Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Applicant" means a person applying for a tax deferral under this chapter.

(2) "Department" means the department of revenue.

(3) "Eligible area" means a qualifying county.

(4)(a) "Eligible investment project" means an investment project that is located, as of the date the application required by RCW 82.94.020 is received by the department, in an eligible area as defined in subsection (3) of this section.

(b) "Eligible investment project" does not include any portion of an investment project undertaken by a light and power business as defined in RCW 82.16.010(4), other than that portion of a cogeneration project that is used to generate power for consumption within the manufacturing site of which the cogeneration project is an integral part, or investment projects that have already received deferrals under this chapter.

(5)(a) "Initiation of construction" means the date that a building permit is issued under the building code adopted under RCW 19.27.031 for:

(i) Construction of the qualified building, if the underlying ownership of the building vests exclusively with the person receiving the economic benefit of the deferral;

(ii) Construction of the qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in RCW 82.60.025; or

(iii) Tenant improvements for a qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in RCW 82.60.025.

(b) "Initiation of construction" does not include soil testing, site clearing and grading, site preparation, or any other related activities that are initiated before the issuance of a building permit for the construction of the foundation of the building.

(c) If the eligible investment project is a phased project, "initiation of construction" applies separately to each phase.

(6) "Investment project" means an investment in qualified buildings or qualified machinery and equipment, including labor and services rendered in the planning, installation, and construction of the project.

(7) "Manufacturing" means the same as defined in RCW 82.04.120. "Manufacturing" also includes:

(a) The activities performed by research and development laboratories and commercial testing laboratories; and

(b) The conditioning of vegetable seeds.

(8) "Meaningful construction" means an active construction site, where excavation of a building site, laying of a building foundation, or other tangible signs of construction are taking place and that clearly show a progression in the construction process at the location designated by the taxpayer in the application for deferral. Planning, permitting, or land clearing before excavation of the building site, without more, does not constitute "meaningful construction."

(9) "Person" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.030.

(10) "Qualified buildings" means construction of new structures, and expansion or renovation of existing structures for the purpose of increasing floor space or production capacity used for manufacturing or research and development activities, including plant offices and warehouses or other facilities for the storage of raw material or finished goods if such facilities are an essential or an integral part of a factory, mill, plant, or laboratory used for manufacturing or research and development. If a building is used partly for manufacturing or research and development and partly for other purposes, the applicable tax deferral must be determined by apportionment of the costs of construction under rules adopted by the department.

(11) "Qualified machinery and equipment" means all new industrial and research fixtures, equipment, and support facilities that are an integral and necessary part of a manufacturing or research and development operation. "Qualified machinery and equipment" includes: Computers; software; data processing equipment; laboratory equipment; manufacturing components such as belts, pulleys, shafts, and moving parts; molds, tools, and dies; operating structures; and all equipment used to control or operate the machinery.

(12) "Qualifying county" means a county that has a population less than 650,000 at the time an application is submitted under RCW 82.94.020.

(13) "Recipient" means a person receiving a tax deferral under this chapter.

(14) "Research and development" means the development, refinement, testing, marketing, and commercialization of a product, service, or process before commercial sales have begun, but only when such activities are intended to ultimately result in the production of a new, different, or useful substance or article of tangible personal property for sale. As used in this subsection, "commercial sales" excludes sales of prototypes or sales for market testing if the total gross receipts from such sales of the product, service, or process do not exceed $1,000,000.