S-1263

AN ACT Relating to crop liens for handlers; and amending RCW 60.11.010, 60.11.020, 60.11.030, 60.11.040, 60.11.050, 60.11.130, 60.11.140, and 62A.9‑310.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 60.11.010 and 1986 c 242 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

As used in this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Crop" means all products of the soil either growing or cropped, cut, or gathered which require annual planting, harvesting, or cultivating, including without limitation horticultural, viticultural, and berry products. A crop does not include vegetation produced by the powers of nature alone, nursery stock, or vegetation intended as a permanent enhancement of the land itself.

(2) "Grower" means a person who grows or produces crops.

(3) "Handler" means a person who takes delivery of crops from a grower for the purpose of handling the crop for the account of, or as agent for, the grower, but does not include a person who solely transports the crop from the grower to a handler. Handling includes but is not limited to receiving, storing, packing, marketing, selling, and delivering the crop.

(4) "Landlord" means a person who leases or subleases to a tenant real property upon which crops are growing or will be grown.

((~~(3)~~)) (5) "Secured party" and "security interest" have the same meaning as used in the Uniform Commercial Code, Title 62A RCW.

((~~(4)~~)) (6) "Supplier" includes, but is not limited to, a person who furnishes seed, furnishes and/or applies commercial fertilizer, pesticide, fungicide, weed killer, or herbicide, including spraying and dusting, upon the land of the grower or landowner, or furnishes any work or labor upon the land of the grower or landowner including tilling, preparing for the growing of crops, sowing, planting, cultivating, cutting, digging, picking, pulling, or otherwise harvesting any crop grown thereon, or in gathering, securing, or housing any crop grown thereon, or in threshing any grain or hauling to any warehouse any crop or grain grown thereon.

((~~(5)~~)) (7) "Lien debtor" means the person who is obligated or owes payment or other performance. If the lien debtor and the owner of the collateral are not the same person, "lien debtor" means the owner of the collateral. For the purposes of the handler's lien provided by RCW 60.11.020(3), grower and lien debtor shall mean the same person.

((~~(6)~~)) (8) "Lien holder" means a person who, by statute, has acquired a lien on the property of the lien debtor, or such person's successor in interest.

Sec. 2. RCW 60.11.020 and 1986 c 242 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A landlord whose lease or other agreement with the tenant provides for cash rental payment shall have a lien upon all crops grown upon the demised land in which the landlord has an interest for no more than one year's rent due or to become due within six months following harvest. A landlord with a crop share agreement has an interest in the growing crop which shall not be encumbered by crop liens except as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section.

(2) A supplier shall have a lien upon all crops for which the supplies are used or applied to secure payment of the purchase price of the supplies and/or services performed: PROVIDED, That the landlord's interest in the crop shall only be subject to the lien for the amount obligated to be paid by the landlord if prior written consent of the landlord is obtained or if the landlord has agreed in writing with the tenant to pay or be responsible for a portion of the supplies and/or services provided by the lien holder.

(3) A handler shall have a lien on all crops delivered by the lien debtor to the handler and on all proceeds of such crops for: (a) All customary charges for the ordinary and necessary handling of the crop, including but not limited to charges for transporting, receiving, inspecting, materials and supplies furnished, washing, waxing, sorting, packing, storing, promoting, marketing, selling, advertising, insuring, or otherwise handling the lien debtor's crop; (b) reasonable co-operative per unit retainages, and for all governmental or quasi-governmental assessments imposed by statute, ordinance, or government regulation; and (c) advances by the handler to the lien debtor of the anticipated proceeds of sale, provided the advances are paid to the lien debtor in the form of a joint payee check made payable to the lien debtor and a party who at the time of the payment possessed a perfected security interest in the crops and the proceeds of the crops.

Sec. 3. RCW 60.11.030 and 1986 c 242 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Upon filing, the liens described in RCW 60.11.020 (1) and (2) shall attach to the crop for all sums then and thereafter due and owing the lien holder and shall continue in all identifiable cash proceeds of the crop.

(2) Upon the delivery of crops by the lien debtor, without the necessity of filing, the lien for charges as set forth in RCW 60.11.020(3) shall attach to the delivered crop and all proceeds of the crop.

Sec. 4. RCW 60.11.040 and 1989 c 229 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section with respect to the lien of a landlord, and except for the lien of a handler as provided in RCW 60.11.020(3), any lien holder must after the commencement of delivery of such supplies and/or of provision of such services, but before the completion of the harvest of the crops for which the lien is claimed, or in the case of a lien for furnishing work or labor within twenty days after the cessation of the work or labor for which the lien is claimed: (a) File a statement evidencing the lien with the department of licensing; and (b) if the lien holder is to be allowed costs, disbursements, and attorneys' fees, mail a copy of such statement to the last known address of the debtor by certified mail, return receipt requested, within ten days.

