As amended February 2024
ARTICLE I
Membership
1. All voting and ex-officio members of the Washington State Building Code Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council, shall be appointed in accordance with RCW 19.27.070.
2. All ex-officio members of the Council are non-voting members as designated by RCW 19.27.070.
3. Ex-officio members shall enjoy all the privileges of Council membership, except voting, including the right to sit with the Council, participate in discussions, and make and second motions. These privileges include participation in Council standing committees and all other Council committees.
Terms of Office
1. Council members' terms of office shall be in accordance with RCW 19.27.070, or until replaced.
Reimbursement for Expenses
1. State Building Code Council members shall be eligible for reimbursement of expenses for Council activities in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060 and consistent with other state laws and the current state budget.
2. For the purposes of reimbursement, Council activities include: attendance at Council meetings, attendance at standing committee meetings on which the Council member serves, and at other committee meetings officially designated by the Council consistent with state laws and the current state budget.
ARTICLE II
Council Officers
Officers
1. The officers of the Council shall consist of the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Chair Pro-Tem.
Elections/Terms of Office
1. The election of the Chair and Vice-Chair shall be held annually at the first regularly scheduled Council meeting of the calendar year.
2. Nominations for Chair and Vice-Chair may be made by both voting and ex-officio Council members, or a nominating committee appointed by the Chair and approved by the Council, or both.
3. The Chair and the Vice-Chair shall serve for a period of one year commencing immediately after the elections.
4. The Council Chair may not serve more than two consecutive one-year terms of office as chair. The Council Vice-Chair may not serve more than two consecutive one-year terms of office as Vice Chair.
5. If both Chair and Vice-Chair are absent from a Council meeting, the members of the Council shall elect one of the members in attendance to serve as Chair Pro-Tem. The Chair Pro-Tem shall relinquish the chair at such a time as the Chair or Vice-Chair join the meeting.
Duties of Officers
1. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Council and shall have all powers and duties conferred by law. The Chair shall also serve as Chair of the Executive Committee and as a voting member of each of the Council's standing committees.
2. The Chair shall represent the Council at official functions, appoint the Chairs and members of all Council standing committees, and establish or disband additional Council committees as needed. The Chair shall also designate Council members to represent the Council at official functions.
3. The Vice-Chair shall have all the powers and perform all the duties of the Chair, in the absence of the Chair.
4. The Chair Pro-Tem shall preside, in the absence of the Chair or Vice-Chair, during regular and special Council meetings.
Vacancies
1. In the event of a vacancy of a Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume the position of the Chair, serving the unexpired term of the Chair. In the event of a vacancy of a Vice Chair, the Council shall elect a Vice Chair to complete the unexpired term of the Vice Chair, and the position shall be filled by election not later than the date of the second ensuing regularly scheduled Council meeting.
ARTICLE III
Council Standing Committees
1. The standing committees of the Council shall be the Executive; Legislative; Building, Fire, Residential and WUI Codes; Mechanical, Ventilation, Plumbing, and Energy Codes Committees; also referred to as standing committees.
a. The Building, Fire, Residential and WUI Codes Committee shall include the Chairs of the Building, Fire, Residential and WUI TAGs.
b. The Mechanical, Ventilation, Plumbing, and Energy Codes Committee shall include the Chairs of the Mechanical and Ventilation Ventilation, Plumbing; and Energy Code TAGs.
Executive Committee
1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Council officers and the Chairs of the standing committees.
2. The Executive Committee shall assist the Chair in overseeing budget development, administrative and personnel matters of the Council, planning for the orderly discharge of Council responsibilities, and fulfilling any other responsibilities deemed necessary by the Council.
3. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called at any time by the Chair of the Committee, upon notification of all Council members and interested parties.
Legislative Committee
1. The Legislative Committee shall be composed of the Council officers, the Chairs of the standing committees, and other voting members of the Council, as appointed by the Council Chair, with the concurrence of the Council.
2. The Council Chair shall appoint the Legislative Committee Chair annually, with the concurrence of the Council.
3. The Legislative Committee shall monitor all legislative matters that have the potential to impact the Council and fulfill any other responsibilities deemed necessary by the Council.
4. The Legislative Committee shall monitor and report to the Council on a regular basis, the status of legislative matters that may impact the Council.
5. The Legislative Committee may develop recommendations for consideration by the Council.
6. Meetings of the Legislative Committee may be called at any time by the Chair of the Committee, upon notification of all Council members and interested parties.
Building, Fire, Residential and WUI Codes (BFRW); and Mechanical, Ventilation, Plumbing, and Energy Codes (MVPE) Standing Committees
1. Each standing codes committee shall be composed of voting and/or ex-officio members of the Council, appointed by the Council Chair annually, with the concurrence of the Council.
2. The Council Chair shall appoint a Committee Chair for each listed committee annually, with the concurrence of the Council.
3. Each Committee shall have oversight over all matters relating to their specific code topic, and fulfill any other responsibilities deemed necessary by the Council.
4. Each Committee may conduct research and identify and define issues relating to their specific code topic.
5. Each Committee may develop recommendations for consideration by the Council.
6. Each Committee shall review and forward to the Council all proposed amendments to their specific code area. Each Committee may also develop and propose amendments to their specific code topic.
