H-3797              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1714

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Representatives Bristow, Vekich, Baugher and P. King

Read first time 1/22/86 and referred to Committee on Agriculture.

AN ACT Relating to stock restricted fencing; and amending RCW 16.24.010.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 25, Laws of 1911 as amended by section 1, chapter 40, Laws of 1937 and RCW 16.24.010 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The board of county commissioners of any county of this state shall have the power to designate by an order made and published, as provided in RCW 16.24.030, certain territory as stock restricted area within such county in which it shall be unlawful to permit livestock of any kind to run at large((:  PROVIDED, That)).

No territory so designated shall be less than two square miles in area((:  AND PROVIDED FURTHER, That RCW 16.24.010 through 16.24.065 shall not affect counties having adopted township organization)).  All territory not ((so)) designated as stock restricted shall be range area, in which it shall be lawful to permit livestock to run at large.

(2) The cost of any new fencing that may become necessary to prevent livestock located in a range area from running at large in a stock restricted area designated after the effective date of this 1986 act shall be shared equally by the affected adjoining landowners, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section.

(3) The provisions of subsection (2) of this section do not apply to state highways and state rights of way for such highways.

(4) Nothing in subsection (2) of this section affects fencing agreements entered into between two or more parties before the effective date of this 1986 act.