[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6169797,"mediaKeyId","5402378-f939559b5b936f7db1ddaa62d3dd7134","parentId",5402378,"title","TAG provisionally adopts revised multiplex (3‑story/6‑unit) draft; members flag durability, soundproofing, fire protection and structural issues","audioSeconds",3459,"startMs",4001000,"endMs",7460000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5402378-f939559b5b936f7db1ddaa62d3dd7134&start=4001&end=7460","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5402378-f939559b5b936f7db1ddaa62d3dd7134/thumbnail_4001000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6169797/Washington/TAG-provisionally-adopts-revised-multiplex-3story6unit-draft-members-flag-durability-soundproofing-fire-protection-and-structural-issues","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169797-855b66f2eafd256cef2356ee3382b7c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773628348&Signature=Onj-A3llLOAbZwszZW9C-6RrykJjC5NpOBC4RW~uGdpDsNiJ9xZHUrCbK~PpybTb17UPupfgW9-mEC7uXXrNnYoRVQw9FR9NqdkKCsojsYYYKfVG1X139s4eAvE0MJ6ZQM3Vj6ZYkwP1aDvSjvxt~mKCAfmJfVXKgSSc4zZSxm7AAaeSSMW1HVvCwMzXcgtI0Oa5B-prQlce4aQlGy5Vmdd~D1zvCyqEWqj~pmzGtSY0Y4Uqt5sfVd~ajs5anqbR~Y1pd1SutlfrvvB3TEo49Wg-FmRart3R9gxiSnWHVoc3UpVF92yb3jgdSh-1w-4iQVjjhtv9zDCQxeAz0r9oJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Building Code Council","date","2025-07-16T16:25:22Z","article","The State Building Code Council’s Single Exit / Multiplex TAG provisionally approved a revised working draft of the residential-code multiplex proposal and identified a short list of issues for revision and research.

John Hsu, TAG member, walked the group through his edits to the working proposal and characterized most changes as editorial while flagging three substantive edits and a number of open questions. After review, the TAG voted to use Hsu’s revision as the group’s working baseline and tasked members to return with specific edits and technical data on a set of follow-up topics.

The TAG’s key items for follow-up include: (1) fire protection and sprinkler approach; (2) interior egress and corridor/stair protections; (3) structural implications of stacking flats (lateral-force and braced-wall configuration) and whether multiple buildings may be attached; (4) sound transmission (STC/IIC) between stacked units; and (5) the origin and reasonableness of an 8,000-square-foot cap used in the draft.

On fire protection, the TAG debated whether to require automatic sprinklers or allow an alternative using 2‑hour fire separations. Several fire representatives cautioned that removing sprinklers in favor of rated assemblies would increase risk; Mike Messer noted that rated assemblies “help… but they don’t actually put out a fire,” and that sprinklers often are the most reliable way to control residential fires. Some TAG members said sprinklers add significant cost; one cited a study showing roughly $6.75 per square foot for certain residential systems, and others gave informal examples of total installation costs in the low tens of thousands of dollars for small projects. The group asked members to collect updated, Washington-specific sprinkler cost data for comparison with rated-construction alternatives.

On means-of-egress and interior circulation, the TAG directed staff and Angela (council staff) to develop recommended language and to consider whether to reference an appendix in the fire code or expand the residential appendix to cover interior corridors and protected stairs. Angela summarized legislative intent and clarified that the IRC-based multiplex is intended to be limited to up to three stories and six units per building; taller or larger buildings would remain in the IBC scope.

John Hsu’s edits also clarified technical matters such as the allowable tested or prescribed fire-resistance-rated assemblies and the need for supporting-rated construction where floor assemblies are fire rated. Hsu flagged multiple unresolved items — the approach to attached multiple buildings; structural design limits and when to require an IBC engineered solution; soundproofing thresholds; and whether accessory common areas such as laundry or bike storage should be permitted in this prescriptive path.

