Bridgewater, J.
¶1 The city of Puyallup (City) appeals the Pierce County Superior Court’s denial of its motion to dismiss Michael Stanzel’s land-use petition for failure to first exhaust his administrative remedies. The City further challenges the Pierce County Superior Court’s determination that the Pierce County hearing examiner had authority to order the City to provide water service and a water service availability letter to Stanzel. We affirm.
FACTS
¶2 Stanzel owns real property at 6224 114th Avenue Court East in Pierce County, Washington, that he calls the “church property.” Verbatim Report of Proceedings (VRP) (June 20, 2007) at 31. The church property contains a church building, paintball fields, and a shed; it is zoned by Pierce County as mixed use development, or M.U.D. VRP (June 20, 2007) at 32, 56. Stanzel receives water service for the church property from the City because it sits within the City’s water distribution zone although it is outside the City’s corporate limits. The City classifies the service it provides to Stanzel as residential water service.
¶3 Stanzel sought to bring the building on the church property up to code so that he could use it for church services. He also intended to add a game room and to add restrooms to the facilities.1 In addition, Stanzel sought to upgrade the drain field on the property. Stanzel hired an engineer and submitted designs to the Pierce County Department of Health. Pierce County did not act on the submitted designs and related permit requests because Stanzel failed to provide Pierce County with a water availability letter from the City.
¶4 Stanzel went to the City’s utilities department and asked for a commercial water availability letter. Stanzel brought with him a June 25, 2004 letter describing his [839] request. He delivered the letter along with Pierce County’s water availability form and presented it to city employee Colleen Harris. Harris informed Stanzel that the City was no longer providing water availability letters for property outside its city limits. Harris asked Stanzel what he planned to do with the property, and he told her that it was really none of her business. Harris informed Stanzel that if he changed the property use from residential to commercial, the City would cut off his water service. Harris attempted to slide the letter back to Stanzel, stating that she would not accept it. Stanzel left the letter sitting on the counter in front of Harris.
¶5 On January 6, Stanzel returned to the utilities department and asked the City to stamp another letter because the City had not responded to his first letter. In response, Harris mailed Stanzel a copy of the Puyallup Municipal Code. Stanzel noted that the City had changed its code requirements, which now stated that the City would not provide fire flow or water availability letters unless there was an active annexation in the area and the property owner agreed to annexation. Stanzel testified that the property owners in the area, including the church property, had addressed the issue of annexation to the City in a recent election, ultimately deciding against annexation. Stanzel did not want to annex to the City.
¶6 Stanzel investigated other water service providers, including a water utility in nearby Edgewood. Edgewood informed Stanzel that it did not have distribution lines available to Stanzel’s property and that all water service agreements are filed with Pierce County per Washington code. Stanzel considered buying a fire flow tank for the church property, but he quickly discovered that a 90,000 gallon tank would cost over $80,000. In contrast, Stanzel’s water costs through the City ranged between $30 and $50 per month.
¶7 On August 9, Stanzel wrote another letter to the City again requesting water service, this time directed to Tom Heinecke. Again, the City did not respond.
[840] ¶8 Stanzel brought a motion before the Pierce County hearing examiner as a part of a separate case involving one of Stanzel’s neighboring properties, a company named Plexus Investments, LLC, seeking an order that would compel the City to provide him with commercial water service and an availability letter. Over the City’s jurisdictional objections, the hearing examiner heard Stanzel’s case, while acknowledging that Stanzel did not go through the City’s normal dispute resolution process. The hearing examiner based the decision to hear Stanzel’s motion on the hearing examiner’s decision in the Plexus hearing, where the hearing examiner ruled that the Pierce County Code allowed property owners outside of the city limits to go directly to the hearing examiner to resolve disputes.
¶9 The hearing examiner heard Stanzel’s motion to compel, ultimately determining that the City’s preannexation requirement was unreasonable but denying Stanzel’s request because the hearing examiner lacked authority to compel the City to provide service. The hearing examiner noted that if he had authority, he would compel the City to provide service to Stanzel under these specific facts. But, the hearing examiner allowed Stanzel to seek alternative sources for water and/or to be removed from the City’s service area if desired.
