Irrigation District Annexations in Spokane County

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RCW 87.03.560 is the Washington State Law which describes the process for the petition method of annexation for irrigation districts This process is outlined below for irrigation districts in Spokane County, including the SEPA (RCW 43.21C) and Boundary Review Board (RCW 36.93) steps.

  1. A petition is filed with the Board of Directors of the Irrigation District containing:
    • signatures of owners of not less than fifty percent of the land area, and
    • a legal description and plat outlining the boundaries of the property to be annexed.
  2. The Secretary of the Irrigation District fixes a date for a public hearing, publishes a notice for the annexation and hearing in a newspaper for three consecutive weeks.
  3. The Irrigation District Board of Directors prepare an environmental checklist and issues a Determination of Nonsignificance. Copies are sent to the Department of Ecology and affected agencies.
  4. After receiving comments on the environmental checklist, the Board of Directors holds the public hearing, accepts testimony, closes the public hearing and then determines whether to accept the area for annexation and any financial obligation the area will assume. An Intent to Annex resolution is signed by the Board of Directors.
  5. A Notice of Intention is then filed with the Boundary Review Board. An affected entity has 45 days to request a public hearing before the Boundary Review Board. If there is a hearing, the Boundary Review Board may approve, modify and approve or deny the petition. If there is no hearing before the Boundary Review Board, the Notice of Intention is approved after the 45-day period elapses.
  6. The Boundary Review Board then sends to the Irrigation District, either its written Hearing Decision or a Certification of the Expiration of the 45-Day Period.
  7. The Irrigation District Board of Directors then adopts a final order officially annexing the area, including any modifications that the Boundary Review Board has made.
  8. This Final Order and the County Auditor recording fee are sent to the Boundary Review Board Office.
  9. The Boundary Review Board Director will verify that the legal description is the same as approved by the Boundary Review Board and will record one copy with the Spokane County Auditor and file two copies with the Spokane County Assessor and one with the Spokane County Board of Commissioners.
  10. The Boundary Review Board then changes official maps and notifies the various county departments and affected agencies of the changed boundaries.