The Washington State Building Code Council on Feb. 21 tabled a request from the City of Airway Heights to preapprove a local code amendment that would require automatic residential sprinklers in new one‑ and two‑family dwellings, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and several forms of middle housing.

Airway Heights fire marshal Michael (Mike) Mikayla presented the proposal and said the city is planning for middle‑housing options under state law and wants its city council to have the option of requiring sprinklers for new construction. "By having sprinklers in the home, it's like having a firefighter standing by on the nozzle ready to go all the time," Mikayla said, describing the city’s single‑engine fire department and the risk of multiple concurrent emergency calls.

Why the council tabled the item: council members and multiple industry stakeholders raised procedural and technical questions. Building industry representatives asked that the city complete its local public‑engagement process before the SBCC grants formal approval. Technical concerns included how sprinklers would be applied to unconditioned spaces (P2904 wet systems and freeze risk), whether Appendix AWV (the standard optional sprinkler appendix) already supplies authority for some jurisdictions, and how water supply and plumbing meters would be handled.

Key public commenters included Patrick Hanks of the Building Industry Association of Washington, who said local builders and residents had not been given adequate notice, and Isaiah Payne of the Spokane Home Builders Association, who urged robust community input before state action. Micah (commenter) and staff attorney Micah (AG office) raised questions about whether the amendment would change adopted P2904 language and whether the appendix AWV would already allow jurisdictions to adopt sprinklers without separate preapproval.

Council action: a motion to table the proposal passed by roll call vote, 9 in favor and 2 opposed. The council directed the proponent and staff to take feedback from the meeting and return the item in accordance with the SBCC’s review timeline.

Technical/administrative clarifications raised at the meeting:
- Airway Heights officials said each new dwelling would be on a separate water meter and the city buys water wholesale from the City of Spokane; the city has no private domestic wells for new residential service.
- Airway Heights described roughly 11,000 residents, a single fire station and about 2,500 annual calls, mostly EMS, and said the city relies on mutual aid for heavy call periods.
- Staff and council members pointed to procedural rules in WAC 51‑04 governing local residential amendments and noted that adopted local amendments must be submitted with findings of fact and cannot become effective until SBCC approval.

Next steps: council members encouraged the city to revise the draft language to address the technical issues discussed, complete local public engagement, and resubmit for SBCC review. Because the item was tabled, no local amendment took effect.