EMERGENCY RULES
Effective Date of Rule: July 23, 2007.
Purpose: To amend chapter 51-54 WAC, 2006 International Fire Code and chapter 51-50 WAC, 2006 International Building Code for consistency with chapter 434, Laws of 2007.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 51-54-0200, 51-54-0900, 51-50-0200, and 51-50-0903.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 19.27.074 and 19.27.020.
Other Authority: Chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW, chapter 434, Laws of 2007.
Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that state or federal law or federal rule or a federal deadline for state receipt of federal funds requires immediate adoption of a rule.
Reasons for this Finding: The state building code council, based on the following good cause, finds that an emergency affecting the general welfare of the state of Washington exists. The council further finds that immediate amendment of a certain council rule is necessary for the public welfare and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment would be contrary to the public interest.
The declaration of emergency affecting the general welfare of the state of Washington is based on the following findings:
The state legislature passed 2SHB 1811, which changes the definition of nightclubs and extends the date for installing automatic sprinklers in these occupancies from December 1, 2007, to December 1, 2009. This bill was signed by the governor and takes effect July 22, 2007.
The new law is in conflict with the existing rule. This emergency rule is necessary to avoid confusion and unnecessary expenditure. It gives the maximum time possible to fire code enforcement personnel and nightclub owners to comply with the rule.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 4, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 4, Repealed 0.
Date Adopted: June 8, 2007.
John P. Neff
Council Chair
OTS-9872.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-01-093, filed 12/19/06,
effective 7/1/07)
WAC 51-54-0200
Chapter 2 -- Definitions.
SECTION 202 GENERAL DEFINITIONS.
ADULT FAMILY HOME means a dwelling 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.
CHILD DAY CARE, shall, for the purposes of these regulations,
mean the care of children during any period of a 24-hour day.
ELECTRICAL CODE is the National Electrical Code, promulgated by
the National Fire Protection Association, as adopted in
chapter 296-46 WAC, or the locally adopted Electrical Code.
FAMILY CHILD DAY CARE HOME is a child day care facility, licensed
by the 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.
NIGHTCLUB. ((An establishment, other than a theater with fixed
seating, which includes all of the following:
1. Provides live entertainment by paid performing artists or by way of recorded music conducted by a person employed or engaged to do so;
2. Has as its primary source of revenue the sale of beverages of any kind for consumption on the premises and/or cover charges;
3. Has an occupant load of 100 or more as determined by the fire code official; and
4. Includes assembly space without fixed seats considered concentrated or standing space per Table 1004.1.2.
Paid performing artists are those entertainers engaged to perform in a for-profit business establishment.)) An A-2 Occupancy use under the 2006 International Building Code in which the aggregate area of concentrated use of unfixed chairs and standing space that is specifically designated and primarily used for dancing or viewing performers exceeds three hundred fifty square feet, excluding adjacent lobby areas. "Nightclub" does not include theaters with fixed seating, banquet halls, or lodge halls.
EDUCATIONAL GROUP E. Educational Group E Occupancy includes,
among others, the use of a building or structure, or a portion
thereof, by six or more persons at any one time for
educational purposes through the 12th grade. Religious
educational rooms and religious auditoriums, which are
accessory to churches in accordance with Section 302.2 of the
IBC and have occupant loads of less than 100, shall be
classified as Group A-3 Occupancies.
Day Care. The use of a building or structure, or portion thereof, for educational, supervision or personal care services for more than five children older than 2 1/2 years of age, shall be classified as a Group E Occupancy.
| EXCEPTION: | Family child day care homes licensed by the Washington state department of social and health services for the care of twelve or fewer children shall be classified as Group R3. |
Group I-1. This occupancy shall include buildings, structures or parts thereof housing more than 16 persons, on a 24-hour basis, who because of age, mental disability or other reasons, live in a supervised residential environment that provides personal care services. The occupants are capable of responding to an emergency situation without physical assistance from staff. This group shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
Residential board and care facilities
Assisted living facilities
Halfway houses
Group homes
Congregate care facilities
Social rehabilitation facilities
Alcohol and drug centers
Convalescent facilities
A facility such as the above with five or fewer persons and adult family homes licensed by the Washington state department of social and health services shall be classified as a Group R-3 or shall comply with the International Residential Code in accordance with Section 101.2.
A facility such as the above providing licensed care to clients in one of the categories listed in IBC Section 310.1 regulated by either the Washington department of health or the department of social and health services shall be classified as Group R-2.
Group I-2. This occupancy shall include buildings and structures used for medical, surgical, psychiatric, nursing or custodial care on a 24-hour basis of more than five persons who are not capable of self-preservation. This group shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
Hospitals
Nursing homes (both intermediate-care facilities and skilled nursing facilities)
Mental hospitals
Detoxification facilities
A facility such as the above with five or fewer persons shall be classified as Group R-3 or shall comply with the International Residential Code in accordance with Section 101.2.
A facility such as the above providing licensed care to clients in one of the categories listed in IBC Section 310.1 regulated by either the Washington department of health or the department of social and health services shall be classified as Group R-2.