¶10 On August 17, 2007, Stanzel filed a petition for judicial review under the Land Use Petition Act (LUPA), chapter 36.70C RCW, in superior court, requesting that the trial court direct the hearing examiner to compel the City to provide his requested water service and related availability letter. The City moved to dismiss Stanzel’s petition, arguing that he failed to exhaust his administrative remedies and therefore lacked standing. Specifically, the City claimed that Stanzel failed to submit an application to the City, failed to pay the City’s application fee, failed to submit to a review and approval process before the city council, and failed to seek redress from the City’s hearing examiner. The trial court denied the City’s motion to dismiss. The trial court reasoned that the Puyallup Municipal Code should be [841] strictly construed and, accordingly, applied only to new connections or extensions. Otherwise, the trial court reasoned, Stanzel would have to start from scratch with the City.
¶11 Ultimately, the trial court granted Stanzel’s petition and reversed the hearing examiner, ruling that the hearing examiner did have statutory authority to compel the City to provide water service to Stanzel’s church property based on the facts of this case. The trial court conditioned its decision on Stanzel meeting the “usual permitting and informational requirements of any applicant for comparable water service within the City.” Clerk’s Papers at 119. The trial court also required that Stanzel cooperate and supply detailed plans for his intended project to the City. The City appeals.
ANALYSIS
I. Failure To Exhaust Administrative Remedies
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Bridgewater, J.
¶1 The city of Puyallup (City) appeals the Pierce County Superior Court’s denial of its motion to dismiss Michael Stanzel’s land-use petition for failure to first exhaust his administrative remedies. The City further challenges the Pierce County Superior Court’s determination that the Pierce County hearing examiner had authority to order the City to provide water service and a water service availability letter to Stanzel. We affirm.
FACTS
¶2 Stanzel owns real property at 6224 114th Avenue Court East in Pierce County, Washington, that he calls the “church property.” Verbatim Report of Proceedings (VRP) (June 20, 2007) at 31. The church property contains a church building, paintball fields, and a shed; it is zoned by Pierce County as mixed use development, or M.U.D. VRP (June 20, 2007) at 32, 56. Stanzel receives water service for the church property from the City because it sits within the City’s water distribution zone although it is outside the City’s corporate limits. The City classifies the service it provides to Stanzel as residential water service.
¶3 Stanzel sought to bring the building on the church property up to code so that he could use it for church services. He also intended to add a game room and to add restrooms to the facilities.1 In addition, Stanzel sought to upgrade the drain field on the property. Stanzel hired an engineer and submitted designs to the Pierce County Department of Health. Pierce County did not act on the submitted designs and related permit requests because Stanzel failed to provide Pierce County with a water availability letter from the City.
¶4 Stanzel went to the City’s utilities department and asked for a commercial water availability letter. Stanzel brought with him a June 25, 2004 letter describing his [839] request. He delivered the letter along with Pierce County’s water availability form and presented it to city employee Colleen Harris. Harris informed Stanzel that the City was no longer providing water availability letters for property outside its city limits. Harris asked Stanzel what he planned to do with the property, and he told her that it was really none of her business. Harris informed Stanzel that if he changed the property use from residential to commercial, the City would cut off his water service. Harris attempted to slide the letter back to Stanzel, stating that she would not accept it. Stanzel left the letter sitting on the counter in front of Harris.
¶5 On January 6, Stanzel returned to the utilities department and asked the City to stamp another letter because the City had not responded to his first letter. In response, Harris mailed Stanzel a copy of the Puyallup Municipal Code. Stanzel noted that the City had changed its code requirements, which now stated that the City would not provide fire flow or water availability letters unless there was an active annexation in the area and the property owner agreed to annexation. Stanzel testified that the property owners in the area, including the church property, had addressed the issue of annexation to the City in a recent election, ultimately deciding against annexation. Stanzel did not want to annex to the City.
