Lawmakers, insurers and builders spar over adopting full International WUI code

Representative Divina Deuer opened the public hearing on House Bill 1254, which would incorporate the International Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Code into Washington's state building code and allow the State Building Code Council (SBCC) to adopt the code for the state.

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner told the committee the bill should reduce wildfire risk and could improve insurance availability by establishing uniform building-material and defensible-space standards. "Anything that you can do to uniformly reduce the risk and the spread of wildfire from wild lands to the urban communities will have a positive impact on premiums," said Rory Payne Donovan, Office of Insurance Commissioner (testifying with David Ford).

Opponents included builders, environmental groups and local officials who said the international WUI model code contains technical defensible-space rules that are inappropriate for Washington's varied landscapes and may conflict with state environmental protections. "The international code’s…