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Council updates school impact fees to reflect state law, exempts accessory dwelling units
Summary
The Snohomish County Council on April 30 adopted ordinance 25-017 to amend county code so school impact fees reflect recent state law changes requiring lower fees for smaller housing units and to exempt accessory dwelling units.
The Snohomish County Council on April 30 adopted ordinance 25-017 to amend county code on school impact fees so the county conforms with state law changes affecting how fees are calculated for smaller housing units and to exempt accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
Bridal Henry, council staff, told the council that during the 2023 legislative session the Washington Legislature adopted Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5258, which amended RCW 82.02.060 to require proportionally lower impact fees for smaller housing units and required jurisdictions to adopt implementing regulations in a specified timeframe after their next required comprehensive plan update under the Growth Management Act. Henry said the ordinance adds a Jan. 1, 2025 date for school district capital facilities plans to incorporate the new categories for smaller and larger housing units and amends the code table to list each housing unit type with corresponding categories. The ordinance also amends Snohomish County Code to exempt ADUs from school impact fees; staff said the ADU exemption was not included in the Planning Commission version because the ADU ordinance had not then passed.
Denise Stifarm of Pacifica Law Group spoke during public testimony on behalf of multiple school districts, saying the districts "appreciate working with county staff collaboratively over several months to craft this ordinance and meet the intent of state law," and she urged the council to adopt the ordinance. Council members approved proposed amendment sheet 1 and then adopted the ordinance by a 5-0 roll-call vote.
Council and staff described the action as a local-code update to implement state statutory changes, list housing-type categories more granularly in the county code, and reflect the ADU exemption already approved in county code. The ordinance passed with unanimous support; staff and the school districts indicated continued collaboration during implementation and plan updates.