Group I-3. (Remains as printed in the IFC.)
Group I-4. Day care facilities. This group shall include buildings and structures occupied by persons of any age who receive custodial care for less than 24 hours by individuals other than parents or guardians, relatives by blood marriage, or adoption, and in a place other than the home of the person cared for. A facility such as the above with five or fewer persons shall be classified as Group R-3 or shall comply with the International Residential Code. Places of worship during religious functions are not included.
Adult care facility. A facility that provides accommodations for less than 24 hours for more than five unrelated adults and provides supervision and personal care services shall be classified as Group I-4.
| EXCEPTION: | Where the occupants are capable of responding to an emergency situation without physical assistance from the staff, the facility shall be classified as Group A-3. |
| EXCEPTIONS: | 1. A child day care facility that provides care for more than five but no more than 100 children 2 1/2 years or less of age, when the rooms where such children are cared for are located on the level of exit discharge and each of these child care rooms has an exit door directly to the exterior, shall be classified as Group E. |
| 2. Family child day care homes licensed by the Washington state department of social and health services for the care of 12 or fewer children shall be classified as Group R3. |
R-1 Residential occupancies where the occupants are primarily transient in nature, including:
Boarding houses (transient)
Hotels (transient)
Motels (transient)
R-2 Residential occupancies containing sleeping units or more than two dwelling units where the occupants are primarily permanent in nature, including:
Apartment houses
Boarding houses (not transient)
Boarding homes as licensed by the department of social and health services under chapter 388-78A WAC
Convents
Dormitories
Fraternities and sororities
Hotels (nontransient)
Motels (nontransient)
Monasteries
Residential treatment facilities as licensed by the department of health under chapter 246-337 WAC
Vacation timeshare properties
R-3 Residential occupancies where the occupants are primarily permanent in nature and not classified as R-1, R-2, R-4 or I and where buildings do not contain more than two dwelling units as applicable in Section 101.2, including adult family homes and family child day care homes for the care of 12 or fewer children, licensed by the Washington state department of social and health services, or adult and child care facilities that provide accommodations for five or fewer persons of any age for less than 24 hours. Adult family homes and family child day care homes, or adult and child care facilities that are within a single-family home are permitted to comply with the International Residential Code in accordance with Section 101.2.
Foster family care homes licensed by the Washington state department of social and health services shall be permitted, as an accessory use to a dwelling, for six or fewer children including those of the resident family.
R-4 classification is not adopted. Any reference in this code to R-4 does not apply.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.031, 19.27.074, and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 07-01-093, § 51-54-0200, filed 12/19/06, effective 7/1/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.020, 19.27.031, 19.27.074 and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 05-24-071, § 51-54-0200, filed 12/5/05, effective 7/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.031 and 19.27.074. 04-01-105, § 51-54-0200, filed 12/17/03, effective 7/1/04.]
902.1 Definitions.
PORTABLE SCHOOL CLASSROOM. A structure, transportable in one or more sections, which requires a chassis to be transported, and is designed to be used as an educational space with or without a permanent foundation. The structure shall be trailerable and capable of being demounted and relocated to other locations as needs arise.
((903.2.1.6 Nightclub. An automatic sprinkler system shall be
provided throughout an occupancy with a nightclub. Existing
nightclubs constructed prior to July 1, 2006, shall be
provided with automatic sprinklers not later than December 1,
2007. The fire code official, for the application of this
rule, may establish an occupant load based on the observed use
of the occupancy in accordance with Table 1004.1.2.))
903.2.2 Group E. An automatic sprinkler system shall be
provided for Group E Occupancies.
| EXCEPTIONS: | 1. Portable school classrooms, provided aggregate area of any cluster or portion of a cluster of portable school classrooms does not exceed 5,000 square feet (1465 m2); and clusters of portable school classrooms shall be separated as required in Chapter 5 of the building code. |
| 2. Group E Occupancies with an occupant load of 50 or less. |
| EXCEPTION: | Group R-1 if all of the following conditions apply: |
| 1. The Group R fire area is no more than 500 square feet and is used for recreational use only. | |
| 2. The Group R fire area is on only one story. | |
| 3. The Group R fire area does not include a basement. | |
| 4. The Group R fire area is no closer than 30 feet from another structure. | |
| 5. Cooking is not allowed within the Group R fire area. | |
| 6. The Group R fire area has an occupant load of no more than 8. | |
| 7. A hand held (portable) fire extinguisher is in every Group R fire area. |
909.6.3 Elevator shaft pressurization. Where elevator shaft
pressurization is required to comply with Exception 6 of IBC
Section 707.14.1, the pressurization system shall comply with
and be maintained in accordance with IBC 707.14.2.
909.6.3.1 Activation. The elevator shaft pressurization
system shall be activated by a fire alarm system which shall
include smoke detectors or other approved detectors located
near the elevator shaft on each floor as approved by the
building official and fire code official. If the building has
a fire alarm panel, detectors shall be connected to, with
power supplied by, the fire alarm panel.
