Growth Management Act.  The Growth Management Act (GMA) is the comprehensive land use planning framework for counties and cities in Washington.  The GMA also establishes a significantly wider array of planning duties for 28 counties, and the cities within those counties, that are obligated to satisfy all planning requirements of the GMA.  These jurisdictions are sometimes said to be fully planning under the GMA.

The GMA also directs fully planning jurisdictions to adopt internally consistent comprehensive land use plans. Comprehensive plans are implemented through locally adopted development regulations, and both the plans and the local regulations are subject to review and revision requirements prescribed in the GMA.  A comprehensive plan must be reviewed and, if necessary, revised every ten years to ensure that it complies with the GMA.

Minimum Residential Parking Requirements.  In counties and cities fully planning under the GMA, minimum residential parking requirements mandated by municipal zoning ordinances are subject to certain requirements.  Requirements are dependent upon:

• whether the housing units are offered as affordable to very low-income people or extremely low-income people, are specifically for seniors or people with disabilities, or are market rate multifamily housing units; and
• the proximity of the housing units to a transit stop that receives a certain frequency of transit service.

Limits on Minimum Residential Parking Requirements.  For affordable housing units that are affordable to very low-income or extremely low-income individuals and located within 0.25 miles of a transit stop receiving transit service at least two times per hour for twelve or more hours a day, minimum residential parking requirements may be no greater than one parking space per bedroom or 0.75 space per unit.

For housing units that are specifically for seniors or people with disabilities and located within 0.25 miles of a transit stop receiving transit service at least four times per hour for twelve or more hours a day, a city may not impose minimum residential parking requirements for the residents of such housing units.  A city may require a developer to record a covenant that prohibits the rental of a unit subject to this parking restriction for any purpose other than providing housing for seniors or people with disabilities.

For market rate multifamily housing units that are located within 0.25 miles of a transit stop that receives transit service from at least one route that provides service at least four times per hour for twelve or more hours per day, minimum residential parking requirements may be no greater than one parking space per bedroom or 0.75 space per unit.

A city may establish a requirement for the provision of additional parking space per bedroom or per unit if the jurisdiction has determined the particular housing unit to be in an area with a lack of access to street parking capacity, physical space impediments, or other reasons supported by evidence that would make on-street parking infeasible for the unit.

A city that is required or chooses to plan under the GMA may not:

• require off-street parking as a condition of permitting development of middle housing within one-half mile walking distance of a major transit stop;
• require more than one off-street parking space per unit as a condition of permitting development of middle housing on lots smaller than 6000 square feet; and
• require more than two off-street parking spaces per unit as a condition of permitting development of middle housing on lots greater than 6000 square feet.

State Building Code Council.  The State Building Code (SBC) provides a set of statewide standards and requirements related to building construction. The SBC is comprised of various international model codes, including building, residential, fire, and plumbing codes (model codes) adopted by reference by the Legislature. The model codes are promulgated by the International Code Council.

The State Building Code Council (SBCC) is responsible for adopting, amending, and maintaining the SBC. The SBCC must regularly review updated versions of the model codes and adopt a process for reviewing proposed statewide and local amendments.

A city, including code cities, or county may not require more than 0.5 parking space per multifamily dwelling unit or more than one parking space per single-family home. 

A city or county may not require more than two parking spaces per 1000 square feet of commercial space.

A city or county may not require any minimum parking requirements for:

• existing buildings undergoing change of use from a nonresidential to a residential use or a change of use for a commercial use;
• residences under 1200 square feet;
• commercial spaces under 3000 square feet;
• affordable housing;
• senior housing;
• child care facilities; and
• ground-level nonresidential spaces in mixed-use buildings.

Cities and counties with a population between 30,000 and 50,000 must implement the requirements within three years of the effective date of the bill.  Cities and counties with a population of 50,000 or greater must implement the requirements of this act within 18 months of the effective date of the bill. 

Exceptions.  Parking restrictions do not apply to the following:

• accessible parking spaces in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);
• portions of cities and counties within a one-mile radius of a commercial airport in Washington with at least 9 million annual enplanements; and
• cities or code cities with a population of 30,000 or less.

The parking limitations also do not apply if a city or county submits to the Department of Commerce (Commerce) an empirical study prepared by a credentialed transportation or land use planning expert that clearly demonstrates, and Commerce finds and certifies, that the application of the parking limitations will be significantly less safe for vehicle drivers or passengers, pedestrians, or bicyclists than the jurisdiction's current parking requirements.

A city or county may require parking in excess of these limitations for religious organizations and parking requirements for carpools.

A city or county that has adopted substantially similar policies to these requirements may apply to Commerce for a determination of compliance.

Jurisdictions may submit a request for a variance from the limitations and prohibitions on parking to Commerce if compliance with the requirements would be hazardous to the life, health, and safety of residents as confirmed by a building official or fire marshal, or their designees.

A city or county may also submit a request for a variance from the prohibitions and limitations on minimum parking requirements to require additional parking spaces permanently marked for the exclusive use of individuals with disabilities beyond those required for compliance with the ADA based on the planned or likely population, location, or safety of a building, using objective standards. 

Cities or counties are not prohibited from requiring temporary or time-restricted parking.  Cities and counties are encouraged to consider the adequacy of drop-off space, waiting space, and accessibility in the design review process when considering the limitations on parking requirements. 

Counties may require off-street parking if the county's roads are not developed to the standards for streets and roads adopted by the cities within that county.

Other Provisions.  Current minimum residential parking requirements for cities planning under the GMA are repealed.

SBCC shall research, and if necessary, adopt by rule updated accessible parking space requirements in the SBC to align with current research on disability rates among drivers.