Certification acceptance

The Federal Highway Administration through a stewardship agreement delegates authority to WSDOT for approving project development and construction administration. WSDOT has the option of delegating some or all of this authority to qualified local agencies through a Certification Acceptance (CA) program.

What you need to know

The LAG chapter 13 – Certification Acceptance Program (PDF 418KB) provides the program requirements, the application process and the compliance procedures of the program.

Inter-local agreement

Not all agencies have the resources within their organization to gain CA status. When that occurs Non-CA agencies are encouraged to work with CA agencies in order to comply with the federal requirements to receive federal funding.

To effectively setup this kind of relationship, an inter-local agreement that includes appropriate protections for both agencies is recommended.

Example

We have provided an example (PDF 26KB) between Kitsap County (a CA agency) and Kitsap Transit (a non-CA agency). It is an excellent example of how to incorporate the elements and clarify the responsibilities contained in a CA agreement and how they may be appropriately shared. Our thanks to Kitsap County and Kitsap Transit for sharing this document.

Local certification acceptance agencies

We have provided a list (PDF 21KB) of local CA approved agencies.

For more information:

Contact the Local Programs Regional Engineer

Slow down – lives are on the line.

In 2022, speeding continued to be a top reason for work zone crashes.

Even one life lost is too many.

Each year about 670 people are killed nationally in highway work zones. In 2022, Washington had six fatal work zone crashes on state roads.

It's in EVERYONE’S best interest.

95% of people hurt in work zones are drivers, their passengers or passing pedestrians, not just our road crews.