This bill amends existing law (RCW 36.70B.020 and RCW 36.70B.120) to require local governments planning under RCW 36.70A.040 to establish an integrated, consolidated permit review process for two or more project permits related to a proposed project action. The consolidated process must allow a single application review, designate a permit coordinator, and, if the applicant elects consolidated review, include all consolidated permits in the determination of completeness, notice of application, and notice of final decision. The bill imposes procedural changes to hearings and appeals: when a project requires permits from more than one permit category, the jurisdiction must provide consolidated review using a single open record hearing and no more than one closed record appeal as governed by RCW 36.70B.060. Local governments must identify which permits are subject to open record hearings and closed record appeals, may provide different procedures by permit category, and may assign different decision makers or hearing bodies by ordinance or resolution to ensure consolidated review. The consolidated process may combine open record predecision hearings for some permits with open record appeal hearings for others, but the jurisdiction must specify which permits, if any, remain subject to closed record appeal. The bill also changes fees and review procedures for technical submittals: a jurisdiction may not charge an applicant for third-party peer review of submittal materials that have already been reviewed by a licensed professional on staff within the same license scope, unless there is a dispute between staff and the applicant. A local jurisdiction may, at the applicant’s cost, use a third‑party licensed professional to review the applicant’s submittal materials in lieu of its own staff review. The bill includes definitions for terms such as closed record appeal, licensed professional, open record hearing, project permit, public meeting, and submittal materials, and it references chapter 43.21C RCW for environmental review exemptions. The text supplied does not state an effective date and does not include the detailed provisions of RCW 36.70B.060 or the content of RCW 36.70A.040; the exact scope of any exceptions noted by the phrase “except as otherwise specifically included in this subsection” is also not provided.

If enacted, counties, cities and towns that must plan under state law will have to set up a single, consolidated permit review option that lets an applicant use one application, one designated permit coordinator, and, for projects needing permits in more than one category, a single open-record hearing and no more than one closed-record appeal. Applicants who choose consolidated review will get completeness notices and final decision notices that cover every permit in the consolidated package. Jurisdictions generally cannot bill applicants for outside peer review of materials already reviewed by a licensed professional on staff in the same discipline, unless the jurisdiction’s staff and the applicant disagree; applicants can also pay for a third-party licensed professional to do the review instead of the jurisdiction’s staff. The groups most affected are local governments, applicants for land use and environmental project permits, and licensed professionals. Local governments will need to create or change ordinances and assign permit coordinators and hearing roles, which could shift staff workloads and require administrative setup but should reduce duplicate hearings and appeals. Applicants will likely see fewer separate hearings and appeals and lower risk of repeat review fees, though the bill leaves open when it takes effect and relies on other statutes for appeal detail and which jurisdictions are covered, so exact timing and some procedural specifics remain unclear.