Affected and Interested Parties
Owners and employees of shellfish operations such as shuckers, packers, harvesters, and growers, and other interested parties.
What's Happening
The Department of Health (Department) initially proposed to increase shellfish fees in early 2023. They withdrew the proposal in late 2023 because the 2024 Legislature passed a budget proviso that gave the Department funding to contract with an independent third-party consultant to study the commercial shellfish regulatory program and make recommendations on fees. The budget proviso prohibited the Department from increasing commercial shellfish fees during fiscal year 2025.
The report, Fee Assessment Final Report (PDF), has been published on the Washington State Legislature’s webpage.
Once the proviso work was completed, the Department filed a CR-101 and CR-102 to increase shellfish fees once again. The department delayed the adoption of amendments for WAC 246-282-900 for Commercial Shellfish to further review the proposed fee adjustments that are intended to align with the Greene Economic Report. After further review and consideration, the department adopted the amendments for WAC 246-282-900 on December 19, 2025. These fee rules will become effective February 1, 2026.
On December 31, 2025, the Department of Health initiated rulemaking by filing WSR 26-02-037 Preproposal Statement of Inquiry (CR-101) (PDF) to consider exploring options and amending the fee structure in WAC 246-282-990 for annual shellfish operation license fees and annual biotoxin testing fees to minimize impacts on small businesses.
Get Involved
The Department will hold monthly meetings with the shellfish industry and Tribes (January through April) to discuss how program funding is structured, what drives program costs, and explore alternative fee structure ideas. These meetings will be virtual and on the first Monday of each month from 4:00-5:00 pm.
- Monday, January 5, 2026 from 4-5pm
- Monday, February 2, 2026 from 4-5pm
- Monday, March 2, 2026 from 4-5pm
- Monday, April 6, 2026 from 4-5pm
- Monday, May 4, 2026 from 4-5pm
Rules Advisory Committee
The Washington State Department of Health is seeking volunteers from the shellfish industry and tribal partners to participate in a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) focused on exploring options and amending the fee structure in WAC 246-282-990 (Shellfish Fees) for annual shellfish operation license fees and annual biotoxin fees to minimize impacts on small businesses. The RAC will provide an opportunity for industry representatives to share perspectives, ask questions, and engage in discussion with Department staff as we evaluate possible updates to the shellfish fee rule. Participation in the RAC helps ensure that proposed rule changes are informed by practical, on-the-ground experience from the shellfish industry. There will be two virtual only meetings per month for the RAC starting in March and tentatively ending early July. Participation in the RAC will take approximately 15-20 hours. All meetings will be recorded.
If you are interested in serving on the RAC or would like additional information, please contact Zehra Siddiqui at zehra.siddiqui@doh.wa.gov by February 10th, 2026.
| Date | Time |
|---|---|
| March 4, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| March 18, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| April 1, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| April 15, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| April 29, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| May 13, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| June 1, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| June 10, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| June 24, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
| July 9, 2026 | 3:00-4:30 PM |
Adopted Rule Documents
- CR-103 - Rulemaking Order with permanent rule language (PDF)
- Concise Explanatory Statement - Summary of comments received (PDF)
- Fee Narrative (PDF)
Proposed Rule Documents
Current Rulemaking Files
| Document | What's This? | Date Filed |
|---|---|---|
| Announces intent of rulemaking | December 31, 2025 |
Previous Rulemaking Files
| Document | What's This? | Date Filed |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal of CR-101 and CR-102. | April 3, 2024 | |
| Fee Proviso Final Report (PDF) | Fee assessment final report done by Greene Economics. | June 30, 2025 |
| CR-101 – Preproposal Statement of Inquiry (PDF) | Announces intent of rulemaking. | July 7, 2025 |
| OEHS Fees Economic Impact Analysis Report (Word) | Explanation of fee adjustments. | |
| WAC 246-282-990 for Commercial Shellfish (Word) | Draft changes for informal public comment. Comments due by July 25, 2025. | |
| Fee Rulemaking Information Session | July 15, 2025 | |
| CR-102 - Proposed Rulemaking (PDF) | Announces proposed permanent rulemaking. | September 5, 2025 |
| CR-103P: Rulemaking Order (PDF) | Announces adopted permanent rulemaking for WAC 246-282-900. | December 19, 2025 |
| Concise Explanatory Statement (PDF) | Summary of comments received | December 19, 2025 |
Contacts
Zehra Siddiqui, Rules Coordinator
Jeanna Sieving, Fee Manager
Dani Toepelt, Shellfish Program, 360-236-3347