2014 Building Safety Month

Good Wall / Bad Wall Display, in the Lobby of City Hall at SeaTac, WA. Trace Justice, President of WABO and Gary Schenk, Building Services Manager, City of SeaTac and WABO Past President.

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WABO Annual Business Meeting - Ocean Shores

Over 60 Waboians gathered in Ocean Shores on June 26-27 for the Annual Business Meeting. Special guests included State Representative Dean Takko, who discussed WABO's number one priority legislation - the Code Official Apprenticeship Program. ICC Board members Jim Brown and Alex Olszowy offered updates on ICC issues. Awards were presented to several honorees.

Click here to read more.

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SBCC Emergency Rules on Solar Photovoltaic Systems

On June 13, 2014 the Washington State Building Code Council approved an emergency rule-making order to allow installation of standard solar photovoltaic systems on rooftops of buildings subject to the Residential Code without the need for an engineering report. The effective date of the emergency rule was July 1, 2014. Click on the links below for an explanation of the rule change, a building permit checklist and an electrical permit checklist. As with all tools, forms and checklists provided by WSU are there for your use if you choose to but if used, they will provide greater consistency across the state.

• Explanation of rule change
• Building Permit Checklist

• Electrical Permit Checklist

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Underground Economy is Alive and Well

L&I has launched its third year of surprise sweeps to catch unregistered contractors. Contractor compliance inspectors conducted the sweeps in Yakima and Walla Walla in April. During the sweeps, inspectors converge in a selected area and pay unannounced visits to dozens of worksites on weekend days and evenings. They look for contractors who aren’t registered with the state, and for those who aren’t registered for the work they are caught doing. Violators are cited with an infraction that carries a $1,000 fine on the first offense. Inspectors often discover additional problems, such as safety hazards and unpaid workers’ comp accounts. They refer those cases to other L&I programs.

Click here to read more

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WABO Details Available

Thanks to LG Nelson. the first batch of WABO details are now available for downloading. 

Click here.

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Marijuana Compliance Issues

The State Liquor Control Board is starting to issue licenses for marijuana producers, processors and retailers. Building inspectors and local government officials need to be aware of relevant code issues raised by this new industry -- and local governments must understand which code requirements are enforced by local governments and which are enforced by state agencies.

Click here for more information

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ICC Chapter Reports Due on August 15

As a reminder to local ICC Chapters, it is time to submit your Annual Reports to ICC as the deadline is August 15. You can qualify for the free Chapter President complimentary Annual Conference registration benefit. For more information, click the link below.

Click here

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Code Official Apprenticeship Program (COAP)

WABO is currently working on funding for the apprenticeship program. Once funding is in place, information on how to become involved either as an apprentice or a hiring jurisdiction will be posted on this website. We are very excited to get the program up and running so we can provide a well-trained workforce for the future. If you are interested in receiving more information when it becomes available, please email the WABO office with your contact information (wabo@wabo.org).

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Washington State Energy Code

The 2012 Washington State Energy Code is now available for download on the Washington State Building Code Council's (SBCC) website. Please click here to reach the links for the PDF versions to the WAC 51-11C (Commercial), WAC 51-11R (Residential), and the Appendix Chapters. Scroll down to reach the Energy Code section.

Prescriptive Checklist for the 2012 Washington State Energy Code

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WABO Mentoring Program

Several generous WABO members have volunteered to be a mentor for their colleagues across the state. If you have questions, concerns or just want to run something by a person who may have once been in your shoes, feel free to call on any of the folks listed.

Click here

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Emergency Management Mutual Aid Toolbox
Apply to become an Emergency Responder

Read more

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