WAC 51-04-020   Policies for the consideration of proposed statewide amendments.  Statewide and emergency statewide amendments to the state building code shall be based on one of the following criteria:

     (1) The amendment is needed to address a critical life/safety need.

     (2) The amendment is needed to address a specific state policy or statute.

     (3) The amendment is needed for consistency with state or federal regulations.

     (4) The amendment is needed to address a unique character of the state.

     (5) The amendment corrects errors and omissions.

     Statewide and emergency statewide amendments to the state building code shall conform to the purposes, objectives, and standards prescribed in RCW 19.27.020.

     The council will accept and consider petitions for emergency statewide amendments to the building code at any time, in accordance with RCW 19.27.074 and chapter 34.05 RCW.

     The council will accept and consider all other petitions for statewide amendments in conjunction with the state building code update cycle, in accordance with RCW 19.27.074 and chapter 34.05 RCW, and WAC 51-04-015 and 51-04-020 as follows:

     The state building code council shall publicize the state building code amendment process in January of each year. Proposed state amendments must be received by March 1 to be considered for adoption by December 1. The state building code council shall review all proposed statewide amendments and file for future rule making those proposals approved as submitted or as amended by the council. State amendments as approved by the council shall be submitted to the appropriate model code organization, at the direction of the council, except those adopted for consistency with state statutes or regulation and held for further review during the adoption period of those model codes by the council. The effective date of any statewide amendments shall be the same as the effective date of the new edition of the model codes, except for emergency amendments adopted in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW and deemed appropriate by the council.

     The adoption period of new model codes commences upon availability of the publication of the new edition of the model codes and concludes with formal adoption of the building code as amended by the council and final review by the state legislature. For the purposes of this section, the publication of supplements shall not be considered a new edition. The council will consider state amendments to:

     The model codes provided that the proposed amendments shall be limited to address changes in the model codes since the previous edition; or, address existing statewide amendments to the model codes; or, address portions of the state building code other than the model codes.

     The state building code council shall consider the action of the model code organizations in their consideration of these proposals.

     Within sixty days of the receipt of the new edition of the model codes the council shall enter rule making to update the state building code.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.035, 19.27.074 and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 07-15-043, § 51-04-020, filed 7/13/07, effective 8/13/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.190, 19.27.020, and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 05-23-104, § 51-04-020, filed 11/17/05, effective 1/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.031 and 19.27.074. 04-01-107, § 51-04-020, filed 12/17/03, effective 7/1/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.035 and chapter 34.05 RCW. 94-05-058, § 51-04-020, filed 2/10/94, effective 3/13/94. Statutory Authority: Chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW and 1989 c 348. 90-02-108, § 51-04-020, filed 1/3/90, effective 2/3/90; Order 76-02, § 51-04-020, filed 9/1/76.]