The State Building Code Council (SBCC) was created to advise the Legislature on building code issues and to develop the building codes used in Washington. Every three years new model codes are published by the International Code Council (ICC). The SBCCs Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) review and adopt these new editions. The TAGs review any changes proposed to the new editions, or to the pre-existing state amendments.
The 2021 Washington State Building Code based on the 2021 International Building Code goes into effect on March 15, 2024. Building Code Amendments are available via the State Building Code Council website.
The 2021 Washington State Residential Code based on the 2021 International Residential Code goes into effect on March 15, 2024. Residential Code Amendments are available via the State Building Code Council website.
Building Code Compliance Software for Washington
Plan Analyst code compliance software programs make it easy for building officials, architects and other designers to quickly perform commercial and residential building code plan reviews / code studies. Plan Analyst for the 2021 IBC and Plan Analyst for the 2021 IRC simplifies the plan review / code study process enabling compliance to specific code years. This proven software allows modifications to accommodate local amendments, where applicable. Users have the ability to add code requirements and to add to the checklist. Changes can be made permanent by changing the data file using the setup section of Plan Analyst, or specific reports can be edited for special conditions.
Plan Analyst Calculators: Deck – Sign – Beam & Column
Plan Analyst Deck, Sign and Beam & Column Calculators are additional simple and effective design and code review software tools that will quickly become your go-to resources when working on associated tasks.
Users of Plan Analyst in Washington have included:
| Benton County | A2E Inc. |
| City of Airway Heights | Bay View Construction Inc |
| City of Moses Lake | BHC Consultants |
| City of Prosser | Bondeson’s Building Design |
| City of Yakima | Eagle Signs |
| City of Zillan | King Architecture LLC |
| Spokane County | Quality Sign Service, Inc. |
| City of Spokane | P&L General Contractors Inc. |
Building and Residential Code Resources in Washington
- The State Building Code Council (SBCC)
- Washington Association of Building Officials
- Washington code amendments via WABO
- Purchase code books via ICC.
- Purchase Plan Analyst for the 2021 IBC and or 2021 IRC to automate and simplify your plan reviews / code studies plananalyst.com.
Energy Code Compliance Software for Washington
Visit the U.S. Department of Energy website to see the latest on energy code adoption in Washington, including the use of COMcheck and REScheck Energy Code compliance software. COMcheck enables architects, builders, designers, and contractors to determine whether new commercial or high-rise residential buildings, additions, and alterations meet the requirements of the IECC and ASHRAE Standard 90.1. REScheck product enables builders, designers, and contractors to determine whether new homes, additions, and alterations meet the requirements of the IECC or a number of state energy codes.
DOE’s EnergyPlus™ is a whole building energy simulation (BEM) program that engineers, architects, and researchers use to model both energy consumption (for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and plug and process loads) and water use in buildings. It supports a number of public and private-sector tools and services including EP3. EP3 is a user interface for EnergyPlus™ designed to streamline workflows for building energy modelers. EP3 is well-suited for tasks like modeling ASHRAE 90.1 Appendix G baselines and evaluating energy efficiency measures in new and existing buildings.
The “Building Codes Assistance Project” also provides information on Washington’s building energy codes.
FEMA Building Code Adoption Tracking
The FEMA Building Code Adoption Tracking program reports on the status of hazard-resistant building code adoption in each state. Washington is in FEMA Region 10. Read the 2023 Region 10 fact sheet showing the annual metric of the percent of communities adopting hazard-resistant building codes in Washington.
AIA and ICC
American Institute of Architects – AIA Washington represents architects in the state. There are over 6,000 registered and reciprocal architects in Washington.
Several ICC Chapters operate in Washington
Washington code adoption status on the ICC website