Acknowledges that factors such as changes in the agricultural economy and farming technologies, prohibitive rehabilitation costs, development pressures, and regulations restricting new uses, collectively work to endanger historic barns statewide from falling into decay or being demolished altogether.

Declares that, as historic barns represent irreplaceable resources, and recognizing that barn preservation will work to retain these structures as functional and economically viable elements of working lands, the purpose of this act is to create a system acknowledging heritage barns statewide that provides emergency assistance to heritage barn owners through matching grants, assesses the need for long-term barn preservation, and considers additional incentives and regulatory revisions that work toward the preservation of heritage barns as integral components of Washington's historic landscapes.