(2) The statement shall be in writing, signed by the claimant, and shall contain in substance the following information:

(a) The name and address of the claimant;

(b) The name and address of the debtor;

(d) A description of the labor services, materials, or supplies furnished;

(e) A description of the crop and its location to be charged with the lien sufficient for identification; and

(f) The signature of the claimant.

(3) The department of licensing may by rule prescribe standard filing forms, fees, and uniform procedures for filing with, and obtaining information from, filing officers, including provisions for filing crop liens together with financing statements filed pursuant to RCW 62A.9-401 so that one request will reveal all filed crop liens and security interests.

(4) Any landlord claiming a lien under this chapter for rent shall file a statement evidencing the lien with the department of licensing. A lien for rent claimed by a landlord pursuant to this chapter shall be effective during the term of the lease for a period of up to five years. A landlord lien covering a lease term longer than five years may be refiled in accordance with RCW 60.11.050(4). A landlord who has a right to a share of the crop may place suppliers on notice by filing evidence of such interest in the same manner as provided for filing a landlord's lien.

Sec. 5. RCW 60.11.050 and 1986 c 242 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3), ((~~and~~)) (4), and (5) of this section, conflicting liens and security interests shall rank in accordance with the time of filing.

(2) The lien created in RCW 60.11.020(2) in favor of any person who furnishes any work or labor upon the land of the grower or landowner shall be preferred and prior to any other lien or security interest upon the crops to which they attach including the liens described in subsections (3) ((~~and~~)), (4), and (5) of this section.

(3) The lien created in RCW 60.11.020(3) in favor of handlers is preferred and prior to another lien or security interest upon the crops to which they attach except the liens in favor of a person who furnishes work or labor upon the land of the grower or landlord.

(4) A lien or security interest in crops otherwise entitled to priority pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be subordinate to a later filed lien or security interest to the extent that obligations secured by such earlier filed security interest or lien were not incurred to produce such crops.

((~~(4)~~)) (5) A lien or security interest in crops otherwise entitled to priority pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be subordinate to a properly filed landlord's lien. A landlord's lien shall retain its priority if refiled within six months prior to its expiration.

Sec. 6. RCW 60.11.130 and 1986 c 242 s 13 are each amended to read as follows:

Judicial foreclosure or summary procedure as provided in RCW 60.11.060 shall be brought within twenty-four calendar months after filing the claim for lien, except in the case of a handler claiming a lien under RCW 60.11.020(3) which shall be thirty-six months from the date of first delivery of the crop to the handler, except in the case of a landlord lien which shall be twenty-four calendar months from the date of default on the lease, and upon expiration of such time, the claimed lien shall expire. In a judicial foreclosure, the court shall allow reasonable attorneys' fees and disbursement for establishing a lien.

Sec. 7. RCW 60.11.140 and 1986 c 242 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Whenever the total amount of the lien has been fully paid, the lien holder filing a lien shall, within fifteen days following receipt of full payment, file its lien termination statement with the department of licensing. Failure to file a lien termination statement by the lien holder or the assignee of the lien holder shall cause the lien holder or its assignee to be liable to the debtor for the attorneys' fees and costs incurred by the debtor to have the lien terminated together with damages incurred by the debtor due to the failure of the lien holder to terminate the lien.

(2) There shall be no charge by the department of licensing for entering the lien termination statement and indexing the same and returning a copy of the lien termination statement stamped as "filed" with the filing date thereon.

(3) The department of licensing may enter the lien termination statement on microfilm or other photographic record and destroy all originals of the lien and lien satisfaction filed with him or her.

Sec. 8. RCW 62A.9‑310 and 1986 c 242 s 16 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) When a person in the ordinary course of his business furnishes services or materials with respect to goods subject to a security interest, a lien upon goods in the possession of such person given by statute or rule of law for such materials or services takes priority over a perfected security interest only if the lien is statutory and the statute expressly provides for such priority.

(2) A preparer lien or processor lien properly created pursuant to chapter 60.13 RCW or a depositor's lien created pursuant to chapter 22.09 RCW takes priority over any perfected or unperfected security interest.

(3) Conflicting priorities between ((~~nonpossessory~~)) crop liens created under chapter 60.11 RCW and security interests shall be governed by chapter 60.11 RCW.