Revised Code of Washington
Chapter 84.14 - New and Rehabilitated Multiple-Unit Dwellings in Urban Centers.
84.14.020 - Exemption—Duration—Valuation—Relocation assistance.

RCW 84.14.020
Exemption—Duration—Valuation—Relocation assistance.

(1)(a) The value of new housing construction, conversion, and rehabilitation improvements qualifying under this chapter is exempt from ad valorem property taxation, as follows:
(i) For properties for which applications for certificates of tax exemption eligibility are submitted under this chapter before July 22, 2007, the value is exempt for ten successive years beginning January 1 of the year immediately following the calendar year of issuance of the certificate;
(ii) For properties for which applications for certificates of tax exemption eligibility are submitted under this chapter on or after July 22, 2007, the value is exempt:
(A) For eight successive years beginning January 1st of the year immediately following the calendar year of issuance of the certificate;
(B) For twelve successive years beginning January 1st of the year immediately following the calendar year of issuance of the certificate, if the property otherwise qualifies for the exemption under this chapter and meets the conditions in this subsection (1)(a)(ii)(B). For the property to qualify for the twelve-year exemption under this subsection, the applicant must commit to renting or selling at least twenty percent of the multifamily housing units as affordable housing units to low and moderate-income households, and the property must satisfy that commitment and any additional affordability and income eligibility conditions adopted by the local government under this chapter. In the case of projects intended exclusively for owner occupancy, the minimum requirement of this subsection (1)(a)(ii)(B) may be satisfied solely through housing affordable to moderate-income households; or
(C) For 20 successive years beginning January 1st of the year immediately following the calendar year of issuance of the certificate, if the property otherwise qualifies for the exemption under this chapter and meets the conditions in this subsection (1)(a)(ii)(C). For the property to qualify for the 20-year exemption under this subsection, the project must be located within one mile of high capacity transit of at least 15 minute scheduled frequency, in a city that has implemented, as of July 25, 2021, a mandatory inclusionary zoning requirement for affordable housing that ensures affordability of housing units for a period of at least 99 years and that has a population of no more than 65,000 as measured on July 25, 2021. To qualify for the exemption provided in this subsection (1)(a)(ii)(C), the applicant must commit to renting at least 20 percent of the dwelling units as affordable to low-income households for a term of at least 99 years, and the property must satisfy that commitment and all required affordability and income eligibility conditions adopted by the local government under this chapter. A city must require the applicant to record a covenant or deed restriction that ensures the continuing rental of units subject to these affordability requirements consistent with the conditions in this subsection (1)(a)(ii)(C) for a period of no less than 99 years. The covenant or deed restriction must also address criteria and policies to maintain public benefit if the property is converted to a use other than which continues to provide for permanently affordable low-income housing consistent with this subsection (1)(a)(ii)(C); and
(iii) Until December 31, 2026, for a city as defined in RCW 84.14.010(3)(d), for 12 successive years beginning January 1st of the year immediately following the calendar year of issuance of the certificate, if the property otherwise qualifies for the exemption under this chapter and meets the conditions in this subsection (1)(a)(iii). For the property to qualify for the 12-year exemption under this subsection, the applicant must commit to renting or selling at least 20 percent of the multifamily housing units as affordable housing units to low and moderate-income households, the property must satisfy that commitment and any additional affordability and income eligibility conditions adopted by the local government under this chapter, and the area must be zoned to have an average minimum density equivalent to 15 dwelling units or more per gross acre, or for cities with a population over 20,000, the area must be zoned to have an average minimum density equivalent to 25 dwelling units or more per gross acre. In the case of projects intended exclusively for owner occupancy, the minimum requirement of this subsection (1)(a)(iii) may be satisfied solely through housing affordable to low-income or moderate-income households.
