Title 19 — Title 19 BUSINESS REGULATIONS—MISCELLANEOUS
111 chapters · 1,481 sections in this title.
RCW 19.27.095 Building permit application—Consideration—Requirements.
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*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 6309-S.SL) ***(1) A valid and fully complete building permit application for a structure, that is permitted under the zoning or other land use control ordinances in effect on the date of the application shall be considered under the building permit ord…
RCW 19.27.097 Building permit application—Evidence of adequate water supply—Authority of a county or city to impose additional requirements—Applicability—Exemption—Groundwater withdrawal authorized under RCW 90.44.050.
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(1)(a) Each applicant for a building permit of a building necessitating potable water shall provide evidence of an adequate water supply for the intended use of the building. Evidence may be in the form of a water right permit from the department of ecology, a letter from an appr…
RCW 19.27.100 Cities, towns, counties may impose fees different from state building code.
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Except for permitting fees for agricultural structures under RCW 19.27.087, nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a city, town, or county of the state from imposing fees different from those set forth in the state building code.[ 2009 c 362 s 4; 1975 1st ex.s. c 8 s 1.]Notes:Fin…
RCW 19.27.110 International fire code—Administration and enforcement by counties, other political subdivisions and municipal corporations—Fees.
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Each county government shall administer and enforce the International Fire Code in the unincorporated areas of the county: PROVIDED, That any political subdivision or municipal corporation providing fire protection pursuant to RCW 14.08.120 shall, at its sole option, be responsib…
RCW 19.27.111 RCW 19.27.080 not affected.
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Nothing in RCW 19.27.110 shall affect the provisions of RCW 19.27.080.[1975-'76 2nd ex.s. c 37 s 2.]
RCW 19.27.113 Automatic fire-extinguishing systems for certain school buildings.
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The building code council shall adopt rules by December 1, 1991, requiring that all buildings classed as E-1 occupancies, as defined in the state building code, except portable school classrooms, constructed after July 28, 1991, be provided with an automatic fire-extinguishing sy…
RCW 19.27.115 Technical advisory group—International building code.
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(1) The state building code council shall convene a technical advisory group for the purpose of recommending modifications and limitations to the international building code that would allow for a single exit stairway to serve multifamily residential structures up to six stories …
RCW 19.27.120 Buildings or structures having special historical or architectural significance—Exception.
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(1) Repairs, alterations, and additions necessary for the preservation, restoration, rehabilitation, strengthening, or continued use of a building or structure may be made without conformance to all of the requirements of the codes adopted under RCW 19.27.031, when authorized by …
RCW 19.27.140 Copy of permit to county assessor.
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A copy of any permit obtained under the state building code for construction or alteration work of a total cost or fair market value in excess of five hundred dollars, shall be transmitted by the issuing authority to the county assessor of the county where the property on which t…
RCW 19.27.150 Report to department of enterprise services.
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Every month a copy of the United States department of commerce, bureau of the census' "report of building or zoning permits issued and local public construction" or equivalent report shall be transmitted by the governing bodies of counties and cities to the department of enterpri…
RCW 19.27.160 Counties with populations of from five thousand to less than ten thousand—Ordinance reenactment.
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Any county with a population of from five thousand to less than ten thousand that had in effect on July 1, 1985, an ordinance or resolution authorizing and regulating the construction of owner-built residences may reenact such an ordinance or resolution if the ordinance or resolu…
RCW 19.27.175 Recycled materials—Study code and adopt changes.
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The state building code council, in consultation with the department of ecology and local governments, shall conduct a study of the state building code, and adopt changes as necessary to encourage greater use of recycled building materials from construction and building demolitio…
RCW 19.27.180 Residential buildings moved into a city or county—Applicability of building codes and electrical installation requirements.
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(1) Residential buildings or structures moved into or within a county or city are not required to comply with all of the requirements of the codes enumerated in chapters 19.27 and 19.27A RCW, as amended and maintained by the state building code council and chapter 19.28 RCW, if t…
RCW 19.27.190 Indoor air quality—Interim and final requirements for maintenance.
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(1)(a) Not later than January 1, 1991, the state building code council, in consultation with the department of commerce, shall establish interim requirements for the maintenance of indoor air quality in newly constructed residential buildings. In establishing the interim requirem…
RCW 19.27.195 Renewable energy systems—Study code and adopt changes.
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The state building code council, in consultation with the department of commerce and local governments, shall conduct a study of the state building code and adopt changes necessary to encourage greater use of renewable energy systems as defined in RCW 82.16.110.[ 2019 c 235 s 6.]
RCW 19.27.490 Fish habitat enhancement project.
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A fish habitat enhancement project meeting the criteria of RCW 77.55.181 is not subject to grading permits, inspections, or fees and shall be reviewed according to the provisions of RCW 77.55.181.[ 2014 c 120 s 8; 2003 c 39 s 11; 1998 c 249 s 14.]Notes:Findings—Purpose—Report—Eff…
RCW 19.27.500 Nightclubs—Automatic sprinkler system—Building code council shall adopt rules.
