Nursery dealer licenses—Farmers markets—Application—Fees—Expiration—Posting—Audit.
(1) No person may act as a nursery dealer without a license for each place of business where horticultural plants are sold except as provided in RCW 15.13.270. Any person applying for such a license must apply through the business licensing system. The application must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. The director must establish a schedule of fees for retail and wholesale nursery dealer licenses based upon the person's gross annual sales of horticultural plants at each place of business. The schedule for retail licenses must include separate fees for at least the following two categories:
(a) A person whose gross annual sales of horticultural plants do not exceed two thousand five hundred dollars; and
(b) A person whose gross annual sales of horticultural plants exceed two thousand five hundred dollars.
(2) A person conducting both retail and wholesale sales of horticultural plants at the same place of business must secure one of the following:
(a) A retail nursery dealer license if retail sales of the horticultural plants exceed such wholesale sales; or
(b) A wholesale nursery dealer license if wholesale sales of the horticultural plants exceed such retail sales.
(3) The director may issue a wholesale nursery dealer license to a person operating as a farmers market at which individual producers are selling directly to consumers. The license must be at the appropriate level to cover all persons selling horticultural plants at each site at which the person operates a market.
(4) The licensing fee that must accompany an application for a new license must be based upon the applicant's estimated gross sales of horticultural plants for the ensuing licensing year. The fee for renewing a license must be based upon the licensee's gross sales of these products during the preceding licensing year.
(5) The license expires on the business license expiration date unless it has been revoked or suspended prior to the expiration date by the director for cause. Each license must be posted in a conspicuous place open to the public in the location for which it was issued.
(6) The department may audit licensees during normal business hours to determine that appropriate fees have been paid.
[ 2013 c 144 s 3; 2000 c 144 s 6; 1993 c 120 s 4; 1987 c 35 s 1; 1985 c 36 s 4; 1983 1st ex.s. c 73 s 3; 1982 c 182 s 20; 1971 ex.s. c 33 s 4.]