909.6.3.2 Power system. The power source for the fire alarm
system and the elevator shaft pressurization system shall be
in accordance with Section 909.11.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.031, 19.27.074, and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 07-01-093, § 51-54-0900, filed 12/19/06, effective 7/1/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.020, 19.27.031, 19.27.074 and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 05-24-071, § 51-54-0900, filed 12/5/05, effective 7/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.031 and 19.27.074. 04-01-105, § 51-54-0900, filed 12/17/03, effective 7/1/04.]
OTS-9871.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-01-091, filed 12/19/06,
effective 7/1/07)
WAC 51-50-0200
Chapter 2 -- Definitions.
SECTION 202 -- DEFINITIONS.
ADULT FAMILY HOME. See Section 310.2.
CHILD DAY CARE. See Section 310.2.
CHILD DAY CARE HOME, FAMILY. See Section 310.2.
NIGHTCLUB. ((An establishment, other than a theater with fixed
seating, which includes all of the following:
1. Provides live entertainment by paid performing artists or by way of recorded music conducted by a person employed or engaged to do so;
2. Has as its primary source of revenue the sale of beverages of any kind for consumption on the premises and/or cover charges;
3. Has an occupant load of 100 or more as determined by the fire code official; and
4. Includes assembly space without fixed seats considered concentrated or standing space per Table 1004.1.2.
Paid performing artists are those entertainers engaged to perform in a for-profit business establishment.)) An A-2 Occupancy use under the 2006 International Building Code in which the aggregate area of concentrated use of unfixed chairs and standing space that is specifically designated and primarily used for dancing or viewing performers exceeds three hundred fifty square feet, excluding adjacent lobby areas. "Nightclub" does not include theaters with fixed seating, banquet halls, or lodge halls.
PORTABLE SCHOOL CLASSROOM. See Section 902.1.
RESIDENTIAL CARE/ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES. See Section 310.2. This
definition is not adopted.
STORY. That portion of a building included between the upper
surface of a floor and the upper surface of the floor or roof
next above, including basements (also see "Mezzanine" and
Section 502.1). It is measured as the vertical distance from
top to top of two successive tiers of beams or finished floor
surfaces and, for the topmost story, from the top of the floor
finish to the top of the ceiling joists or, where there is not
a ceiling, to the top of the roof rafters.
STORY ABOVE GRADE PLANE. Any story having its finished floor
surface entirely above grade plane, except that a basement
shall be considered as a story above grade plane where the
finished surface of the floor or roof next above the basement
is:
1. More than 6 feet (1829 mm) above grade plane; or
2. More than 12 feet (3658 mm) above the finished ground level at any point.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.074, 19.27.020, and chapters 70.92, 19.27, and 34.05 RCW. 07-01-091, § 51-50-0200, filed 12/19/06, effective 7/1/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.020, 19.27.031, 19.27.074, and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 05-24-070, § 51-50-0200, filed 12/5/05, effective 7/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.031 and 19.27.074. 04-01-108, § 51-50-0200, filed 12/17/03, effective 7/1/04.]
903.2.1.6 Nightclub. ((An automatic sprinkler system shall be
provided throughout an occupancy with a nightclub. Existing
nightclubs constructed prior to July 1, 2006, shall be
provided with automatic sprinklers not later than December 1,
2007. The fire code official, for the application of this
rule, may establish an occupant load based on the observed use
of the occupancy in accordance with Table 1004.1.2.)) An
automatic sprinkler system shall be provided throughout every
nightclub. An existing nightclub constructed prior to July 1,
2006, shall be provided with automatic sprinklers not later
than December 1, 2009.
903.2.2 Group E. An automatic sprinkler system shall be
provided for Group E Occupancies.
| EXCEPTIONS: | 1. Portable school classrooms, provided aggregate area of any cluster or portion of a cluster of portable school classrooms does not exceed 5,000 square feet (1465 m2); and clusters of portable school classrooms shall be separated as required in chapter 5 of the building code. |
| 2. Group E occupancies with an occupant load of 50 or less. |
| EXCEPTION: | Group R-1 if all of the following conditions apply: |
| 1. The Group R fire area is no more than 500 square feet and is used for recreational use only. | |
| 2. The Group R fire area is only one story. | |
| 3. The Group R fire area does not include a basement. | |
| 4. The Group R fire area is no closer than 30 feet from another structure. | |
| 5. Cooking is not allowed within the Group R fire area. | |
| 6. The Group R fire area has an occupant load of no more than 8. | |
| 7. A hand held (portable) fire extinguisher is in every Group R fire area. |
[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.074, 19.27.020, and chapters 70.92, 19.27, and 34.05 RCW. 07-01-091, § 51-50-0903, filed 12/19/06, effective 7/1/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.020, 19.27.031, 19.27.074, and chapters 19.27 and 34.05 RCW. 05-24-070, § 51-50-0903, filed 12/5/05, effective 7/1/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27.031 and 19.27.074. 04-01-108, § 51-50-0903, filed 12/17/03, effective 7/1/04.]