MRSC FOCUS
› Inquiry of the Week (09/25/00)
Inquiry of the Week (09/25/00)
Question:
Must a city or town establish an administrative procedure under state law to review and approve short plat applications?
Answer:
Yes. The legal staff at Municipal Research Center have taken the position that the state subdivision law requires that review and approval of short plats be performed by city or town administrative personnel rather than by an advisory body such as the planning commission or a policy-making body such as the city or town council.
It is a mandatory requirement in RCW 58.17.060 that the council of every city and town adopt regulations and procedures for the approval of short plats and subdivisions. This statute provides in part:
The legislative body of a city, town, or county shall adopt regulations and procedures, and appoint administrative personnel for the summary approval of short plats and short subdivisions or alteration or vacation thereof.This statute requires that every city and town appoint administrative personnel for the summary approval of short plats and subdivisions. The language in this statute clearly indicates that the process of short plat approval is an administrative one that is to be performed by administrative personnel. Short plats are also to be approved or disapproved or returned to the applicant within thirty days of filing and this may be difficult to achieve if the processing body is a planning commission or town council.