Washington Growth Management Act — Zoning for Growth Targets (WA)
Tracked preemption from the Washington overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1990-07-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:WA
Other Washington preemptions
Washington HB 1110 — Middle Housing (Tier 1: cities >=75,000)Washington HB 1110 — Middle Housing (Tier 2: cities 25,000-75,000)Washington HB 1110 — Middle Housing (Tier 3: small cities in Tier 1 UGA)Washington SB 5184 — Lot Splitting for Housing CapacityWashington SB 5290 — Local Permit Review TimelinesWashington HB 1337 — Accessory Dwelling Units StatewideWashington E2SHB 1220 — Comprehensive Plan Housing Obligations
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
city.growth_management_act_tier attribute is presentPreempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[*].zoning_capacity_adequacy | require | sufficient_for_20yr_growth_targets | Cities must zone for OFM population projections over 20-year planning horizon |
base_districts[category=res_mf].max_units_per_acre | floor_at | sufficient to accommodate RCW 36.70A.070(2) housing element targets | Zoning must accommodate adopted growth targets across income bands |
Citation
Authority source
WA Growth Management Act / RCW 36.70A
§ RCW 36.70A
Research notes
Foundational WA land-use statute. Cities planning under GMA must zone for 20-year OFM population projections and adopt a housing element accommodating all income bands. Non-compliance remedied by Growth Management Hearings Boards, which may invalidate comprehensive plan or development regulations. Serves as enabling framework for HB 1110, HB 1220, HB 1337.