The State Building Code (SBC) provides a set of statewide standards and requirements related to building construction. The SBC is comprised of various international model codes, including building, residential, fire, and plumbing codes (model codes) adopted by reference by the Legislature. The model codes are promulgated by the International Code Council.
The State Building Code Council (SBCC) is responsible for adopting, amending, and maintaining the SBC. The SBCC must regularly review updated versions of the model codes and adopt a process for reviewing proposed statewide and local amendments.
Cities and counties may amend the SBC as applied within their jurisdiction, except that amendments may not be below minimum performance standards, and no amendment affecting single or multifamily residential buildings may be effective until approved by the SBCC. Current SBC rules specify there must be a minimum of one stairway for access and exit for buildings and structures three stories or 36 feet. If the building structure is more than three stories or 36 feet, the structure must have two or more stairways.
Local Development Regulations. Cities and counties engaging in comprehensive planning may enact ordinances regulating the use of land and zoning certain development and activities. Such regulations generally include:
The legislative body of a county or city may adopt amendments to the SBC to allow for multifamily residential buildings to be served by a single stair exit under certain conditions, including but not limited to:
A city that intends to adopt amendments to allow for single stair exits under certain conditions must meet the following criteria prior to adoption:
A city may determine it does not have appropriate fire apparatus or hydrant networks to serve single stairwell buildings.
PRO: Single-stair entry apartments greater than three stories high are not allowed to be developed outside of Seattle. An advantage of these buildings is when there is one stairway instead of two, it can be squeezed into a smaller lot. On many lots, it is inefficient to have a second stairway because there will not be enough room leftover to justify the development. Typical multi-family development in the US is large buildings with corridors down the middle, and small units on either side. They do not have the ability to cross-ventilate, they do not have daylight. The single exit building is the foundational multifamily development in cities and suburbs across the world. Instead of developers having to accumulate two or three adjacent lots, they can fill in one lot. There can be more family sized apartments to accommodate various family sizes. This will give families an option who may not be able to afford single family homes. This bill includes language that has been agreed upon and addresses public health and safety concerns.
OTHER: There are some technical concerns. Section 1.3 of this bill adds new provisions to RCW 19.27.060. Besides the good intent, building code language in the statute in general is uncommon and problematic. Adding code language to RCW 19.27 may create conflicts with the model codes. The one exit rule in Seattle has more than 10 additional criteria which are not included in this bill. RCW 19.27.031b refers to the international residential code which does not contain any occupancy classification. This creates another conflict with the statutory language in the code.