House Bill 1299 (the "parking reform and modernization act") creates new statutory sections for cities (chapter 35.21 RCW), code cities (chapter 35A.21 RCW), and counties (chapter 36.01 RCW) and amends RCW 36.70A.620. The bill changes local land use regulation by setting maximum required parking ratios, prohibiting many predetermined minimum parking requirements for certain types of development, and limiting when off‑street parking may be required near transit. It is a regulatory change to municipal and county permitting law, not a criminal or penalty change. Under the new sections, maximum required parking is established as follows: for cities and counties a maximum of 0.5 parking space per residential dwelling unit and one parking space per 1,000 square feet of commercial space; for code cities a maximum of one parking space per residential dwelling unit and one parking space per 1,000 square feet of commercial space. The new sections also prohibit minimum parking requirements for specified categories of uses including affordable housing (as defined in RCW 36.70A.030), senior housing, housing for people with disabilities, child care facilities, and certain other listed facilities; accessible spaces required by the Americans with Disabilities Act are exempted from these prohibitions. The amendment to RCW 36.70A.620 applies to counties and cities planning under RCW 36.70A.040 and to minimum residential parking requirements for housing units built after July 1, 2019. It bars cities with at least 10,000 people located in counties with population density over 100 people per square mile from requiring off‑street parking as a condition for permitting multifamily, middle housing, or accessory dwelling units that are within one‑half mile walking distance of “transit service” (defined in the bill as at least one route with service at least four times per hour for 12 or more hours per day). Cities may still adopt maximum parking limits and may require frontage improvements that provide on‑street parking. The bill therefore adds new law and revises existing statutory language to constrain minimum parking mandates and set maximums. The extracted material does not show exact placement or numbering of the new sections within the cited chapters, does not state overall effective dates or any transitional provisions beyond the July 1, 2019 reference, and does not include the full surrounding statutory context that may affect implementation.

If enacted, the bill would sharply reduce or eliminate municipal minimum off‑street parking mandates for many new developments. In most cities and in counties the maximum a local government could require would be one parking space per 1,000 square feet of commercial space and, for residential units, either 0.5 spaces per unit (cities and counties) or one space per unit (code cities). Cities meeting the population and density tests would not be allowed to require any off‑street parking for multifamily, middle housing, or accessory dwelling units within a half‑mile of frequent transit. Affordable housing, senior housing, housing for people with disabilities, child care, and similar uses would face no minimum parking requirements, while ADA‑accessible spaces remain required. Developers of the listed housing types and commercial projects would likely see lower construction costs and greater flexibility to build denser projects or use land for housing instead of parking; local governments would lose a common tool for guaranteeing off‑street parking supply and might see increased demand for on‑street parking or need for frontage improvements (which cities may still require). Municipal planners and zoning authorities will need new policies for curb space and parking management, and there is uncertainty about effective dates, exact placement of the new sections, and other transitional details not included in the excerpt.