WA SB5659

Every county, city, and town must approve enough new home construction to eliminate their proportional share of Washington's estimated 1,000,000+ home shortage by 2035

Department of Commerce must calculate and publish each jurisdiction's housing target by April 1, 2026, using best available data including private sector analyses and Growth Management Act data

Local governments must track building permit applications starting May 1, 2026, and if more than 33% are denied, evaluate factors leading to denials and work to increase approvals

Jurisdictions that identify state laws impeding their ability to meet housing targets must report those barriers to Commerce, which forwards reports to the governor and legislature for potential state law amendments

Counties, cities, and towns that fail to comply with these requirements will be barred from receiving earnings on investments in the local real estate excise tax account