Dave Kokot

Building and Fire Codes going through update process

Dave Kokot, Fire Protection Engineer, No Phone Number Available


Monday, March 7, 2016 at 2:45 p.m.

Building and Fire Codes going through update process

Every three years, the building codes for the State are updated and amended by the State Building Code Council. This follows an extensive process of public meetings and hearings culminating in approval by the Legislature.  The City may amend the State Codes, but only to be more restrictive.

Effective July 1, 2016, the State will be adopting the following Codes under WAC 51:

  • 2015 International Building Code
  • 2015 International Existing Building Code
  • 2015 International Fire Code
  • 2015 International Mechanical Code
  • 2015 International Residential Code
  • 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code
  • 2015 International Energy and Conservation Code

Some of the changes to the State codes will require that changes be made to Section 17F of the Spokane Municipal Code. In addition, this is an opportunity to effect changes to the local codes to provide clarity and facilitate construction in the City. These changes are not intended to be significant.

The State Changes are considered law and are not subject to change by local jurisdictions. Some of the most significant changes include a more restrictive energy code, specific requirements for assembly occupancies on roofs, existing buildings are now covered by Existing Building Code, open ended corridors in residential buildings sprinkler requirements clarified, CO detection in educational classrooms, and I-1 occupancies split into two conditions.

We encourage citizens to review and provide feedback on the proposed changes to the Municipal Code.

The following documents provide the sections of the Municipal Code that are going to be updated with revision descriptions and a Powerpoint presentation that can be used.

The following are resources of the Model Codes and State Amendments as well as the current Municipal Code language:

More About...