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› Comparative Data - Number of Special Purpose Districts
Updated 03/03
Comparative Data - Number of Special Purpose Districts
| District | Date Created | Enabling Statute (RCW) | Number in 2004 (Multiple Sources) | Number DOR TaxCode Areas (3/02) | 1963 Units of Govt** |
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| Agricultural - Weeds and Pests | |||||
| Agricultural Pest Districts | 1919 | Ch. 17.12 RCW | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Horticultural Pest and Disease Board (Horticultural Assessment) | 1969 | Ch. 15.09 RCW | 7 | NA | |
| Weed Districts | 1921 | Ch. 17.04 RCW | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| Inter-County Regular Weed Districts | 1959 | Ch. 17.06 RCW | 2 | ||
| Air Pollution Control Authorities | 1957, 1967 | Ch. 70.94 RCW | 8 | ||
| Airport Districts, County | 1945 | RCW 14.08.290-.330 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cemetery Districts | 1947 | Ch. 68.52 RCW | 105 | 101 | 44 |
| Conservation Districts | 1939 | Ch. 89.08 RCW | 48 | 74 | |
| County Rail Districts | 1983 | Ch. 36.60 RCW | Unknown | NA | |
| Cultural Arts, Stadium, and Convention Districts | 1982 | Ch. 67.38 RCW | 0 | 1 | NA |
| Diking and Drainage Districts | Title 85 RCW | 112 | 194 | ||
| Diking Districts | 1895 | Ch. 85.05 RCW | Included above | Above | |
| Diking & Drainage Districts in Two or More Counties (Intercounty Diking and Drainage Districts) | 1909 | Ch.. 85.24 RCW | Included above | Above | |
| Diking, Drainage and Irrigation Improvement Districts; Drainage and Irrigation Improvement district - Improvement Districts - 1933 Act | 1933 | Ch. 85.22 RCW | Included above | Above | |
| Diking, Drainage, Sewerage Improvement Districts Funding methods revised by Diking, Drainage, and Sewerage Improvement Districts - 1967 Act | 1913 | Ch. 85.08 RCW, Ch. 85.15 RCW | Included above | Above | |
| Drainage Districts | 1895 | Ch. 85.06 RCW | Included above | Above | |
| Drainage Improvement Districts; Diking Improvement Districts - Improvement Districtss - 1917 Act (reorganization of Diking or Drainage Dist) | 1917 | Ch. 85.20 RCW | Included above | Above | |
| Sewage Improvement Districts- Formerly under Title 85 After 1979 powers of title 85 | 1923 | RCW 57.04.120-.130 | Included above | Above | |
| Emergency Medical Service Districts | 1979 | 36.32.480 RCW | 1 | 139* | NA |
| Emergency Service Communication District | 1987 | RCW 82.14B.070-.100 | 2 | NA | |
| Fire Protection Districts | 1933 | Title 52 RCW | 391 | 394 | 332 |
| Flood Control | 16 | 1 | |||
| Flood Control by Counties Jointly - 1913 Act (Intercounty) | 1913 | Ch. 86.13 RCW | Included above | ||
| Flood Control Districts - 1935 Act | 1935, Repealed 1965 | Ch.86.05 RCW | Included above | 3 | |
| Flood Control Districts - 1937 Act | 1937 | Ch. 86.09 RCW | Included above | 9 | |
| Flood Control Zone Districts | 1961 | Ch. 86.15 RCW | 19 | 18 | |
| Health Districts | 1945 | Ch. 70.46 RCW | 13 | 9 | |
| Housing | |||||
| Public Housing Authorities | 1939 | Ch. 35.82 RCW | 33 | 23 | |
| Joint City-county Housing Authorities | 1980 | RCW 35.82.300 | Included above | NA | |
| Irrigation & Reclamation | 97 | 2 | 91 | ||
| Irrigation Districtss | 1890 | Ch. 87.03 RCW | Included above | Included above | |
| Irrigation and Rehabilitation Districts | 1961 | Ch. 87.84 RCW | Included above | Included above | |
| Reclamation and Irrigation Districts in Reclamation Areas | 1943 | Ch. 89.12 RCW | Included above | Included above | |
| Reclamation Districts of One Million Acres | 1927 | Ch. 89.30 RCW | Included above | Included above | |
| Library Districts | Ch. 27.12 RCW | 24 | 39 | ||
| Inter-County Rural Library Districts | 1947 | RCW 27.12.090 | Included above | 5 | |
| Island Library Districts | 1982 | RCW 27.12.400 - .450 | Included above | NA | |
| Library Capital Facility Area | 1995 | Ch 27.15 RCW | 9 | 8 | NA |
| Regional Library Districts | 1935 | RCW 27.12.080 | Included in library |
Included with other library districts | |
| Rural County Library Districts | 1941 | RCW 27.12.040 - .070 | Included in Library | 10 | |
| Rural Partial Library Districts | 1993 | RCW 27.12.470 | Included in library | NA | |
| Mosquito Control Districts | 1957 | Ch. 17.28 RCW | 15 | 14 | 5 |
| Park & Recreation | |||||
| Metropolitan Park Districts | 1907 | Ch. 35.61 RCW | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Park & Recreation Districts | 1957 | Ch. 36.69 RCW | 52 | 54 | 4 |