¶6 Stanzel investigated other water service providers, including a water utility in nearby Edgewood. Edgewood informed Stanzel that it did not have distribution lines available to Stanzel’s property and that all water service agreements are filed with Pierce County per Washington code. Stanzel considered buying a fire flow tank for the church property, but he quickly discovered that a 90,000 gallon tank would cost over $80,000. In contrast, Stanzel’s water costs through the City ranged between $30 and $50 per month.
¶7 On August 9, Stanzel wrote another letter to the City again requesting water service, this time directed to Tom Heinecke. Again, the City did not respond.
[840] ¶8 Stanzel brought a motion before the Pierce County hearing examiner as a part of a separate case involving one of Stanzel’s neighboring properties, a company named Plexus Investments, LLC, seeking an order that would compel the City to provide him with commercial water service and an availability letter. Over the City’s jurisdictional objections, the hearing examiner heard Stanzel’s case, while acknowledging that Stanzel did not go through the City’s normal dispute resolution process. The hearing examiner based the decision to hear Stanzel’s motion on the hearing examiner’s decision in the Plexus hearing, where the hearing examiner ruled that the Pierce County Code allowed property owners outside of the city limits to go directly to the hearing examiner to resolve disputes.
¶9 The hearing examiner heard Stanzel’s motion to compel, ultimately determining that the City’s preannexation requirement was unreasonable but denying Stanzel’s request because the hearing examiner lacked authority to compel the City to provide service. The hearing examiner noted that if he had authority, he would compel the City to provide service to Stanzel under these specific facts. But, the hearing examiner allowed Stanzel to seek alternative sources for water and/or to be removed from the City’s service area if desired.
¶10 On August 17, 2007, Stanzel filed a petition for judicial review under the Land Use Petition Act (LUPA), chapter 36.70C RCW, in superior court, requesting that the trial court direct the hearing examiner to compel the City to provide his requested water service and related availability letter. The City moved to dismiss Stanzel’s petition, arguing that he failed to exhaust his administrative remedies and therefore lacked standing. Specifically, the City claimed that Stanzel failed to submit an application to the City, failed to pay the City’s application fee, failed to submit to a review and approval process before the city council, and failed to seek redress from the City’s hearing examiner. The trial court denied the City’s motion to dismiss. The trial court reasoned that the Puyallup Municipal Code should be [841] strictly construed and, accordingly, applied only to new connections or extensions. Otherwise, the trial court reasoned, Stanzel would have to start from scratch with the City.
¶11 Ultimately, the trial court granted Stanzel’s petition and reversed the hearing examiner, ruling that the hearing examiner did have statutory authority to compel the City to provide water service to Stanzel’s church property based on the facts of this case. The trial court conditioned its decision on Stanzel meeting the “usual permitting and informational requirements of any applicant for comparable water service within the City.” Clerk’s Papers at 119. The trial court also required that Stanzel cooperate and supply detailed plans for his intended project to the City. The City appeals.
ANALYSIS
I. Failure To Exhaust Administrative Remedies
¶12 The City contends that the trial court erred when it denied the City’s motion to dismiss Stanzel’s LUPA petition for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Under LUPA, we stand “ ‘in the shoes of the superior court’ ” and limit our review to the hearing examiner’s record. Abbey Rd. Group, LLC v. City of Bonney Lake, 141 Wn. App. 184, 192, 167 P.3d 1213 (2007) (quoting Pavlina v. City of Vancouver, 122 Wn. App. 520, 525, 94 P.3d 366 (2004)), review granted, 163 Wn.2d 1045 (2008). Exhaustion of administrative remedies is a prerequisite to obtaining a decision that qualifies as a decision reviewable under LUPA. Ward v. Bd. of Skagit County Comm’rs, 86 Wn. App. 266, 271, 936 P.2d 42 (1997).
