Council debates dwelling-unit minimums and temporary emergency-shelter standards; L&I coordination urged

Members of the Building Code Council reviewed two substantive agenda items during an online meeting they could not vote on because the panel lacked a quorum.

On dwelling-unit size, participants said the version of the draft they expected (discussed Jan. 29) was not posted for this meeting. One member recalled that a draft proposal included a requirement that "a minimum of 70 square feet of this room shall be a habitable space and not less than 7 feet in any dimension." Participants asked for the correct file to be posted and suggested tabling final decisions until the proper documents were available and a quorum could vote.

On temporary emergency shelters, the council walked through an appendix to the International Building Code that had been edited to remove California-specific references and make language Washington-specific. The group removed or reclassified several items as out of scope (manufactured homes, park trailers, recreational vehicles) and considered whether to reference the Washington State Building Code or to insert chapter references. Several members favored referencing the state code title rather than citing specific sections, to avoid future conflicts when sections change.

Members raised the need to coordinate with the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) on transportable, factory-assembled, or volumetric structures. One member said kit-home legislation under consideration could change volumetric thresholds and asked whether the appendix would remain appropriate if kit homes of up to roughly 800 square feet were permitted. The group recommended a brief outreach to L&I to confirm which provisions should remain and whether L&I would use the appendix language for plan review.

Because no quorum was present, the council did not adopt any amendments or advance the language; members agreed to review files offline and return the items for formal action once attendance permitted.