An emergency rule adopted by the State Building Code Council to further delay implementation of the 2018 building code changes has been repealed by the Governor. The code will go into effect on February 1, 2021 as previously scheduled.

On January 8 of this year, the State Building Code Council passed an emergency rule providing for another extension of the effective date of the 2018 building codes to July 1, 2021. This was met with opposition from the Washington State Fire Marshalls Association and the Washington Association of Building Officials, who both requested that the Governor veto the emergency rule.

In his veto letter, the Governor gave the following reasoning:

The implementation of the 2018 codes has already been delayed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic so as to allow builders, building officials, and other key stakeholders the opportunity to adjust and prepare to safely implement the codes. These delays, granted at the request of industry, allowed more time for individuals and local jurisdictions to receive safe training on the new codes as well as to shore up the necessary supply chains that had been compromised by the pandemic. But now, almost a year after the pandemic’s arrival in Washington and almost eighteen months since the 2018 codes were originally adopted, there is no need for further delay.