(b) The exemptions provided in (a)(i) through (iii) of this subsection do not include the value of land or nonhousing-related improvements not qualifying under this chapter.
(c) For properties receiving an exemption as provided in (a)(ii)(B) of this subsection that are in compliance with existing contracts and where the certificate of tax exemption is set to expire after June 11, 2020, but before December 31, 2021, the exemption is extended until December 31, 2021, provided that the property must satisfy any eligibility criteria or limitations provided in this chapter as a condition to the existing exemption for a given property continue to be met. For all properties eligible to receive an extension pursuant to this subsection (1)(c), the city or county that issued the initial certificate of tax exemption, as required in RCW 84.14.090, must notify the county assessor and the applicant of the extension of the certificate of tax exemption.
(2) When a local government adopts guidelines pursuant to RCW 84.14.030(2) and includes conditions that must be satisfied with respect to individual dwelling units, rather than with respect to the multiple-unit housing as a whole or some minimum portion thereof, the exemption may, at the local government's discretion, be limited to the value of the qualifying improvements allocable to those dwelling units that meet the local guidelines.
(3) In the case of rehabilitation of existing buildings, the exemption does not include the value of improvements constructed prior to the submission of the application required under this chapter. The incentive provided by this chapter is in addition to any other incentives, tax credits, grants, or other incentives provided by law.
(4) This chapter does not apply to increases in assessed valuation made by the assessor on nonqualifying portions of building and value of land nor to increases made by lawful order of a county board of equalization, the department of revenue, or a county, to a class of property throughout the county or specific area of the county to achieve the uniformity of assessment or appraisal required by law.
(5) At the conclusion of the exemption period, the value of the new housing construction, conversion, or rehabilitation improvements must be considered as new construction for the purposes of chapters 84.55 and 36.21 RCW as though the property was not exempt under this chapter.
(6) For properties that qualified for, satisfied the conditions of, and utilized the exemption under subsection (1)(a)(ii)(A) or (B) of this section, following the initial exemption period or the extension period authorized in subsection (1)(c) of this section, the exemption period may be extended for an additional 12 years for projects that are within 18 months of expiration contingent on city or county approval. For the property to qualify for an extension under this subsection (6), the applicant must meet at a minimum the locally adopted requirements for the property to qualify for an exemption under subsection (1)(a)(ii)(B) of this section as applicable at the time of the extension application, and the applicant commits to renting or selling at least 20 percent of the multifamily housing units as affordable housing units for low-income households.
(7) At the end of both the tenth and eleventh years of an extension, for twelve-year extensions of the exemption, applicants must provide tenants of rent-restricted units with notification of intent to provide the tenant with rental relocation assistance as provided in subsection (8) of this section.
(8)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, for any 12-year exemption authorized under subsection (1)(a)(ii)(B) or (iii) of this section after July 25, 2021, or for any 12-year exemption extension authorized under subsection (6) of this section, at the expiration of the exemption the applicant must provide tenant relocation assistance in an amount equal to one month's rent to a qualified tenant within the final month of the qualified tenant's lease. To be eligible for tenant relocation assistance under this subsection, the tenant must occupy an income-restricted unit at the time the exemption expires and must qualify as a low-income household under this chapter at the time relocation assistance is sought.
(b) If affordability requirements consistent, at a minimum, with those required under subsection (1)(a)(ii)(B) or (iii) of this section remain in place for the unit after the expiration of the exemption, relocation assistance in an amount equal to one month's rent must be provided to a qualified tenant within the final month of a qualified tenant's lease who occupies an income-restricted unit at the time those additional affordability requirements cease to apply to the unit.
(9) No new exemptions may be provided under this section beginning on or after January 1, 2032. No extensions may be granted under subsection (6) of this section on or after January 1, 2046.

