The bill amends RCW 35.02.020 regarding the process for city incorporation in Washington State. It specifies that a petition for incorporation must be signed by registered voters residing within the proposed city or town, with the required number of signatures being at least 10 percent of the local voter population. Additionally, the bill introduces a provision allowing the county legislative authority of certain counties—specifically those located west of the Cascade Mountains with populations between 900,000 and 2,000,000—to file a petition for incorporation without needing to gather resident signatures, provided the area is fully contained within the urban growth boundary and has a population exceeding 25,000.

Furthermore, the bill updates the timeline for filing the petition, changing the deadline from "one hundred eighty" days to a more precise "180 days" after the public meeting on the proposed incorporation. It also clarifies that if the 180th day falls on a non-business day, the petition must be filed on the next regular business day. These changes aim to streamline the incorporation process and provide more flexibility for certain urban areas in Washington.

Statutes affected:
Original bill: 35.02.020