RCW 36.70A.200 requires counties and cities planning under Washington's Growth Management Act to include a process for identifying and siting essential public facilities — defined as those typically difficult to site, such as airports, state education facilities, regional transportation facilities, correctional facilities, solid waste handling facilities, and inpatient mental health or substance abuse facilities. The law explicitly prohibits any local comprehensive plan or development regulation from completely blocking the siting of such facilities. It also establishes liability protections for jurisdictions acting in good faith to site secure community transition facilities.Open full document
Notes
This Washington State law requires counties and cities planning under RCW 36.70A.040 to include a process for identifying and siting essential public facilities, which include airports, correctional facilities, solid waste handling facilities, and inpatient facilities. The statute establishes deadlines for siting secure community transition facilities, prohibits local plans from precluding essential public facility siting, and limits civil liability for good faith actions taken to site such facilities. It also outlines consequences for failure to meet statutory deadlines.