| Park & Recreation Service Areas | 1963 | RCW 36.68.400 - .620 | 7 | - | NA |
| Joint Park & Recreation District | 1979 | RCW 36.68.420 - .460 | 1 | - | - |
| Port Districts | 1911 | Title 53 RCW | 76 | 76 | 72 |
| Public Facilities Districts | 1988 - county; 1999 - city |
Ch. 36.100 RCW counties, Ch. 35.57 RCW cities/towns | 22 | NA | |
| Public Hospital Districts | 1945 | Ch. 70.44 RCW | 57 | 56 | 33 |
| Rural Public Hospital Districts (defined) | 1992 | RCW 70.44.450-.460 | Included above | NA | |
| Public Stadium Authority | 1997 | Ch. 36.102 RCW | 1 | NA | |
| Public Utility Districts | 1931 | Title 54 RCW | 30 | 30 | |
| Roads & Bridges Service Districts | 1983 | Ch. 36.83 RCW | Unknown | 1 | NA |
| School Districts | 1889 | Ch. 28A.315 RCW | 296 | 296 | 408 |
| Joint School Districts | 1897 | Ch. 28A.323 RCW | Included above | - | |
| Shellfish Protection Districts - "Clean Water Districts" | 1985 | Ch. 90.72 RCW | 15 | NA | |
| Television Assessment Districts | 1971 | Ch. 36.95 RCW | 10 | NA | |
| Transportation (Mass Transit) | |||||
| City Transportation Authority (Monorail) | 2002 | Ch. 35.95A RCW, Ch. 248 Laws 2002 | 1 | NA | |
| County Public Transportation Authority | 1974 | Ch. 36.57 RCW | 1 | NA | |
| Ferry Districts, Passenger Only | 2003 | 0 | NA | ||
| Public Transportation Benefit Area | 1975 | Ch. 36.57A RCW | 19 | NA | |
| Regional Transit Authorities | 1992 | RCW 81.112 | 1 | NA | |
| Regional Transportation Investment Districts | 2002 | 0 | NA | ||
| Unincorporated Transportation Benefit Areas (UTBA) | 1975 | RCW 36.57.100 | 1 | NA | |
| Transportation Benefit District | 1989 | Ch. 36.73 RCW, RCW 35.21.225 for city | 1 | 1 | NA |
| Water-Sewer Districts (Water-Sewer Districts, Water Districts, Sewer Districts) | Sewer Dist 1941; water dist 1913; water-sewer consolidation 1971 | Title 57 RCW (districts reclassified, formerly Sewer Title 56, Water Title 57), reclassification 1997 | 209 | 126 water, 39 sewer | 194 |
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| Apportionment District (Community Redevelopment Financing Act) | 1982 | Ch 39.88 RCW Ruled unconstitutional by Leonard v. Spokane, 127 Wn. 2nd 195 (1995) | NA | 2 | |
| Aquifer Protection Areas | 1985 | Ch. 36.36 RCW | 1 | NA | |
| Community Renewal Area | 2002 | Ch. 35.81 RCW, Ch. 218 Laws of 2002 | Unknown | NA | |
| County Road Districts | 1889 | RCW 36.75.060 | 39 | 39 | 84 |
| County Road Improvement Districts | 1951 | Ch. 36.88 RCW | Unknown | 97 | |
| Flood Control by Counties (River Improvement Fund) | 1907 | Ch. 86.12 RCW | Unknown | - | |
| Industrial Development Districts (Ports) - to develop marginal area properties | 1939 | Ch. 53.25 RCW | Unknown | 1 | |
| Lake Management Districts | 1986 | Ch. 36.61 RCW; RCW 35.21.403 | 11 | NA | |
| Public Waterway Districts | 1911 | Ch. 91.08 RCW | Unknown | - | |
| River & Harbor Improvement Districts | 1903 | Ch. 88.32 RCW | Unknown | - | |
| Solid Waste Collection Districts | 1971 | Ch. 36.58A RCW | Unknown | NA | |
| Solid Waste Disposal Districts | 1982 | RCW 36.58.100 | 2 | NA | |
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| Legal Authorities (Hydroelectric) - Irrigation Districts - Interlocal | 1983 | RCW 87.03.825 - .840 | 1 | ||
| Metropolitan Municipal Corporations | 1957 | Ch. 35.58 RCW & Ch. 36.56 RCW | 0 | 2 | |
| Operating Agencies (Electricity Generation and Distribution, Cities & PUD) - Interlocal | 1981 | Ch. 43.52 RCW | 1 | ||
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| Commercial Waterway | 1911, Repealed 1971 | 1 | |||
| Ferry | 1917, Repealed 1994 | 2 | |||
| Flood Control District 1935 Act | 1935, Repealed 1965 | ||||
| Joint Jail District | 1961, Repealed 1971 | ||||
| Sanitary Districts | 1933, Repealed 1971 | ||||
| School Library District | Repealed 1965 | 1 | |||
| Toll Facility Aid District | 1961, Repealed 1971 | ||||
| Townships | 1895, Repealed 1997 | 68 | |||
| Water Distribution District | 1921, Repealed 1971 | 1 | |||
| TOTAL | 1745 | 1545 | 2123 | ||
| * This figure is the EMS tax district levy imposed by counties, cities, fire and hospital districts authorized by RCW 84.52.069 not the number of emergency medical service districts created pursuant to RCW 36.22.480. | |||||
| ** Appendix C, Governmental Units in the State of Washington in Special Districts in the State of Washington. Report No. 150. Seattle: University of Washington, Bureau of Government Research & Services, 1963, | |||||