[ 2021 c 187 § 3; 2020 c 237 § 2; 2007 c 430 § 4; 2002 c 146 § 2; 1999 c 132 § 1; 1995 c 375 § 5.]
NOTES:

Tax preference performance statement—2021 c 187 § 3: "(1) This section is the tax preference performance statement for the tax preferences contained in section 3, chapter 187, Laws of 2021. This performance statement is only intended to be used for subsequent evaluation of the tax preferences. It is not intended to create a private right of action by any party or be used to determine eligibility for preferential tax treatment.
(2) The legislature categorizes these tax preferences as ones intended to induce certain designated behavior by taxpayers, as indicated in RCW 82.32.808(2)(a).
(3) It is the legislature's specific public policy objective to:
(a) Incentivize developers to construct or rehabilitate multifamily housing;
(b) Incentivize local governments and multifamily housing owners to maintain or expand existing income-restricted unit stock that have been incentivized through the tax exemption provided under chapter 84.14 RCW via new authority to renew the property tax abatement in exchange for continued or additional affordability; and
(c) Further encourage multifamily construction in cities and certain unincorporated urban growth areas by expanding access to the multifamily tax exemption program to a broader set of jurisdictions.
(4) It is the legislature's intent to provide the value of new housing construction, conversion, and rehabilitation improvements qualifying under chapter 84.14 RCW an exemption from ad valorem property taxation for eight to 12 years or more, as provided for in RCW 84.14.020, in order to provide incentives to developers to construct or rehabilitate multifamily housing thereby increasing the number of affordable housing units, or preserving the state's stock of income-restricted units, for low-income to moderate-income residents in certain urban growth areas.
(5) The legislature intends to extend the expiration date of the tax preferences in section 3, chapter 187, Laws of 2021, if a review finds that:
(a) Projects receiving an initial eight-year or 12-year exemption regularly enter into subsequent 12-year extensions in exchange for continued or increased income restrictions on affordable units; and
(b) At least 20 percent of the new housing is developed and occupied by households earning:
(i) At or below 80 percent of the area median income, at the time of occupancy, adjusted for family size for the county in which the project is located; or
(ii) Where the housing is intended exclusively for owner occupancy, up to 115 percent of the area median income, at the time of sale, adjusted for family size for the county in which the project is located.
(6) In order to obtain the data necessary to perform the review in subsection (4) [(5)] of this section, the joint legislative audit and review committee must refer to the annual reports compiled by the department of commerce under RCW 84.14.100 and may refer to data provided by counties or cities in which persons are utilizing the preferences, the office of financial management, the department of commerce, the United States department of housing and urban development, and any other data sources, as needed by the joint legislative audit and review committee." [ 2021 c 187 § 6.]

Tax preference performance statement—2020 c 237 § 2: "(1) This section is the tax preference performance statement for the tax preferences contained in section 2, chapter 237, Laws of 2020. This performance statement is only intended to be used for subsequent evaluation of the tax preferences. It is not intended to create a private right of action by any party or be used to determine eligibility for preferential tax treatment.
(2) The legislature categorizes these tax preferences as ones intended to induce certain designated behavior by taxpayers, as indicated in RCW 82.32.808(2)(a).
(3) It is the legislature's specific public policy objective to incentivize local governments and multifamily housing owners to maintain or expand existing income-restricted unit stock that have been incentivized through the tax exemption provided under chapter 84.14 RCW.
(4) It is the legislature's intent to provide the value of new housing construction, conversion, and rehabilitation improvements qualifying under chapter 84.14 RCW an exemption from ad valorem property taxation for eight to twelve years or more, as provided for in RCW 84.14.020, in order to provide incentives to developers to construct or rehabilitate multifamily housing thereby increasing the number of affordable housing units, or preserving the state's stock of income-restricted units, for low-income to moderate-income residents in certain urban growth areas.
(5) The legislature intends to extend the tax preferences in section 2, chapter 237, Laws of 2020, if a review finds that the stock of income-restricted units in the state is preserved as a result of the extensions provided in RCW 84.14.020(1)(c).
(6) In order to obtain the data necessary to perform the review in subsection (5) of this section, the joint legislative audit and review committee must refer to the annual reports compiled by the department of commerce under RCW 84.14.100 and may refer to data provided by counties or cities in which persons are utilizing the preferences, the office of financial management, the department of commerce, the United States department of housing and urban development, and any other data sources, as needed by the joint legislative audit and review committee." [ 2020 c 237 § 1.]