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(1) The building code council shall adopt rules requiring that all nightclubs be provided with an automatic sprinkler system. Rules adopted by the council shall consider applicable nationally recognized fire and building code standards and local conditions and require that the au…
RCW 19.27.510 "Nightclub" defined.
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As used in this chapter:"Nightclub" means an A-2 occupancy use under the 2006 international building code in which the aggregate area of concentrated use of unfixed chairs and standing space that is specifically designated and primarily used for dancing or viewing performers exce…
RCW 19.27.520 Building constructed, used, or converted to nightclub—In accordance with chapter.
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No building shall be constructed for, used for, or converted to, occupancy as a nightclub except in accordance with this chapter.[ 2005 c 148 s 3.]
RCW 19.27.530 Carbon monoxide alarms—Requirements—Exemptions—Adoption of rules.
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(1) By July 1, 2010, the building code council shall adopt rules requiring that all buildings classified as residential occupancies, as defined in the state building code in chapter 51-54 WAC, but excluding owner-occupied single-family residences legally occupied before July 26, …
RCW 19.27.540 Electric vehicle infrastructure requirements—Rules.
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(1) The building code council shall adopt rules for electric vehicle infrastructure requirements. Rules adopted by the state building code council must consider applicable national and international standards and be consistent with rules adopted under RCW 19.28.281.(2)(a) Except …
RCW 19.27.550 Accessible parking space access aisles.
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(1) In addition to the requirements under RCW 46.61.581, each accessible parking space reserved for a person with a physical disability and designated as "van accessible" under the Americans with disabilities act must have a ninety-six inch or greater adjacent access aisle. The a…
RCW 19.27.560 International Wildland Urban Interface Code—Local wildfire hazard and base-level wildfire risk maps.
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(1) In addition to the provisions of RCW 19.27.031, the state building code shall, upon the completion of a statewide wildfire hazard map and a base-level wildfire risk map for each county of the state, per RCW 43.30.580, consist of chapter 1 and the following technical provision…
RCW 19.27.570 Mass timber products—Building construction.
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(1) As used in this section, "mass timber products" means a type of building component or system that uses large panelized wood construction, including:(a) Cross-laminated timber;(b) Nail laminated timber;(c) Glue laminated timber;(d) Laminated strand timber;(e) Dowel laminated t…
RCW 19.27.580 Use of substitutes—Adoption of rules.
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(1) The building code council shall adopt rules, including by amending existing rules as necessary, that permit the use of substitutes approved under RCW 70A.60.060 and that do not require the use of substitutes that are restricted under RCW 70A.60.060. The building code council …
RCW 19.27.590 Drinking fountain/bottle filling station.
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(1) In any construction subject to the requirements of this chapter in which a drinking fountain is required under the international building code as amended and adopted by the building code council, the rules adopted by the building code council must also require the provision o…
RCW 19.27.595 Accessible parking space requirements—Rules.
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The state building code council shall research and, if necessary, adopt by rule updated accessible parking space requirements in the state building code promulgated under this chapter to align with current research on disability rates among drivers.[ 2025 c 204 s 5.]Notes:Finding…
RCW 19.27.600 Child care centers—Occupancy load.
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When a child care center is operated in a dedicated space within an existing building that has more than one use, the building official must calculate the occupancy load of the child care center based only on the areas in the building where the child care services are provided. T…
RCW 19.27.610 Collection of source-separated materials.
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The state building code must facilitate the collection of source-separated organic materials from new multifamily residential and commercial buildings, consistent with the requirements of RCW 70A.205.540 and the goals of RCW 70A.205.007, by ensuring that sufficient space is alloc…
RCW 19.27.700 Definitions.
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The definitions in this section apply throughout RCW 19.27.710 through 19.27.740.(1) "Combination fire and smoke damper" has the same meaning as provided in the International Fire Code as of January 1, 2020.(2) "Fire damper" means a device installed in ducts and air transfer open…
RCW 19.27.710 Owners of buildings equipped with fire dampers, smoke dampers, combination fire and smoke dampers, or smoke control systems—Duties—Penalty.
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(1) At a minimum, owners of buildings equipped with fire dampers, smoke dampers, combination fire and smoke dampers, or smoke control systems must:(a) Have all newly installed fire dampers, smoke dampers, combination fire and smoke dampers, and smoke control systems tested and in…
RCW 19.27.720 Inspections and tests—Qualifications—Report—Penalty.
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(1) Inspections and tests under this section must be performed by a contractor or engineer with the following qualifications:(a) For inspection and testing of fire dampers, smoke dampers, and combination fire and smoke dampers, such inspector must have a current and valid certifi…
RCW 19.27.730 State building code council and director of fire protection—Implementation and enforcement.
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The state building code council shall work in conjunction with the director of fire protection to coordinate the implementation and enforcement of RCW 19.27.710 and 19.27.720.[ 2020 c 88 s 4.]Notes:Effective date—2020 c 88: See note following RCW 19.27.700.
