Committee considers updates to water-recreation rules that would create 'aquatic facility' category

The Local Government Committee heard from the bill sponsor and Department of Health staff on House Bill 1684, an agency-request bill that would update state law regulating water recreation facilities, establish new definitions for aquatic facilities and venues, and clarify permitting and insurance requirements.

Michelle Rusk, staff, and Department of Health representatives briefed the committee on revisions to statutory definitions and regulatory triggers. The bill would replace the term “recreational water contact facility” with a framework that creates “aquatic facilities” and “aquatic venues,” and would list examples such as swimming pools, spa pools and tubs, water slides, wave pools, float tanks and cold plunges. The statute would continue to require liability coverage (for example, the current $100,000 threshold), require sellers to provide operating instructions to purchasers, and update permitting procedures. The Department of Health would retain rulemaking authority through the Washington State Board of Health to adopt safety, sanitation and water-quality rules.

Sponsor Representative Milin Tai described the bill as an agency request prompted by changes in the market — for example, private pools attached to short-term rental units — and said the Department of Health’s rulemaking process would include stakeholder input on issues such as signage, cleaning and safety for residential aquatic facilities that are rented to the public.

The committee and the sponsor discussed the scope of residential aquatic facilities and whether the bill would immediately require new signage or inspections for short-term-rental pools. Representative Tai said the bill enables rulemaking to bring “more stakeholder” perspectives into crafting health and safety rules and cited drowning prevention and public-health risks as motivations. The committee suspended full public testimony and will continue the hearing at a later date.

Why it matters HB 1684 updates statutory definitions and regulatory authority governing a wide variety of aquatic venues, and it would allow the Board of Health to set minimum health and safety rules for residential aquatic facilities offered to the public. Public safety, drowning prevention and sanitation were central rationales offered by the sponsor and agency.

Next steps The committee suspended the hearing to allow additional public comment at a later session and invited technical feedback from the Department of Health and local stakeholders.