Creates a new section in chapter 36.70B RCW that establishes how proposed projects that include one or more residential housing units are considered in incorporated areas within an urban growth area designated under RCW 36.70A.110. Under the new section, a project must be considered under the zoning or other land use control ordinances that are in effect at the time a "fully completed project permit application" is submitted to the appropriate city official. The bill leaves the definition of "fully completed project permit application" to local ordinance and allows local ordinances to permit jurisdictions to pause permit processing and review until applicable fees are paid and required notices are posted or delivered. It also provides that a pause under a local ordinance does not, by itself, render an application invalid or incomplete for the sole purpose of determining which ordinances govern the project based on the submission time. The section does not limit or alter conditions imposed under chapter 43.21C RCW. This is a procedural change established by a new statutory section; it does not create a new crime, change penalties, or set enforcement remedies in the provided text. Important details are missing from the extracted facts: the bill delegates key definitions (for example, "fully completed project permit application" and "appropriate city official") to local ordinances, and no enforcement mechanisms, remedies, or other sections of the bill were included here.

If enacted, developers proposing one or more housing units in incorporated parts of designated urban growth areas will generally lock in whatever city zoning or land use rules are in effect at the moment they submit a "fully completed" permit application, so they gain more certainty that later zoning changes won't apply to that project even if the city pauses review while waiting for fees or notice postings. Practically, applicants may face pressure to pay fees or complete notice requirements sooner to avoid administrative pauses, but those unpaid fees or missing notices cannot be used to change which zoning rules apply to the submitted application. Cities and other local governments will need to spell out in their ordinances what counts as a fully completed application and may formally pause processing until fees are paid or notices posted, which could shift when fees are collected and how staff manage intake. Important details are unclear from the text provided — notably how "fully completed project permit application" and "appropriate city official" will be defined and how disputes or enforcement would be handled — so some implementation and legal uncertainty for both applicants and cities would likely remain.