H-3993              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1426

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Ferguson, Cooper, Patrick, Beck, Baugher, Locke, Silver, Zellinsky and Dellwo

Read first time 1/15/88 and referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to weight restrictions for emergency vehicles; and amending RCW 46.44.093.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 46.44.093, chapter 12, Laws of 1961 as amended by section 55, chapter 7, Laws of 1984 and RCW 46.44.093 are each amended to read as follows:

          The department of transportation or the local authority is authorized to issue or withhold such special permit at its discretion; or, if the permit is issued, to limit the number of trips, or to establish seasonal or other time limitations within which the vehicle described may be operated on the public highways indicated, or otherwise to limit or prescribe conditions of operation of the vehicle or vehicles when necessary to assure against undue damage to the road foundation, surfaces, or structures or safety of traffic and may require such undertaking or other security as may be deemed necessary to compensate for injury to any roadway or road structure.  However, no special permits or annual additional tonnage permits, may be required for the operation on the public highways of any authorized emergency vehicle when the tire limits specified in RCW 46.44.042 are complied with, and the gross weight on any single axle does not exceed twenty-four thousand pounds, and the gross weight on any tandem axle does not exceed forty thousand pounds.