7. Meetings of any standing Committee may be called at any time by the Chair of the Committee, upon notification of all Council members and interested parties.
Special Council Committees
1. Additional Council committees may be appointed by the Council or Standing Committee Chairs to assist the Council in fulfilling responsibilities as needed.
Ad-Hoc Committees
1. Ad-Hoc Committees may be established by the Council Chair with the concurrence of the Council, in order to fulfill specific tasks as required by the Chair and the Council.
2. Ad-Hoc Committees shall be composed of voting and/or ex-officio members of the Council, appointed by the Council Chair, with the concurrence of the Council.
3. Ad-Hoc Committees shall have a termination date set at the time of the appointment and shall disband upon completion of specified tasks, or on the established termination date, unless the Council extends the termination date.
4. Ad-Hoc Committees shall meet as necessary to complete the specific tasks assigned by the Council. Ad-Hoc Committee meetings may be convened at any time by the Chair of the Committee or any member of the Committee, upon notification of all Committee members, the Council Chair, and interested parties as needed.
Technical Advisory Groups
1. Technical Advisory Groups may be established by the Council to assist the Council and Standing Committees in the discharge of their responsibilities.
The following Technical Advisory Groups must be established:
- Building Code TAG
- Fire Code TAG
- Residential and WUI Codes TAG
- Residential Energy TAG
- Commercial Energy TAG
- Mechanical, Ventilation, and Plumbing TAG
The State Building Code Council may establish one or more special TAGs when it is determined that a subject needs to be extensively researched or subject warrants special technical review.
2. The Technical Advisory Groups shall be constituted using a list of subject matter experts as designated by the Council and managed by Council staff. A subject matter expert is defined as an individual who by education, training, or experience is a recognized expert on a particular subject, topic, or system. TAG meetings will be held on an as needed basis. A tally of membership and constituent groups present at TAG meetings shall be included in the meeting minutes
3. Technical Advisory Groups shall be composed of one voting and one alternate Council member (other Council members may participate but may not vote), and one voting member representing each stakeholder group designated by the Council, recommended by the TAG Chair, and approved by the Council or the Executive Committee. The Council or the Executive Committee may appoint one alternate for each designated TAG seat, who may vote only in the event the Primary Member is not present. Proxy votes are not allowed.
TAG member terms shall align with the triennial code adoption cycles. Each TAG member shall serve during one code adoption cycle and may be reappointed for one additional code adoption cycle. When there are no qualified applicants for a specific stakeholder group following a 30-day advertisement of an available TAG position, current or previous TAG members may be reappointed for additional code adoption cycles on a case-by-case basis. At the beginning of each triennial code adoption cycle, the council shall solicit applications for all TAG seats.
TAG meetings are open public meetings, and any interested person may attend and participate in the discussion. Only appointed TAG members may vote.
4. The Chair of the Technical Advisory Group shall be a voting member of the Council, as appointed by the Council. If the TAG Chair is absent from a TAG meeting, the alternate Council member shall serve as TAG Chair. If both council members are absent, TAG members shall elect one of the members in attendance to serve as Chair Pro-Tem during the meeting. The elected Chair Pro-Tem shall relinquish the chair at such a time as the Chair joins the meeting.
5. Technical Advisory Groups may conduct research into code related matters, review proposed amendments to the codes, and identify and define issues related to the codes, as requested by the Council or Standing Committee. Proponents and opponents of proposed amendments to the codes shall follow guidelines for testimony established by the Council. TAG meetings are open to the public and public input is welcome.
6. Recommendations from a Technical Advisory Group to the Council or Standing Codes Committee shall be made by consensus of the voting members of the Technical Advisory Group, whenever possible. Lacking a consensus, a recommendation shall be made by a majority vote of a quorum of voting TAG members. Consensus recommendations shall include a brief summary of the rationale for the recommendation. Recommendations to approve, modify or disapprove state amendments to the codes shall be based on the criteria established by the Council. Disputed recommendations shall be presented to Standing Codes Committees in the form of an issue paper, outlining all issues related to the subject.
For purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at TAG meetings, a quorum is defined as consisting of one more than half of the appointed TAG members (or their designated alternates, in the event the primary member is absent). When a TAG meeting lacks a quorum of appointed TAG members or their designated alternates, the Council will notify members who were absent and their constituent organization, where applicable, that repeated absence are grounds to designate their member status to ex-officio, nonvoting members, until active membership is secured or a reappointment is made. Ex-officio members do not count when determining a quorum.
7. In the event a quorum of TAG members are not present, a report shall be generated summarizing the pros and cons as identified by those participating. That report will then be brought forward on the agenda at the subsequent TAG meeting. The report may be deliberated for a reasonable time period as established by the TAG Chair. Where a quorum is again not present, the item may be tabled for a future TAG meeting and the report will be forwarded to the Standing Committee and the SBCC. If the Council has moved forward with a decision on an active or tabled TAG item, that TAG item will then remain in report form as further deliberations will be moot.
