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Committee refers question on Section 5.10.2 (occupancies above horizontal separation) to full council for research
Summary
Committee asked staff to research whether language was omitted in the 2021 code process for Section 5.10.2 and to present findings to the full council. Staff and committee members disagreed on whether the provision was an omission or an appropriate removal and decided more archival research is needed.
The BFRW committee sent a technical question about Section 5.10.2 (occupancies above horizontal separation) to the full State Building Code Council after staff and members identified conflicting versions of the rule text in 2018 and later publications.
Staff explained that a requester flagged a potential omission in the 2021 Washington-adopted code showing an allowance for certain occupancies above a horizontal separation. Staff said the online and archived Washington Administrative Code (WAC) materials show inconsistent content and that more research is needed to determine whether text was omitted in error or was correctly revised during the 2021 adoption.
"I am not seeing the issue, and I don't agree with the opinion at this point," a technical participant said, noting the model-code change proposed for 2024 and that I-2-type occupancies historically were not listed in that allowance. Another participant said archived WAC materials do include a line referencing group I-1 Condition 2 (assisted-living/limited-care guidance) and suggested a publishing error may have occurred.
Because the archival record was unclear, committee members directed staff to research the proposal history and return the matter to the full council with a recommendation. The committee voted to send the item to the full council after staff research; the motion passed by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will research the 2018/2021 code-adoption history and errata records, confirm whether the contested language should exist in the code text, and prepare a staff recommendation for council consideration. The committee asked staff to try to route the matter to the council so it can be decided before the next BFRW meeting if possible.
Ending: The committee postponed final action pending staff research and potential council consideration.
