EMERGENCY PUBLIC WORKS

RCW 39.28
in effect

RCW 39.28.010 Definitions.

The following terms wherever used or referred to in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 shall have the following meaning unless a different meaning appears from the context. (1) The term "municipality" shall mean the state, a county, city, town, district or other municipal corporation or political subdivision; (2) The term "governing body" shall mean the body, a board charged with the governing of the municipality; (3) The term "law" shall mean any act or statute, general, special or local, of this state, including, without being limited to, the charter of any municipality; (4) The term "bonds" shall mean bonds, interim receipts, certificates, or other obligations of a municipality issued or to be issued by its governing body for the purpose of financing or aiding in the financing of any work, undertaking or project for which a loan or grant, or both, has heretofore been made or may hereafter be made by any federal agency; (5) The term "Recovery Act" shall mean any acts of the congress of the United States of America to reduce and relieve unemployment or to provide for the construction of public works; (6) The term "federal agency" shall include the United States of America, the president of the United States of America, and any agency or instrumentality of the United States of America, which has heretofore been or hereafter may be designated, created or authorized to make loans or grants; (7) The term "public works project" shall mean any work, project, or undertaking which any municipality, is authorized or required by law to undertake or any lawful purpose for which any municipality is authorized or required by law to make an appropriation; (8) The term "contract" or "agreement" between a federal agency and a municipality shall include contracts and agreements in the customary form and shall also be deemed to include an allotment of funds, resolution, unilateral promise, or commitment by a federal agency by which it shall undertake to make a loan or grant, or both, upon the performance of specified conditions or compliance with rules and regulations theretofore or thereafter promulgated, prescribed or published by a federal agency. In the case of such an allotment of funds, resolution, unilateral promise, or commitment by a federal agency, the terms, conditions and restrictions therein set forth and the rules and regulations theretofore or thereafter promulgated, prescribed or published shall, for the purpose of RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 , be deemed to constitute covenants of such a contract which shall be performed by the municipality, if the municipality accepts any money from such federal agency. The following terms wherever used or referred to in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 shall have the following meaning unless a different meaning appears from the context. (1) The term "municipality" shall mean the state, a county, city, town, district or other municipal corporation or political subdivision; (2) The term "governing body" shall mean the body, a board charged with the governing of the municipality; (3) The term "law" shall mean any act or statute, general, special or local, of this state, including, without being limited to, the charter of any municipality; (4) The term "bonds" shall mean bonds, interim receipts, certificates, or other obligations of a municipality issued or to be issued by its governing body for the purpose of financing or aiding in the financing of any work, undertaking or project for which a loan or grant, or both, has heretofore been made or may hereafter be made by any federal agency; (5) The term "Recovery Act" shall mean any acts of the congress of the United States of America to reduce and relieve unemployment or to provide for the construction of public works; (6) The term "federal agency" shall include the United States of America, the president of the United States of America, and any agency or instrumentality of the United States of America, which has heretofore been or hereafter may be designated, created or authorized to make loans or grants; (7) The term "public works project" shall mean any work, project, or undertaking which any municipality, is authorized or required by law to undertake or any lawful purpose for which any municipality is authorized or required by law to make an appropriation; (8) The term "contract" or "agreement" between a federal agency and a municipality shall include contracts and agreements in the customary form and shall also be deemed to include an allotment of funds, resolution, unilateral promise, or commitment by a federal agency by which it shall undertake to make a loan or grant, or both, upon the performance of specified conditions or compliance with rules and regulations theretofore or thereafter promulgated, prescribed or published by a federal agency. In the case of such an allotment of funds, resolution, unilateral promise, or commitment by a federal agency, the terms, conditions and restrictions therein set forth and the rules and regulations theretofore or thereafter promulgated, prescribed or published shall, for the purpose of RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 , be deemed to constitute covenants of such a contract which shall be performed by the municipality, if the municipality accepts any money from such federal agency.

RCW 39.28.020 Powers conferred.

