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Commissioner reports favorable court rulings for Building Code Council and outlines study of Initiative 2066
Summary
A commissioner reported two favorable rulings: a federal lawsuit naming the Building Code Council was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds and a court found Initiative 2066 did not require immediate retroactive changes to existing building code; the council will study how to implement I‑2066 going forward.
A commissioner reported that two legal matters affecting the State Building Code Council (SBCC) produced favorable rulings for the council.
The county report said a federal suit that named the Building Code Council was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds under a law referred to in the meeting as EPCA; the speaker said the plaintiffs might attempt to refile in state court. The second ruling addressed Initiative 2066 (I‑2066). The court concluded, as reported to the board, that the initiative’s text did not require the SBCC to immediately reopen or retroactively revise existing codes; rather, any effect would be on future code decisions. The commissioner said SBCC will study I‑2066’s requirements and consider how to incorporate them into future code updates should the initiative survive constitutional challenge.
The speaker also noted proposed legislation that would change SBCC membership categories from an east/west county split to a large/small county allocation based on population thresholds, and observed that Thurston County’s population projection would classify it as a “large county” under the proposed threshold. The board did not take formal action on these items; the report was informational.
