Committee hears agency-backed bill to streamline inspections for modular housing

Senate staff and an agency witness described a narrow, agency‑requested bill meant to speed and standardize inspections for factory‑built housing.

Jared Sachs, staff to the committee, said SB 6,158 would require L&I to consider national consensus standards published by the International Code Council when adopting rules for factory‑built housing and commercial structures and allow L&I to approve qualified inspection agencies to conduct inspections instead of requiring direct L&I contractual inspectors. Sachs said the bill’s fiscal note shows no fiscal impact.

Senator Keith Keener (the prime sponsor) told the committee the bill aims to encourage modular housing as a housing‑supply option and reduce inspection inefficiencies when units are built or shipped from outside Washington. “What this bill does is just allows qualified inspectors in those areas to do the inspections … ensure that they're to not only our standards, but we're putting in line with the national standards,” he said.

Tammy Fallon of the Department of Labor and Industries later returned to testify in support when the committee resumed the public hearing. Fallon said the bill is an agency request to anticipate increased modular housing volumes and to prevent L&I from becoming a “pinch point”; she emphasized the bill would not change manufacturing standards for electrical, plumbing, structural or energy codes and asked for an effective date in January to allow time for rulemaking.

There was no committee vote on SB 6,158 during this hearing; witnesses and the sponsor signaled support and a willingness to move forward with clarifying amendments as needed.