Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

State Government Committee

HB 1056

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Restricts access to certain public lands if the government agency does not provide adequate public parking.
Requires the agency to post a warning sign indicating that using the public land for access is prohibited.
Establishes that a person who violates the access restrictions is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Background:

Within the state, there are approximately 20 million acres of public land owned by various public entities:

city and county: 622,879 acres;

Department of Nation Resources Aquatic Lands: 2,569,089 acres;

Department of Nation Resources Uplands: 3,173,188 acres;

Department of Fish and Wildlife: 622,343 acres;

state parks: 112,282 acres; and

federal: 12,705,355 acres.

Generally, public land is accessible to the public as long as it does not interfere with the underlying land management purpose. Access to public land is determined by the public entity that owns or manages the land.

Summary of Bill:

A governmental entity that has jurisdiction over a parcel of public land that is one-quarter of a square mile or less in size, and is adjacent to a body of public water must provide adequate public parking for persons using the land to access the water, or deny access unless it is for a governmental purpose. If adequate public parking is not provided, the governmental entity must post a warning sign for the public that states using the land to access the water is prohibited, and a person in violation of the prohibition may be charged with a misdemeanor.