Budget & Taxes (Fees & Licensing)

SB 5996 freezes commercial shellfish fees at 2025 levels through June 2027. It prohibits the state department from raising fees for six specific licenses and services: commercial shellfish harvest, shellstock shipping, shucker-packer plants, export certificates, biotoxin testing, and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) monitoring. The bill also bans any new fees for shellfish harvesters, shippers, and processing plants during this period. This directly affects commercial shellfish operators in Washington state by preventing cost increases on their required licensing and testing fees. The legislation aims to provide fee stability for the shellfish industry through 2027.

HB 2335 would repeal tax increases on businesses enacted in 2025, specifically targeting provisions from 2025 Chapter 420. It removes a surcharge on businesses with over $250 million in taxable income (RCW 82.04.288) and eliminates an "Advanced Computing Surcharge," along with 13 other tax provisions from the 2025 law. These changes would directly affect high-grossing businesses and financial institutions subject to the repealed tax rates. The bill takes effect April 1, 2026, reversing specific tax increases implemented by the 2025 legislature.

SB 5929 exempts assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust from two fees: the $100 covenant homeownership program assessment and the $183 document recording surcharge. This change applies directly to mortgage lenders, title companies, and property owners involved in transferring existing mortgage interests. The bill amends RCW 36.22.185 (adding subsection (2)(f)) and RCW 36.22.250 (adding exemption (e)), removing these fees for such transactions while maintaining other fee exemptions. It does not affect new deeds of trust or other fee structures.

SB 5130 eliminates all fees for child care licensing in Washington State, directly affecting child care providers who previously paid annual licensing costs. The bill amends state law to remove the requirement that the department charge fees for issuing or renewing licenses, replacing the prior cost-based fee structure with a fee-free system. Key provisions include removing fee-related language from licensing statutes and requiring providers to instead submit annual declarations of intent to operate and compliance with rules. This change simplifies the licensing process by removing financial barriers for providers while maintaining oversight through required declarations and background checks.

HB 2067 changes Washington state's document recording fee from a tax to a true cost-recovery charge. It requires county auditors to charge no more than $30 per document or their actual $21 cost per document, whichever is lower, instead of higher fees that previously funded unrelated programs. The bill repeals six existing surcharges (like those for historical preservation, mortgage fraud prosecution, and library accounts) that had transformed the fee into a tax. This change takes effect June 30, 2026, directly affecting people recording deeds, mortgages, and other legal documents in Washington counties.