In 2024, the Legislature formally requested that the Washington State Department of Commerce study the impacts of incorporating the unincorporated communities of Dash Point and Browns Point into a single city. This study is not a formal incorporation process and has been initiated for informational purposes only.
Final report
Commerce submitted its final report to the Legislature in June 2025.
Incorporation study purpose
Commerce was tasked by the Legislature to conduct a study on incorporating Dash Point and Browns Point into a single city. The study evaluated the following community effects related to incorporation:
- Local tax base effects
- Infrastructure effects
- Public service effects
- Behavioral health effects
- Crime effects
- Homeless effects
Community engagement events
- Informational Community Meeting 1 — February 13, 2025
- Informational Community Meeting 2 — April 24, 2025
Project deliverables and timeline
- Information Sessions: Provide presentations of information, progress updates, survey and engagement findings, as well as draft in-progress report. (January – April 2025)
- Stakeholder Group Interviews: Interview key stakeholder groups, such as service providers, tribal government and others identified by Commerce or Pierce County as needed to refine analysis. (November 2024 – March 2025)
- Online Survey: Input will be used to refine fiscal modeling and draft report. Topics covered may include priorities for residents and community preferences and perceptions of levels of service. (Spring 2025)
- Draft In-Progress Report (April 2025)
- Final Report (June 2025)
Comments and questions?
In addition to the upcoming community engagement activities, comments and requests for project updates can be submitted to connect@communityattributes.com.
Resources
Under Washington law, an area can incorporate as a city if it meets the following parameters:
- It has a minimum of 1,500 inhabitants.
- An area within a county that plans under the Growth Management Act (RCW 36.70A), such as Pierce County, may incorporate only if it is located within a designated urban growth area.
- Effective June 30, 2028, if the area is within five air miles, as the crow flies, of the boundaries of a city with a population of 15,000 or more, the area must have a minimum of 3,000 inhabitants.
The basic procedure to incorporate is set out in Chapter 35.02 RCW. The process includes:
- A petition for incorporation must be signed by registered voters who reside within the boundaries of the proposed city equal in number to at least 10% of the number of voters residing within those boundaries.
- Review by a boundary review board or the county legislative body in counties without a board.
- An election. The incorporation vote will succeed if a majority of the votes cast are for incorporation.
If the voters approve the proposed incorporation, a primary election to nominate candidates for city council (and a mayor in mayor-council cities) and then an election to select the city council must be held. The new city must officially incorporate at a date set by the initial city council and within 360 days of the incorporation election.
The process explained above is the only method of creating a new city in Washington state. A proposal to incorporate a new city cannot be filed or approved by a county government, state agency or the Legislature. It must be initiated by the petition of one or more resident voters, and must be voted upon by the residents of the area proposed for incorporation.
Additional Information on Incorporation: MRSC Municipal Incorporation
Annexation is not the same thing as incorporation. It is a legislative action by which an existing city adds territory beyond its existing city limits. For more information on annexation, please refer to the resources on the Municipal Research and Services Center’s Annexation webpage.
House Bill 2104, Sec. 128 (33) – $200,000 of the general fund—state appropriation for fiscal year 2025 is provided solely for the department to contract with a consultant to study incorporating the unincorporated communities of Dash Point and Browns Point into a single city. The study must include, but not be limited to, the impact of incorporation on the local tax base, crime, homelessness, infrastructure, public services, and behavioral health services, in the listed communities. The department must submit the study to the office of financial management and the appropriate committees of the legislature by June 1, 2025.