8. When reviewing proposed amendments to the codes, Technical Advisory Groups shall use a standardized, accepted methodology to consider economic impact on small businesses, housing affordability, construction costs, life-cycle costs, and the cost of code enforcement and shall report those findings to the Workgroup on Economic Impact.
Workgroup on Economic Impact
1. The Workgroup on Economic Impact (WEI) shall be composed of Technical Advisory Group (TAG) chairs. The Council Chair shall preside at WEI meetings. In the absence of the Council Chair, the WEI shall appoint a Chair Pro-Tem.
2. The WEI may conduct research to identify and evaluate economic costs and benefits associated with code changes including but not limited to the costs and benefits of code changes on small businesses, housing affordability, construction costs, life-cycle costs, and the cost of code enforcement. The WEI shall conduct research upon request of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), a standing codes committee, upon the WEI’s own motion, or at the request of the Council. In reviewing cost/benefit evaluations the WEI shall solicit information from appropriate sources, including but not limited to industry and supplier sources. The WEI may perform its own economic cost benefit analyses or may acquire outside expertise.
3. The WEI shall review or prepare appropriate economic analyses for the Council, a requesting TAG, or a requesting standing code committee.
4. The appropriate standing codes Committee shall forward a final report of the WEI Committee, with standing codes committee recommendations, to the Council for consideration prior to Council action.
ARTICLE IV
Meetings of the Council and Standing Committees
Regular Council Meetings
1. The State Building Code Council shall adopt an annual schedule of regular Council and standing committee meetings for each calendar year. Regular Council and standing committee meetings will be held at such time and place to efficiently carry out the Council's responsibilities. Council and standing committee meetings shall not be held on recognized holidays.
2. Regular Council meetings shall be held at a location designated by the Chair and approved by the Council.
3. The yearly schedule of regular Council and standing committee meetings, and any changes to that schedule, shall be filed with the State Code Reviser's Office in accordance with RCW 42.30.075.
Special Council Meetings
1. A special Council, TAG, standing, ad-hoc or other committee meeting may be called at any time by the Chair or a majority of the members of the Council in accordance with RCW 42.30.080
Meetings to be Open and Public
1. All meetings of the Council, TAGs, standing committee and other committees shall be open and public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meetings of the Council as provided in RCW 42.30, the Open Public Meetings Act. Executive sessions must comply with the provisions of RCW 42.30.110 .
2. All meetings of the Council shall be held in accessible facilities.
Meeting Minutes and Agendas
1. All Council and standing and committee meetings will be audio recorded by a member of the Council staff.
2. The audio recordings of all Council and standing committee meetings will be posted by Council staff. A written summary will constitute the minutes of the meeting.
3. Such audio recordings and minutes shall be posted on the SBCC website.
4. The minutes and audio recordings will be retained according to the SBCC records retention schedule.
5. All minutes will be produced for Council or standing committee for their respective review and approval.
6. All material to be placed on the agenda for a regular meeting must be submitted to Council staff two weeks prior to the regular meeting date, unless approved by the Chair of the Council.
7. Minutes for the previous Council meeting and the agenda for the next scheduled Council meeting will be emailed to the Council members and interested public and posted for public review at least ten days prior to the next regular Council meeting date for their consideration.
Meeting Attendance
1. All Council and Standing and Special Committee meetings should be attended by at least one member of the Council staff.
2. Council staff recording the minutes of the meeting shall take attendance of the Council members for the permanent record.
ARTICLE V
Meeting Procedures
Quorum
1. Eight (8) voting members of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Order of Business
1. The order of business shall be determined by the agenda.
Public Comment
1. The Council Chair may solicit public comment on all agenda items during regular Council meetings.
Motions, Resolutions
1. All actions of the Council shall be expressed by motion and/or resolution.
2. No motion or resolution shall have any validity or effect unless passed by the affirmative votes of the majority of the members present,where a quorum is present, except as required for matters relating to the codes described below.
3. In matters relating to statewide adoption of, or state or local amendments to the codes enumerated in RCW 19.27.031, RCW 19.27.120, RCW 19.27A or RCW 70.92, a minimum of eight (8) affirmative votes shall be required for approval.
4. No representative of the Council shall utilize the name of the Council to endorse or oppose an issue unless a majority of the members of the Council approve of such position.
Manner of Voting
1. The voting on elections, motions, and resolutions shall be by voice vote.
2. In lieu of voice vote, a Council member may request a roll call or show of hands vote. The roll call vote shall be conducted after a request by any member of the Council.
3. For the votes of Council Standing Committees, only committee members, appointed by the Council Chair with the concurrence of the Council, shall be allowed to vote.
4. To determine consensus of Technical Advisory Group recommendations, only TAG members appointed by the Council to represent designated constituents shall be allowed to vote, when necessary.
Robert's Rules of Order
1. All rules of order not herein provided for shall be determined in accordance with the 11th edition Robert's Rules of Order.
2. Council staff shall provide a copy of Robert's Rules of Order at all Council meetings.
ARTICLE VI
Amendments
Amendment to the Bylaws
1. Council Bylaws may be amended upon a two-thirds majority vote of the Council.