WA Discover Pass price to increase 50% Oct. 1. Here’s what else is rising
Washington state Discover Pass prices are increasing on Wednesday, climbing from $30 to $45 per year.
The pass is a fee charged to park vehicles at state-run parks, lands and recreation sites.
State lawmakers green-lit Senate Bill 5390 in April, with Gov. Bob Ferguson signing it into law the following month.
While minority-party Republicans were staunch opponents of the $15, or 50%, price hike, supporters pointed out that the cost hadn’t risen since the pass was implemented in 2011 — despite high inflation.
Revenue from the pass is key to help fund the maintenance and operation of parks, said Sarah Fronk, a Washington State Parks spokesperson. Washington State Parks, established in 1913, predates the national parks system.
State parks have been around for a long time, she said.
“They’re something to be proud of,” Fronk added. “And it’s State Parks’ mission to care for them for future generations, so that people can continue to enjoy them.”
The Discover Pass bump is meant to help offset significant spikes in utility costs and inflation, she said. At the same time, the agency understands that families who use the passes are also getting hit with those same increases.
All the money that Washington State Parks earns from Discover Pass sales stays with the agency, Fronk said. And about 71% of its operating budget comes from such sales, camping-reservation revenues, donations and other earned revenue.
She noted that Discover Pass dollars also help to support the Department of Natural Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Discover Passes grant access to more than 100 state parks, 350 recreation sites with tons of water access, and wildlife and natural resource conservation areas across the three agencies, Fronk said.
“With this price increase, we’re still hoping that people feel it’s a great value and that that money is being well spent, but that they’re also getting a lot for what that money is going towards,” she added.
Other tax and fee hikes that take effect on Oct. 1.
Retail sales tax hike
The state Department of Revenue noted in a Tuesday news release that customers should brace for shifts to certain businesses’ tax collecting and reporting requirements. Taking effect Wednesday, the change will affect more than 90,000 businesses.
There are now more business activities that are subject to the retail sales tax under Senate Bill 5814.
Services that now are considered part of the “retail sale” category, and thus subject to the tax, include IT services; advertising services; investigation, armored car and security services; customized website development services; live presentations and more.
The new law is projected to generate an estimated $1.1 billion in the biennial budget and $2.7 billion over four years — money that lawmakers counted on to help mend the state’s sizable operating-budget hole, as recently reported by the Washington State Standard. But a major component of the bill is facing legal scrutiny after cable titan Comcast sued to overturn the sales tax on advertising services.
Transportation fee hikes
Like the operating budget, the state’s transportation budget also faced a significant gap, leading state lawmakers to pass a string of transportation-revenue-related legislation. That included the gas-tax increase that took effect this summer.
Starting Wednesday, the fee for IDs and driver’s licenses is going from $9 to $10 per year. Toll exemptions will be removed for private transit buses, rideshare vehicles and vans on bridges, too.
State ferry passengers will start paying $1 instead of 50 cents for the capital vessel surcharge.
Business and occupation rate changes
Wednesday also marks the start of certain business and occupation tax increases under House Bill 2081.
Service businesses with a gross income exceeding $5 million will see the B&O rate jump from 1.75% to 2.1%. Financial institutions earning at least $1 billion in annual net income will experience a B&O tax they pay rise from 1.2% to 1.5%, reportedly affecting some 200 firms.
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
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