WA building code update implementation delayed

OLYMPIA — The Washington Building Code Council voted this week to delay the implementation of the state’s 2021 building code to Oct. 29 as the council considers possible revisions for portions of the code, according to an announcement on the council’s website.

According to the council, the delay was approved while the council considers proposals from the public for changes to the commercial and residential energy portions of the building code. The council cited a ruling in mid-April from a federal appeals court in San Francisco striking down the city of Bekeley’s 2020 ban on new natural gas stoves.

“The modification would be intended to address legal uncertainty stemming from the decision in California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley recently issued by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,” the announcement said.

The new building code was originally set to come into force on July 1.