Toll rates—Setting or adjusting on eligible toll facilities—Establishing or adjusting exemptions—Administrative fees—Toll rates and policies to be posted on website. (Effective January 1, 2026.)
(1) When setting or adjusting toll rates on eligible toll facilities, or establishing or adjusting appropriate exemptions, including discounts, the transportation commission shall:
(a) Issue written notice to the public that the commission intends to set or adjust toll rates on a given facility. At a minimum, the notice must be published on the commission's website at least 30 days before any proposed rates would take effect;
(b) Carry out a public outreach process on a possible toll rate option or options under consideration by the commission;
(c) After review of options and public input, if any, the commission shall select the applicable toll rates and may adopt the rates as soon as needed; however, adopting toll rates is deemed to be an action as defined in RCW 42.30.020 and must occur at an open public meeting of the commission; and
(d) Within one week of adopting toll rates, the commission shall notify the public and stakeholder agencies, including the department of transportation, of the toll rates, and provide the updated information on its website.
(2) If the commission determines that immediate adoption of a toll change is necessary in order to comply with the legal or financial obligations of the state including, but not limited to, state or federal law, federal rule, federal grant conditions, or the bond covenants of the state, then the commission may adopt a toll change on an emergency basis, without observing the notice and public outreach and input requirements of subsection (1) of this section. However, notice and public outreach and input requirements must be observed to the greatest extent practicable as the emergency circumstances allow.
(3) The commission shall establish administrative fees as appropriate for toll collection processes using the same process described in subsection (1) of this section.
(4) The commission shall post all current toll rates and toll policies on its website.
(5) All open public meetings conducted under this section must include an option for the public to participate remotely through electronic means.
(6) The commission shall adopt rules that establish further detail around the toll rate setting process and where relevant information will be provided.
(7) This section does not apply to any rule making regarding toll rate setting in progress by the commission on January 1, 2026, which shall be completed under chapter 34.05 RCW.
[ 2025 c 293 s 4.]
NOTES:
Findings—Intent—Effective date—2025 c 293: See notes following RCW 34.05.030.