This bill amends existing law in RCW 70A.105.110 to change qualifications and supervised practice rules for people who inspect or review on-site wastewater treatment systems. It requires local boards of health to ensure such reviewers and inspectors are qualified in on-site sewage treatment technology and application, and it states that a certificate of competency issued by the state board of registration for professional engineers and land surveyors is a sufficient demonstration of competency for the engineering aspects of on-site wastewater treatment system technology. The amendment also allows noncertified individuals to review designs and conduct inspections under the supervision of a certified individual, with supervised practice limited to a maximum of four years after hire. This is a modification of an existing statute that makes procedural changes to qualification and supervision requirements; it does not create a new crime or change penalties as described in the provided text. Affected entities include local boards of health, the state board of registration for professional engineers and land surveyors, certified and noncertified reviewers/inspectors of on-site wastewater treatment systems. The bill was read in the House on January 22, 2026, passed the House on March 3, 2026, and passed the Senate on March 10, 2026. The extracted material covers only Section 1 and does not include an effective date or implementation timeline. The definition of "on-site wastewater treatment systems" is referenced to RCW 18.210.010 but not reproduced here. The text provided does not further define "certified individual" beyond the certificate of competency example, and it does not specify detailed supervisory qualifications or other enforcement, reporting, or compliance provisions that may appear elsewhere in the bill.

If enacted, local boards of health will have to make sure people who inspect or review on-site sewage systems are actually qualified in that technology; a state-issued certificate of competency for engineers will count as meeting the engineering qualification. Boards can also staff reviews and inspections with noncertified workers, but only if those workers are directly supervised by a certified person and only for up to four years after hire, so counties and health districts are likely to shift toward a mix of certified supervisors and supervised trainees rather than relying solely on uncertified staff. The most affected parties are local health departments (more oversight and hiring decisions), certified professionals (more supervisory responsibility and potential liability), and noncertified workers (expanded opportunity to work under supervision but limited to a four-year window). The bill does not say when it takes effect, does not define supervisory qualifications beyond “certified,” and does not reproduce the definition of on-site systems, so some implementation details and any budget or enforcement impacts remain unclear.