Every municipality shall have power and is hereby authorized: (1) To accept from any federal agency grants for or in aid of the construction of any public works project; (2) To make contracts and execute instruments containing such terms, provisions, and conditions as in the discretion of the governing body of the municipality may be necessary, proper or advisable for the purpose of obtaining grants or loans, or both, from any federal agency pursuant to or by virtue of the Recovery Act; to make all other contracts and execute all other instruments necessary, proper or advisable in or for the furtherance of any public works project and to carry out and perform the terms and conditions of all such contracts or instruments; (3) To subscribe to and comply with the Recovery Act and any rules and regulations made by any federal agency with regard to any grants or loans, or both, from any federal agency; (4) To perform any acts authorized under RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 through or by means of its own officers, agents and employees, or by contracts with corporations, firms or individuals; (5) To award any contract for the construction of any public works project or part thereof upon any day at least fifteen days after one publication of a notice requesting bids upon such contract in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality: PROVIDED, That in any case where publication of notice may be made in a shorter period of time under the provisions of existing statute or charter, such statute or charter shall govern; (6) To sell bonds at private sale to any federal agency without any public advertisement; (7) To issue interim receipts, certificates or other temporary obligations, in such form and containing such terms, conditions and provisions as the governing body of the municipality issuing the same may determine, pending the preparation or execution of definite bonds for the purpose of financing the construction of a public works project; (8) To issue bonds bearing the signatures of officers in office on the date of signing such bonds, notwithstanding that before delivery thereof any or all the persons whose signatures appear thereon shall have ceased to be the officers of the municipality issuing the same; (9) To include in the cost of a public works project which may be financed by the issuance of bonds: (a) Engineering, inspection, accounting, fiscal and legal expenses; (b) the cost of issuance of the bonds, including engraving, printing, advertising, and other similar expenses; (c) any interest costs during the period of construction of such public works project and for six months thereafter on money borrowed or estimated to be borrowed; (10) To stipulate in any contract for the construction of any public works project or part thereof the maximum hours that any laborer, worker, or mechanic should be permitted or required to work in any one calendar day or calendar week or calendar month, and the minimum wages to be paid to laborers, workers, or mechanics in connection with any public works project: PROVIDED, That no such stipulation shall provide for hours in excess of or for wages less than may now or hereafter be required by any other law; (11) To exercise any power conferred by RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 for the purpose of obtaining grants or loans, or both, from any federal agency pursuant to or by virtue of the Recovery Act, independently or in conjunction with any other power or powers conferred by RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 or heretofore or hereafter conferred by any other law; (12) To do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers expressly given in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 . Every municipality shall have power and is hereby authorized: (1) To accept from any federal agency grants for or in aid of the construction of any public works project; (2) To make contracts and execute instruments containing such terms, provisions, and conditions as in the discretion of the governing body of the municipality may be necessary, proper or advisable for the purpose of obtaining grants or loans, or both, from any federal agency pursuant to or by virtue of the Recovery Act; to make all other contracts and execute all other instruments necessary, proper or advisable in or for the furtherance of any public works project and to carry out and perform the terms and conditions of all such contracts or instruments; (3) To subscribe to and comply with the Recovery Act and any rules and regulations made by any federal agency with regard to any grants or loans, or both, from any federal agency; (4) To perform any acts authorized under RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 through or by means of its own officers, agents and employees, or by contracts with corporations, firms or individuals; (5) To award any contract for the construction of any public works project or part thereof upon any day at least fifteen days after one publication of a notice requesting bids upon such contract in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality: PROVIDED, That in any case where publication of notice may be made in a shorter period of time under the provisions of existing statute or charter, such statute or charter shall govern; (6) To sell bonds at private sale to any federal agency without any public advertisement; (7) To issue interim receipts, certificates or other temporary obligations, in such form and containing such terms, conditions and provisions as the governing body of the municipality issuing the same may determine, pending the preparation or execution of definite bonds for the purpose of financing the construction of a public works project; (8) To issue bonds bearing the signatures of officers in office on the date of signing such bonds, notwithstanding that before delivery thereof any or all the persons whose signatures appear thereon shall have ceased to be the officers of the municipality issuing the same; (9) To include in the cost of a public works project which may be financed by the issuance of bonds: (a) Engineering, inspection, accounting, fiscal and legal expenses; (b) the cost of issuance of the bonds, including engraving, printing, advertising, and other similar expenses; (c) any interest costs during the period of construction of such public works project and for six months thereafter on money borrowed or estimated to be borrowed; (10) To stipulate in any contract for the construction of any public works project or part thereof the maximum hours that any laborer, worker, or mechanic should be permitted or required to work in any one calendar day or calendar week or calendar month, and the minimum wages to be paid to laborers, workers, or mechanics in connection with any public works project: PROVIDED, That no such stipulation shall provide for hours in excess of or for wages less than may now or hereafter be required by any other law; (11) To exercise any power conferred by RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 for the purpose of obtaining grants or loans, or both, from any federal agency pursuant to or by virtue of the Recovery Act, independently or in conjunction with any other power or powers conferred by RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 or heretofore or hereafter conferred by any other law; (12) To do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers expressly given in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 .

