Inslee Delays State Building Code Effective Date to Nov 1 Due to COVID-19, NAIOP Advocacy Efforts

UPDATE [06/29/20]: After an emergency meeting of the State Building Code Council, the state code implementation effective date has now been pushed back to February 1, 2021.

Due to public health concerns and strong advocacy from NAIOPWA, Governor Jay Inslee has announced an extension to the 2018 state building code effective date. The new code implementation will take effect on November 1, 2020. This follows a similar order by the City of Seattle to delay code changes that came at the start of the novel coronavirus crisis in March. The original effective date of July 1, 2020 would have placed a significant burden on many construction projects, a number of which are specifically targeted at addressing Seattle's affordable housing shortage. 

NAIOPWA has continued to advocate for a delay of the code effective dates to January 1, 2021, including submitting an official request to Governor Inslee in March, citing a number of concerns that would come with a post-COVID-19 recovery. Chiefly among these concerns are a need for predictability as permit-related meetings are delayed due to public health risks, further support of housing production during the urban housing shortage, and support of economic recovery as the pandemic subsides. 

NAIOPWA will continue to update its members and community as this situation evolves.