Copyright Tim Durkan
SDCI and Washington state update their adopted construction codes every three years. The current updates creating the 2021 series of codes for SDCI and Washington state were slated to be adopted and implemented by July 1, 2023. However, SDCI’s proposed updates will be delayed.
The 2021 Seattle Construction Codes effective date of July 1, 2023 is delayed to no sooner than Monday, October 2, 2023 to accommodate a City of Seattle legislative review process which is longer than anticipated this code cycle. Please visit SDCI’s 2021 Seattle Code Adoption webpage for continued updates on the code adoption process.
The Washington State 2021 Construction Codes effective date is still July 1, 2023. During the period from July 1, 2023 through Oct 1, 2023, SDCI will accept applications using either the 2018 or 2021 suite of codes.
The 2021 Seattle Construction Codes consist of:
- 2021 Seattle Building Code
- 2021 Seattle Existing Building Code
- 2021 Seattle Residential Code
- 2021 Seattle Elevator Code
- 2021 Seattle Energy Code
- 2021 Seattle Mechanical Code
- 2021 Seattle Fuel Gas Code
- 2021 Seattle Plumbing Code
- 2021 Seattle Wildland Urban Interface Code
- 2023 Seattle Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
- 2021 Seattle Fire Code (Note: this code is submitted to city council under a separate ordinance)
For questions on the delay or the Washington state effective date, contact Micah Chappell at micah.chappell@seattle.gov.