RCW 19.27.740 Building owner—Violations—Penalties.
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(1) If a building owner has not complied with the testing schedule under RCW 19.27.710, or has not received a certificate of compliance within one hundred twenty days of an inspection under *RCW 19.27.730 that revealed a deficiency, then the building owner has committed a violati…
RCW 19.27.800 Multiplex housing technical advisory group.
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(1) The legislature finds that lowering the cost of middle and multiplex housing construction will increase the housing supply and help address the state's shortage of affordable housing. It further finds that home builders and residentially focused architects are more familiar w…
RCW 19.27.801 Dwelling unit size technical advisory group.
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(1) The state building code council shall convene a technical advisory group for the purpose of recommending amendments to the international building code that would allow for a minimum dwelling unit size that is less than the requirements for an efficiency dwelling unit in the i…
RCW 19.27.802 Residential housing—Standard energy code plan.
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The office of regulatory innovation and assistance shall contract with a qualified external consultant or entity to develop a standard energy code plan set demonstrating a prescriptive compliance pathway that will meet or exceed all energy code regulations for residential housing…
RCW 19.27A.015 State energy code—Minimum and maximum energy code.
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Except as provided in RCW 19.27A.020(7), the Washington state energy code for residential buildings shall be the maximum and minimum energy code for residential buildings in each city, town, and county and shall be enforced by each city, town, and county no later than July 1, 199…
RCW 19.27A.020 State energy code—Adoption by state building code council—Preemption of local residential energy codes.
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(1) The state building code council in the department of enterprise services shall adopt rules to be known as the Washington state energy code as part of the state building code.(2) The council shall follow the legislature's standards set forth in this section to adopt rules to b…
RCW 19.27A.025 Nonresidential buildings—Minimum standards—Amendments.
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(1) The minimum state energy code for new and renovated nonresidential buildings, as specified in this chapter, shall be the Washington state energy code, 1986 edition, as amended. The state building code council may, by rule adopted pursuant to chapter 34.05 RCW, RCW 19.27.031, …
RCW 19.27A.027 Personal wireless service facilities exempt from building envelope insulation requirements.
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(1) The state building code council shall exempt equipment shelters of personal wireless service facilities from building envelope insulation requirements.(2) For the purposes of this section, "personal wireless service facilities" means facilities for the provision of personal w…
RCW 19.27A.045 Maintaining energy code for residential structures.
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(1) The state building code council shall maintain the state energy code for residential structures in a status which is consistent with the state's interest as set forth in section 1, chapter 2, Laws of 1990. In maintaining the Washington state energy code for residential struct…
RCW 19.27A.050 State building code council—Construction—Inclusion of successor agency.
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As used in this chapter, references to the state building code council shall be construed to include any successor agency.[ 2000 c 171 s 45; 1985 c 144 s 5.]Notes:Severability—1985 c 144: See note following RCW 19.27A.020.
RCW 19.27A.060 Hot water heaters—Temperature regulation.
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(1) "Hot water heater" means the primary source of hot water for a residence.(2) The thermostat of a new water heater offered for sale or lease in this state for use in a residential unit, shall be preset by the manufacturer no higher than one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit (o…
RCW 19.27A.070 Intent.
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It is hereby declared that modern, efficient, safety-tested portable oil-fueled heaters may be offered for sale, sold, and used in this state. However, fire hazards and other dangers to the health, safety, and welfare of the inhabitants of this state may exist absent legislation …
RCW 19.27A.080 Definitions.
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Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout RCW 19.27A.080 through 19.27A.120.(1) "Portable oil-fueled heater" means any nonflue-connected, self-contained, self-supporting, oil-fueled, heating appliance equipped with an integral…
RCW 19.27A.090 Portable oil-fueled heaters—Sales and use—Approval required.
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Notwithstanding any other section of the state building code, chapter 19.27 RCW, or any other code adopted by reference in chapter 19.27 RCW, approved portable oil-fueled heaters may be offered for sale, sold, and used as a supplemental heat source in structures in the state. Por…
RCW 19.27A.100 Portable oil-fueled heaters—Requirements for approval.
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Approved portable oil-fueled heaters must adhere to the following requirements:(1) Labeling must be affixed to the heater to caution and inform the user concerning:(a) The necessity for an adequate source of ventilation when the heater is operating;(b) The use of suitable fuel;(c…
RCW 19.27A.110 Portable oil-fueled heaters—Jurisdiction over approval—Sale and use governed exclusively.
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The chief of the Washington state patrol, through the director of fire protection, is the only authority having jurisdiction over the approval of portable oil-fueled heaters. The sale and use of portable oil-fueled heaters is governed exclusively by RCW 19.27A.080 through 19.27A.…
RCW 19.27A.120 Violations—Penalty.
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The penalty for failure to comply with RCW 19.27A.080 through 19.27A.120 is a misdemeanor.[ 1985 c 360 s 17; 1983 c 134 s 6. Formerly RCW 19.27.460.]