Is there a statutory limit on the number of volunteers allowed in a volunteer fire department?
No. RCW 41.24.050 used to provide that a volunteer fire department was limited to 25 members for each one thousand population. The 2002 legislature amended this statute to remove the limit. • May a town charge an annual fee for fire protection provided to an area outside of town that is not within a fire district? We don’t think the town could charge an annual fee to nonresidents within the area that would be (or currently is being) served by the town’s volunteer fire department, because that would likely be deemed an unauthorized tax under Covell v. City of Seattle, 127 Wn.2d 874 (1995), and its progeny (e.g., Lane v. City of Seattle, 164 Wn.2d 875 (2008)). But, it seems to be well-established that a city or town may charge nonresidents more than residents for services provided. See, e.g., Des Moines Marina Ass’n v. City of Des Moines, 124 Wn. App. 282 (2004), review denied, 154 Wn.2d 1018 (2005); City of Clarkston v. Asotin County Rural Library Bd., 18 Wn. App. 869 (1977); AGO 1992 N
