List of municipalities in Washington

The municipal government generally provides policing, fire protection, emergency services, a court system, road maintenance, planning and permitting, parks and recreation, and some utilities.

Each has their own powers and limitations that vary and are defined by state laws in Titles 35 and 35A of the Revised Code of Washington.

[14] First-class and code cities with populations greater than 10,000 are authorized under the state constitution to adopt a charter that grants home rule powers at the local level.

[15] As of 2022[update], Washington has ten first-class cities that are permitted to adopt and operate under a home rule charter; they are required to have a population of at least 10,000 residents at the time of their incorporation or reorganization.

In 1994, the minimum population to incorporate a municipality was raised to 1,500 by the state legislature, which has prevented the creation of new towns.

[12][16] The state legislature created another classification—the code city—in 1967 to grant greater control to cities, who sought expanded home rule authority to address complex issues as they urbanized.

[16] Non-charter cities and towns are authorized to adopt one of three forms of government for day-to-day municipal operations: commission, mayor–council, council–manager.