RCW 39.28.030 Construction of act.

The powers conferred by RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 shall be in addition and supplemental to and not in substitution for the powers now or hereafter conferred upon any municipality by any other law. RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 is intended to aid in relieving the existing emergency by simplifying the procedure for the construction and financing of public works projects. RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 is remedial in nature and the powers hereby granted shall be liberally construed. Nothing in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 shall be construed to authorize the issuance of bonds for any purpose by any municipality not authorized to issue bonds for such purpose under any other law heretofore or hereafter enacted, nor to dispense with the approval by a state department, board, officer or commission of a public works project where such approval is necessary under provisions of existing law: PROVIDED, That any port district which is now indebted in an amount equal to or in excess of the indebtedness which may be contracted without a vote of the electors of the district is hereby authorized, for the purposes of RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 , through its governing body, to contract a further indebtedness and borrow money for port purposes and issue general bonds therefor, as in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 provided, in an additional amount not exceeding three-sixteenths of one percent of the value of the taxable property in the district, as the term "value of the taxable property" is defined in RCW 39.36.015 , without the assent of the voters of the district: PROVIDED, FURTHER, That such additional indebtedness together with the existing indebtedness of such port district shall not exceed the total indebtedness permitted to be incurred by such port district under existing laws. The powers conferred by RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 shall be in addition and supplemental to and not in substitution for the powers now or hereafter conferred upon any municipality by any other law. RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 is intended to aid in relieving the existing emergency by simplifying the procedure for the construction and financing of public works projects. RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 is remedial in nature and the powers hereby granted shall be liberally construed. Nothing in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 shall be construed to authorize the issuance of bonds for any purpose by any municipality not authorized to issue bonds for such purpose under any other law heretofore or hereafter enacted, nor to dispense with the approval by a state department, board, officer or commission of a public works project where such approval is necessary under provisions of existing law: PROVIDED, That any port district which is now indebted in an amount equal to or in excess of the indebtedness which may be contracted without a vote of the electors of the district is hereby authorized, for the purposes of RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 , through its governing body, to contract a further indebtedness and borrow money for port purposes and issue general bonds therefor, as in RCW 39.28.010 through 39.28.030 provided, in an additional amount not exceeding three-sixteenths of one percent of the value of the taxable property in the district, as the term "value of the taxable property" is defined in RCW 39.36.015 , without the assent of the voters of the district: PROVIDED, FURTHER, That such additional indebtedness together with the existing indebtedness of such port district shall not exceed the total indebtedness permitted to be incurred by such port district under existing laws.

RCW 39.28.040 Loans and grants to finance preliminary public works expenditures.

The state of Washington, its various counties, municipal corporations, quasi municipal corporations, cities, towns, villages and all other political subdivisions of the state are hereby authorized to accept from the federal government all loans, advances, grants in aid, or donations that may be made available by any federal agency for the purpose of financing the cost of architectural, engineering, and economic investigations and studies, surveys, designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, procedures, and other acts preliminary to the construction of public works. The state of Washington, its various counties, municipal corporations, quasi municipal corporations, cities, towns, villages and all other political subdivisions of the state are hereby authorized to accept from the federal government all loans, advances, grants in aid, or donations that may be made available by any federal agency for the purpose of financing the cost of architectural, engineering, and economic investigations and studies, surveys, designs, plans, working drawings, specifications, procedures, and other acts preliminary to the construction of public works.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=39.28&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026

Starting a business in Washington? Washington LLC guide: costs and requirements