SDCI is celebrating a major milestone on the pathway to improving Seattle’s earthquake safety. On September 26, 2023, the Public Safety and Human Services Committee voted 5-0 to refer Resolution 32111 to a Council vote. This resolution supports the development of a voluntary seismic retrofit ordinance that will establish a minimum seismic safety standard for the retrofit of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. URM buildings are classic red brick buildings, generally constructed before 1945, and are prone to collapse in an earthquake. Seattle has 1,100 URM buildings and an 86% chance of experiencing a damaging earthquake in the next 50 years. Adopting a mandatory URM retrofit ordinance continues to be the City’s long-term goal. However, adding a short-term goal to adopt a voluntary URM retrofit ordinance provides assurance to URM building owners that by retrofitting to the established standard, they will be compliant with future mandatory requirements. Resolution 32111 is scheduled for a vote by full Council on October 10.
2015 Seattle Commercial Building Energy Code
Following four public review sessions, the draft 2015 Seattle Commercial Energy Code is now posted on our 2015 Seattle Codes Adoption website. Our thanks to the dozens of local experts who volunteered their time through these hours of meetings, refining and improving the proposals. Seattle is committed to being a carbon-neutral city by the year 2050, and increasing the energy efficiency of our building stock will be a critical component of that transition.
2015 Seattle Energy Code Development
Seattle DCI will hold a series of public meetings during January and February to review proposed changes to the “Commercial Buildings” provisions of the 2015 Seattle Energy Code. (The City does not amend the residential portion of the code.) We will post the proposals that are scheduled for discussion in advance of each meeting.
Open House for Green Code Provisions
DPD invites you to join us at an open house on October 29 to review and discuss draft green code provisions. These provisions are under consideration by the City of Seattle and other jurisdictions within the Puget Sound Region. The Green Code Provisions address water conservation, material conservation, and sustainable transportation. Please come to learn more and provide your feedback on these proposals.
High Performance Code Development
Come learn about some of the draft high performance code requirements currently under development related to water conservation, sustainable transportation and material conservation.