¶13 According to the City, Stanzel failed to follow several of its application procedures for water and sewer connections or extensions outside its city limits. First, it contends that Stanzel failed to submit an application to the City for water service. The Puyallup Municipal Code (PMC) provides:
[842] (1) Each applicant for service shall be required to sign, on a form provided by the city, an application which shall set forth:
(a) Date of application;
(b) Name and social security number of applicant;
(c) Location of premises to be served;
(d) Size and location of water service;
(e) Date applicant will be ready for service;
(f) Whether the premises have been heretofore supplied with water by the city or its predecessors;
(g) Purposes for which water service is to be used, including the number of dwelling units, if any, being served;
(h) Address to which bills are to be mailed or delivered;
(i) Whether the applicant is the owner or tenant of, or agent for the premises and if tenant, the name of the property owner;
(j) Such information as the city may reasonably require.
PMC 14.02.150.
¶14 The administrative record here contains the June 25, 2004 letter that Stanzel left on the counter at the City utilities office. The letter indicates that it was delivered along with Pierce County’s required water availability form. The June 25, 2004 letter is not signed, is not a form the City provided, does not contain Stanzel’s Social Security number, does not include the size and location of water service, does not inform the City as to when Stanzel would be ready for such service, does not include the purpose for which Stanzel would use the water, does not include the number of buildings to be served, and does not indicate the address to which bills should be mailed or delivered.
¶15 The record also contains Stanzel’s follow-up letter, dated January 6, 2005, for which the City asserts similar deficiencies. The January 6, 2005 letter is not a form the City provided, it does not contain Stanzel’s Social Security number, it lacks the size and location of water service, it does not indicate the purpose for which Stanzel would use the water, it does not contain the number of dwellings to be [843] served, and it does not indicate where the City should mail or deliver the bills.
¶16 The City states that Stanzel did not otherwise supply the information that PMC 14.02.150(1) required, especially information concerning the purpose of the requested water. It cites to Stanzel’s interaction with Harris, where he responded to Harris’s inquiry about the change of use on his property by saying, “[I]t was really none of their business, [he] just needed a commercial Water Availability Letter.” VRP (June 20, 2007) at 43.
¶17 The City next faults Stanzel for failing to pay the application fee and for failing to participate in a preapplication conference with the City. Former PMC 14.22-.011 (2004) provides:
14.22.011 Pre-application conference and application fee.
Prior to the acceptance of an application by the city, applicants shall participate in a pre-application conference for the purpose of establishing the application fee. The purpose of the application fee is to ensure the recovery of city costs and expenses associated with the review of the application and drafting or preparing any utility extension agreement, including but not limited to actual costs of city staff time and resources as well as any outside consultation expenses which the city reasonably determines are necessary to adequately review, prepare and analyze the application and any proposed extension agreement. The application fee shall be a minimum of $2,500 with additional charges due depending upon estimated reasonable city costs and expenditures in review of the application. Disputes in the fee amount charged by the city shall be resolved by appeal to the hearing examiner. All applicants shall deposit the application fee with the city before the application will be processed.
Former PMC 14.22.Oil;2 Certified Administrative Record (AR) at 79-80. It is undisputed that Stanzel did not participate in such a preapplication conference and did not pay any such application fee.
[844] ¶18 Next, the City faults Stanzel for failing to present an application for review to the city council and for failing to obtain the council’s approval for commercial water service. Former PMC 14.22.010 (2004) provides:
14.22.010 City council approval required.
It shall be the policy of the city of Puyallup that all applicants for the extension/connection of water or sewer service outside the corporate limits of the city of Puyallup shall be subject to review and require approval by the city council prior to the issuance of a permit for the extension/connection of water or sewer service .... Applicants must demonstrate that they have initiated or are part of an ongoing annexation process which would bring the property that is subject to a utility extension/connection application into the Puyallup city limits. In its review, the city council may consider the following: impact on the water or sewer system usage; annexation considerations; compliance with the City of Puyallup’s comprehensive plan and the City of Puyallup development standards; and any other considerations deemed appropriate by the city council. . . . The decision of the city council shall be a discretionary, legislative act. If approval is granted by the city council, it shall be in the form of a utility extension agreement approved by the city attorney.