WSR 21-12-102
PERMANENT RULES
BUILDING CODE COUNCIL
[Filed June 2, 2021, 9:42 a.m., effective July 3, 2021]
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.
Purpose: This rule is in response to ESHB 1023 and addresses increasing beds for adult family homes. Chapter 51-51 WAC, Amendments to the 2018 International Residential Code.
Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Amending 1.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 19.27.031.
Other Authority: RCW 19.27.074.
Adopted under notice filed as WSR 21-03-080 on January 19, 2021.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: May 21, 2021.
Diane Glenn
Chair
OTS-2876.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 20-21-041, filed 10/13/20, effective 11/13/20)
WAC 51-51-0202Section R202Definitions.
ADULT FAMILY HOME.((means))A dwelling, licensed by the state of Washington department of social and health services, in which a person or persons provide personal care, special care, room and board to more than one but not more than six adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the person or persons providing the services. An existing adult family home may provide services to up to eight adults upon approval from the department of social and health services in accordance with RCW 70.128.066.
BALANCED WHOLE HOUSE VENTILATION. Balanced whole house ventilation is defined as any combination of concurrently operating residential unit mechanical exhaust and mechanical supply whereby the total mechanical exhaust airflow rate is within 10 percent or 5 cfm, whichever is greater, of the total mechanical supply airflow rate. Intermittent dryer exhaust, intermittent range hood exhaust, and intermittent toilet room exhaust airflow rates above the residential dwelling or sleeping unit minimum ventilation rate are exempt from the balanced airflow calculation.
BATTERY SYSTEM, STATIONARY STORAGE. This definition is not adopted.
BUILDING, EXISTING. A building or structure erected prior to the adoption of this code, or one that has passed a final inspection.
BUILDING. Any one- or two-family dwelling or townhouse, or portion thereof used or intended to be used for human habitation, for living, sleeping, cooking or eating purposes, or any combination thereof, or any accessory structure.
CHILD CARE, FAMILY HOME. A child care facility, licensed by Washington state, located in the dwelling of the person or persons under whose direct care and supervision the child is placed, for the care of twelve or fewer children, including children who reside at the home.
CHILD DAY CARE, shall, for the purposes of these regulations, mean the care of children during any period of a 24 hour day.
CONDITIONED SPACE. An area, room or space that is enclosed within the building thermal envelope and that is directly or indirectly heated or cooled. Spaces are indirectly heated or cooled where they communicate through openings with conditioned spaces, where they are separated from conditioned spaces by uninsulated walls, floors or ceilings, or where they contain uninsulated ducts, piping or other sources of heating or cooling.
DISTRIBUTED WHOLE HOUSE VENTILATION. A whole house ventilation system shall be considered distributed when it supplies outdoor air directly (not transfer air) to each dwelling or sleeping unit habitable space (living room, den, office, interior adjoining spaces or bedroom), and exhausts air from all kitchens and bathrooms directly outside.
DWELLING UNIT. A single unit providing complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation. Dwelling units may also include the following uses:
1. Adult family homes, foster family care homes and family day care homes licensed by the Washington state department of social and health services.
2. Offices, mercantile, food preparation for off-site consumption, personal care salons or similar uses which are conducted primarily by the occupants of the dwelling unit and are secondary to the use of the unit for dwelling purposes, and which do not exceed 500 square feet (46.4 m2).
EGRESS ROOF ACCESS WINDOW. A skylight or roof window designed and installed to satisfy the Emergency Escape and Rescue Opening requirements of Section R310.2.
ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS (ESS). One or more devices, assembled together, capable of storing energy in order to supply electrical energy at a future time.
FIRE SEPARATION DISTANCE. The distance measured from the foundation wall or face of the wall framing, whichever is closer, to one of the following:
1. To the closest interior lot line; or
2. To the centerline of a street, an alley or public way; or
3. To an imaginary line between two buildings on the lot.
The distance shall be measured at a right angle from the wall.
FLOOR AREA. The area within the inside perimeter of exterior walls of the building. The floor area of a building, or portion thereof, not provided with surrounding exterior walls shall be the usable area under the horizontal projection of the roof or floor above.
LANDING PLATFORM. A landing provided as the top step of a stairway accessing a Sleeping Loft.
LOCAL EXHAUST. An exhaust system that uses one or more fans to exhaust air from a specific room or rooms within a residential dwelling or sleeping unit.
LOT. A measured portion or parcel of land considered as a unit having fixed boundaries.
LOT LINE. The line which bounds a plot of ground described as a lot in the title to the property.
MIXED VENTILATION ZONE. This definition is not adopted.
SALT WATER COASTAL AREA. Those areas designated as salt water coastal areas by the local jurisdiction.
SLEEPING LOFT. A sleeping space on a floor level located more than 30 inches (726 mm) above the main floor and open to the main floor on one or more sides with a ceiling height of less than 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm).
SMALL BUSINESS. Any business entity (including a sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership or other legal entity) which is owned and operated independently from all other businesses, which has the purpose of making a profit, and which has fifty or fewer employees.
TOWNHOUSE. A building that contains three or more attached townhouse units.
TOWNHOUSE UNIT. A single-family dwelling unit in a townhouse that extends from foundation to roof and that has a yard or public way on not less than two sides that extends at least 50 percent of the length of each of these two sides.
WHOLE HOUSE VENTILATION SYSTEM. A mechanical ventilation system, including fans, controls, and ducts, which replaces, by direct means, air from the habitable rooms with outdoor air.