review a cleanup site at least every 5 years — but only if institutional controls or financial assurance are part of the cleanup. Fully-excavated sites with no residual capped contamination aren’t subject to this recurring review.
WAC 173-340-720 = MTCA groundwater cleanup standards. Groundwater is presumed a potential drinking-water source (and held to the stricter protective standard) unless proven otherwise — even where municipal water is already available.
RCW 64.06.020 = Washington’s Seller Disclosure Statement (“Form 17”) — requires sellers of residential property to disclose known soil/water contamination and other environmental concerns (already in effect). A buyer cannot waive this disclosure if any environmental answer is “yes.” Effective January 1, 2027, a new question is added asking whether the property includes a “family burial ground, mausoleum, or columbarium” — a narrow, newly-defined category tied to HB 2239, not a general catch-all for historic or unrecovered remains.
2026 c 173 (HB 2239) = Legalized designated “family burial grounds” on private property in Washington, effective June 11, 2026 — amends RCW 68.04, 68.20, 68.28, 68.50.130, 84.36.020, and others. Requires an affirmative landowner designation (max 10% of the parcel, setbacks from property lines/wells/critical areas) and reporting to the county auditor and DAHP within 30 days of each burial. This is a forward-looking, opt-in category — it does not retroactively apply to undesignated historic remains. For remains from a past event (e.g., an unrecovered mine-disaster victim), RCW 68.60 and RCW 68.50.645 are the applicable law, independent of any sale or disclosure form.
