S-3623               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 4468

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senators McCaslin, Thompson and Vognild

Prefiled with Secretary of the Senate 1/9/86.  Read first time 1/13/86 and referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

AN ACT Relating to the uniform fire code; and amending RCW 19.27.110.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 37, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. and RCW 19.27.110 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, each county government shall administer and enforce the uniform fire code in the unincorporated areas of the county:  PROVIDED, That any political subdivision or municipal corporation providing fire protection pursuant to RCW 14.08.120 shall, at its sole option, be responsible for administration and enforcement of the uniform fire code on its facility.  Any fire protection district or political subdivision may, pursuant to chapter 39.34 RCW, the interlocal cooperation act, assume all or a  portion of the administering responsibility and coordinate and cooperate with the county government in the enforcement of the uniform fire code.

(2) A fire protection district maintaining a fire department consisting wholly of personnel employed on a full-time, fully-paid basis shall administer and enforce the uniform fire code within its boundaries.

(3) It is not the intent of RCW 19.27.110 and 19.27.111 to preclude or limit the authority of any city, town, county, fire protection district, state agency, or political subdivision from engaging in those fire prevention activities with which they are charged.

(4) It is not the intent of the legislature by adopting the state building code or RCW 19.27.110 and 19.27.111 to grant counties any more power to suppress or extinguish fires than counties currently possess under the Constitution or other statutes.

(5) Each county is authorized to impose fees sufficient to pay the cost of inspections, administration, and enforcement pursuant to RCW 19.27.110 and 19.27.111.