SB 5747 would let jurisdictions offer older code cycles for affordable housing; SBCC members warn of administrative chaos

At a February legislative committee meeting of the State Building Code Council in Olympia, members discussed Senate Bill 5747, a proposal that would permit affordable‑housing projects to be constructed, altered or repaired to any of the four prior state building‑code cycles rather than only to the current code.

The council’s legislative staff, Dustin, summarized the bill as one that would "allow jurisdictions to choose which code they would like to implement," and members spent the bulk of the discussion laying out likely administrative impacts if the measure moves forward.

Why it matters: Council members warned that the bill would create a patchwork of codes across jurisdictions, complicating plan review, inspection and training and increasing requests for code interpretation. That could raise costs and slow permitting, members said — effects that would undercut the bill’s intent to speed affordable housing.

Several members said the…