State Building Code Council briefs committee on rulemaking, single‑stair and multiplex housing work

Dustin Curb, managing director of the State Building Code Council (SBCC), briefed the House Local Government Committee on the council’s membership, rulemaking process and current rulemaking timelines, and updated members on work to implement Senate Bill 5491 (single stairway residential buildings) and related multiplex housing discussions.

Curb described the SBCC as a state agency that develops and amends minimum statewide building, mechanical, plumbing, fire and energy code requirements. "We establish the minimum building, mechanical, fire, plumbing, and energy code requirements to promote the health, safety, and wellness of the folks of the state of Washington," Curb said. He said the council operates a three‑year model‑code adoption cycle, with standing committees, technical advisory groups (tags) and a public rulemaking process that includes CR 102 filing, public hearings in Eastern and Western Washington, and a December adoption deadline for most codes. The council said the 2024 code cycle aims for final adoption by December and an effective date…