The TAG provisionally approved the draft as its working baseline and asked members to return with specific proposals on the flagged items (sprinkler cost and trade-offs, interior egress language, structural constraints for attached buildings, and sound-transmission options) ahead of the next meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","SBCC Single Exit/Multiplex Housing TAG Meeting - July 15, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The TAG provisionally accepted a set of editorial and some substantive revisions to the proposed IRC-based multiplex (three-story, up to six-unit) text and asked for focused follow-up on interior egress, sound transmission, sprinkler requirements, structural details, and whether small groups of buildings can be attached.","taxTitle","Building Code Council, Governor's Office - Boards & Commissions, Executive, Washington","taxId",24233,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6169803,"TAG debates how to tie single-exit allowance to local fire capabilities; checklist workgroup formed",2948,648000,3596000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5402378-f939559b5b936f7db1ddaa62d3dd7134&start=648&end=3596","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5402378-f939559b5b936f7db1ddaa62d3dd7134/thumbnail_648000.jpg","/articles/6169803/Washington/TAG-debates-how-to-tie-single-exit-allowance-to-local-fire-capabilities-checklist-workgroup-formed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169803-381ecb748b97b7188f2ef694c94da53a/orig.mp4?Expires=1773628348&Signature=HmnR6RkyWvNEQTcncyQ~F002od5V4WER6iujEFEsfUOJ4JYhWXoD68ntxKfaKOG0~Ka7zd9kLxtEgm-iZinsAU4~cOJD~4ZgOAX0vAoCZnraDUUEfH6GLWLcrGDMYFwSfOo~MzFnuqrqIvLF~PHc0zjdieEHJEtrv2Q1XV6-ZRZPMQLHR2M~0uPOgkAT~isdDERFzfNEabMl-Gt1l71pCyPEcqR11~5GmzSKmhKgGBJLxJ99vpo7SrpkunGdms~Me960qEMQn2Ndg0uTxThE1kWeZ8Zxz7IDGVM4fEm~0xxzdn4D-2oSfEzOrgnC~MMJTALxChYvFxbnvMTeSJUfSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The technical advisory group convened by the State Building Code Council on July 15 spent the bulk of its meeting on how to make a proposed single-exit allowance workable statewide by tying it to local fire protection capabilities.

Members emphasized that the group must balance safety and the legislature’s interest in lowering housing costs. Chair Roger Garinga said the TAG’s recommendations must consider “adequate and available water supply, the presence and response time of a professional fire department, and then other provisions necessary to ensure health, safety, and general welfare.”

The central question was how to verify a jurisdiction’s fire capability. Several speakers discussed using the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB) score as a simple threshold; others said the WSRB insurance rating is not sufficiently specific for the single-exit safety details the TAG needs. “WSRB … rates a fire department regardless of the fire department’s cooperation with WSRB,” and “it is a 100% tied to fire insurance premium,” said Mike Messer, a fire-service representative. Messer and other speakers warned a single WSRB number does not capture discrete capabilities such as aerial apparatus (ladder trucks), minimum staffing, or specific fire-flow volumes needed at a site.

After extended discussion the TAG moved away from using a single WSRB cutoff as the primary test. Instead members favored a prescriptive checklist of discrete capabilities — for example, required water-flow, aerial apparatus availability, response times and staffing — that a jurisdiction or fire district would have to meet to qualify for the single-exit allowance. Jeremy Moore summarized the prevailing approach: the single-exit permission would be “subject to the following fire department criteria being met,” followed by a set of check-box items such as minimum GPM fire flow, aerial equipment availability, and defined response expectations.

TAG members also noted limitations and risks of a checklist approach. David Lyman and others pointed out ratings and capabilities can change over time because of staffing, budget decisions or infrastructure degradation; a jurisdiction meeting the checklist at the time of project approval could later lose that capacity. Several members said any code language should direct users to a fire-code appendix that lists required items and to establish review/reporting mechanisms so local changes in capability are tracked.

The group agreed to form a small working subgroup charged with drafting the checklist language. Roger Garinga and multiple TAG members said Dustin, Mike Messer and David Lyman (members of the ad-hoc fire group) offered to draft the items and return them to the full TAG for review. No formal code change was adopted at this meeting; the subgroup will present a proposed appendix or checklist at a future meeting for the TAG to consider.

“We can bring up what a rating looks like … and kind of the difficulties of just setting a number,” Messer said, arguing the checklist should be prescriptive and tied to specific fire-department capabilities rather than a single insurance score.

The TAG also discussed implementation options: (1) add charging language in the residential code that points to a mandatory fire appendix listing the check boxes; (2) put the checklist language in an appendix in the International Fire Code (IFC) and reference it from the residential code; or (3) pursue rulemaking or statutory language to clarify scope. Members generally favored an appendix approach that keeps the main code text stable and collects the operational fire requirements in a single place.

The TAG asked the fire subgroup to return to the next meeting with a proposed checklist of items to consider including aerial apparatus capability, minimum water flow for the building sizes under discussion, response-time expectations, and any necessary communications or emergency-access items. That draft will be the basis for further code text or appendix language.

Ending: The TAG paused single-exit deliberations after assigning the fire subgroup to prepare the detailed checklist and agreed to return to the topic at a subsequent meeting. The subgroup’s work is intended to produce language suitable either for an IFC appendix or a mandatory appendix referenced by the residential code, depending on what the full TAG and council prefer.","State Building Code Council TAG wrestled with whether to use WSRB ratings or prescriptive fire-department “check boxes” to allow single-exit buildings, and agreed a small fire subgroup will draft a checklist of required capabilities for later code language.","actionData","errors"]

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TAG provisionally adopts revised multiplex (3‑story/6‑unit) draft; members flag durability, soundproofing, fire protection and structural issues

TAG debates how to tie single-exit allowance to local fire capabilities; checklist workgroup formed