The bill creates a new chapter in Title 69 RCW establishing a regulatory program for maple syrup processing operations administered by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. It defines key terms (department, director, maple sap, maple syrup, maple syrup processing operation, permeate, sugar shack), authorizes the department to adopt rules for permitting, inspections, sanitary procedures, equipment and facility requirements, labeling compliance, and related controls, and states that chapter 34.05 RCW governs rule making and permit suspension, revocation, and denial. Procedural changes include a required biennial maple syrup processing permit with a $250 permit/renewal fee, sanitation and inspection requirements (initial controls and periodic inspection frequency for low-risk products, and inspections for complaints/outbreaks/emergencies), a $150 fee for additional sanitation inspections after failing an initial permitting inspection, and ability for the department to contract with local health jurisdictions to conduct inspections. The bill specifies operational and sanitary requirements such as use of food-grade materials, avoidance of lead-containing solder, single-use new containers for finished product, grounds and drainage controls, handwashing with potable water or permeate before sap/syrup handling, and documentation that individuals involved hold a food and beverage service worker permit under chapter 69.06 RCW or equivalent. Private water must be tested at least annually except for operations with under $50,000 annual gross sales that bottle only and use hot evaporator water for sanitizing; the department may not require running water or that a sugar shack be a permanent structure. Fees are deposited into the food processing inspection account (RCW 69.07.120). The bill creates new penalties and procedures: operating without a permit or violating the chapter is a misdemeanor for a first offense and a gross misdemeanor for a second or subsequent offense (offenses more than five years after a prior conviction are treated as a first offense), and the department may impose civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation per day if the violation is not criminally prosecuted. Permitted maple syrup processing operations are, except as otherwise provided in the chapter, not subject to chapter 69.07 RCW or to permitting and inspection by a local health jurisdiction. The new chapter number in Title 69 is not specified in the provided text, and Section 10 and any additional provisions beyond Section 11 are incomplete or missing from the extracted facts.

If enacted, maple syrup producers in Washington will need to get a state permit from the Department of Agriculture every two years and follow new sanitation, training, and equipment rules that shift primary oversight to the department instead of local health jurisdictions. Operators should expect a $250 biennial permit fee, potential $150 fees for follow-up sanitation inspections if they fail initial checks, and routine costs for employee food-safety permits or equivalent training, annual private-water testing unless they qualify for the small-operation exemption, and the risk of criminal or civil penalties (including up to $1,000 per violation per day) for noncompliance. The law also intentionally reduces capital barriers for remote sugar shacks by allowing nonpermanent structures and not requiring running water, and it authorizes use of evaporator permeate for handwashing and other sanitary needs, which may lower infrastructure costs for many forest-based producers. Some implementation details are unclear from the provided text: the new chapter number in Title 69 RCW and the text of Section 10 are missing, so exact administrative procedures, any additional exemptions or obligations, and how the department will phase in rules or contract with local health jurisdictions remain uncertain.