CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2071
Chapter 183, Laws of 2024
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING CODES—VARIOUS PROVISIONS
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the House March 5, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 66 Nays 30
I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the
House of Representatives of the
LAURIE JINKINS State of Washington, do hereby
Speaker of the House of certify that the attached is SECOND
Representatives SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2071 as
passed by the House of
Representatives and the Senate on
the dates hereon set forth.
Passed by the Senate February 27,
2024
Yeas 36 Nays 13 BERNARD DEAN
Chief Clerk
DENNY HECK
President of the Senate
Approved March 19, 2024 9:49 AM FILED
March 19, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2071
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By House Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives
Duerr, Bateman, Fitzgibbon, Berry, Reed, Ormsby, Ramel, Pollet, and
Kloba)
READ FIRST TIME 02/05/24.
1 AN ACT Relating to residential housing regulations; adding new
2 sections to chapter 19.27 RCW; and creating a new section.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 19.27
5 RCW to read as follows:
6 (1) The legislature finds that lowering the cost of middle and
7 multiplex housing construction will increase the housing supply and
8 help address the state's shortage of affordable housing. It further
9 finds that home builders and residentially focused architects are
10 more familiar with the provisions of the international residential
11 code. Allowing middle and multiplex housing to be built according to
12 the standards of the international residential code will result in
13 housing being easier to build and more affordable without sacrificing
14 quality and safety. Therefore, the legislature intends to simplify
15 the production of middle and multiplex housing by allowing more types
16 of housing to use provisions of the international residential code.
17 (2) The state building code council shall convene a technical
18 advisory group for the purpose of recommending the additions or
19 amendments to rules or codes that are necessary for the council to
20 apply the Washington state residential code to multiplex housing. The
21 technical advisory group shall determine the most efficient mechanism
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 1 to implement these changes in the Washington state residential code.
2 These recommendations must include those code changes necessary to
3 ensure public health and safety in multifamily housing under the
4 international residential code and must consider the life safety
5 systems and accessibility requirements for multiplex housing from the
6 Washington state building code.
7 (3) The advisory group shall provide its recommendations to the
8 council in time for the council to adopt or amend rules or codes as
9 necessary for implementation in the 2024 international building code.
10 The council shall take action to adopt additions and amendments to
11 rules or codes as necessary to apply the international residential
12 code to multiplex housing by November 1, 2026.
13 (4) For the purposes of this section, "multiplex housing" means a
14 building with up to six dwelling units consolidated into a single
15 structure with common walls and floors and a functional primary
16 street entrance, or a building of up to three stories containing up
17 to six dwelling units consolidated into a single structure.
18 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 19.27
19 RCW to read as follows:
20 (1) The state building code council shall convene a technical
21 advisory group for the purpose of recommending amendments to the
22 international building code that would allow for a minimum dwelling
23 unit size that is less than the requirements for an efficiency
24 dwelling unit in the international building code. The technical
25 advisory group shall consider aligning the state building code
26 sections related to interior environment with the relevant sections
27 of the national healthy housing standard published by the national
28 center for healthy housing. When developing the recommendations, the
29 technical advisory group must review the differences between the
30 state building code and the national healthy housing standard and
31 allow experts in public health and fire safety to comment during the
32 process.
33 (2) The technical advisory group shall provide its
34 recommendations to the council in time for the council to adopt or
35 amend rules or codes as necessary for implementation in the 2024
36 international building code. The council shall take action to adopt
37 additions and amendments to rules or codes as necessary by November
38 1, 2026.
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 1 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The office of regulatory innovation and
2 assistance shall contract with a qualified external consultant or
3 entity to develop a standard energy code plan set demonstrating a
4 prescriptive compliance pathway that will meet or exceed all energy
5 code regulations for residential housing in the state subject to the
6 international residential code. The standard energy code plan set may
7 be used, but is not required, by local governments and building
8 industries. In developing the standard energy code plan set, the
9 consultant shall, at a minimum, seek feedback from cities, counties,
10 building industries, and building officials. The standard energy code
11 plan set must be completed by June 30, 2025.
Passed by the House March 5, 2024.
Passed by the Senate February 27, 2024.
Approved by the Governor March 19, 2024.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 19, 2024.
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