All building and building-related codes as currently adopted, or as shall be adopted in future enactments by the state of Washington pursuant to RCW 19.27.031, together with all amendments as currently enacted, or as shall be enacted by the state of Washington, are hereby adopted as, and are herein referred to as, the building codes for the city of Richland; provided, that all additions, deletions, and amendments as set forth in this title and in RMC Title 20 are also adopted.
The city of Richland shall adopt the following building codes consisting of the latest published editions of the following, as amended by the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC):
A. 
International Building Code including Appendix J with statewide amendments.
B. 
ICC/ANSI A117.1-09, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, with statewide amendments (adopted as part of the IBC).
C. 
International Existing Building Code with statewide amendments (adopted through the IBC).
D. 
International Residential Code with statewide amendments.
E. 
International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (adopted through IRC and IBC).
F. 
International Mechanical Code with statewide amendments.
G. 
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code (NFPA 58) for LP gas.
H. 
National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54) for LP gas installations.
I. 
International Fuel Gas Code with statewide amendments (adopted as part of the IMC).
J. 
International Fire Code with statewide amendments, except as amended by RMC Title 20.
K. 
Uniform Plumbing Code with statewide amendments.
L. 
Washington State Energy Code.
(Ord. 20-04; Ord. 17-07; Ord. 11-10 § 1.01; Ord. 18-20 § 1)
Chapter 1 of the International Building Code and Chapter 1 of the International Residential Code are hereby amended by the following additions, deletions, and exceptions. Section numbers referenced here are to the International Building Code with the International Residential Code referenced by "R" and the section number in parentheses. Notwithstanding these section numbers referenced from the current codes, all additions, deletions, and exceptions as noted herein shall apply to all future codes adopted by the state of Washington and thence adopted as the building codes for the city of Richland.
A. 
101.4.5 Fire Prevention. This subsection shall be amended to add the following paragraph:
Table 20.05.020 from RMC Title 20 shall be considered as if they were integral to and part of this code. All affected chapters and sections of this code regarding fire sprinklers and fire alarms are hereby amended to include Table 20.05.020.
B. 
105.1.1 Annual Permit. This subsection shall not be adopted. Annual permits shall not be issued within the city of Richland.
C. 
105.1.2 Annual Permit Records. This subsection shall not be adopted. Annual permit records shall not be valid within the city of Richland.
D. 
105.2 (R105.2) Work Exempt from Permit.
1. 
Building. Item (1) of this subcategory of Section 105.2 (R105.2) is hereby amended as shown below, and item (15) is hereby added to this subcategory of Section 105.2 (R105.2). For the International Residential Code, item (15) as noted below shall be numbered and referenced as item (12).
1. One-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, and similar uses, provided the floor area does not exceed 200 square feet (IRC) and 120 square feet (IBC), are exempted from the requirements for a building permit. A permit for location placement of such exempt structures shall be issued by the City of Richland prior to construction or erection of these structures. The location placement permit shall be based upon a scalable site plan provided by the applicant and shall show all existing structures on the property together with the distances from all structures to property lines and to other structures, all existing easements and property lines, and all new structure or building proposals. The location placement permit shall be binding upon the applicant for location placement of the structure for all purposes and requirements of Title 23 of the Richland Municipal Code. The location placement permit shall not require payment of any permit fees. Fees associated with any other aspect of the structure or building proposal including, but not limited to, easement encroachment permits and right-of-way construction permits, shall be as currently enacted in the Richland Municipal Code.
15. (Item 12 for International Residential Code). Amusement devices and structures, including Merry-go-rounds, Ferris wheels, rotating conveyances, slides, similar devices, and accessory structures whose use is necessary for operation of such amusement devices and structures, any accessory structure included in the provisions of this sub-section shall be limited to a cover or roof over each device; but shall not include any storage building or detached structure which is not an integral part of the device.
2. 
Electrical. This entire subcategory, including repairs and maintenance, radio and television transmitting devices, and temporary testing systems, shall not be adopted. All electrical permits and permit exemptions shall be as set forth by the State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries.
3. 
Plumbing. Items (1) and (2) of this subcategory shall not be adopted. All plumbing permits and plumbing permit exemptions shall be as set forth in the adopted plumbing code.
E. 
105.8 (R105.8). This subsection shall be amended to add the following paragraph:
All contractors and sub-contractors shall have a valid and current business license to conduct business within the City of Richland pursuant to Title 5 of the Richland Municipal Code and shall have a valid and current contractor's license and registration with the State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries, prior to commencing any actual construction work within the City of Richland.
F. 
109.2 and 109.3 (R108.2 and R108.3) Schedule of Permit Fees and Building Permit Valuations. Shall adopt the code of these subsections as stated in both the International Building Code and the International Residential Code; in addition, the following subsection language shall be added as clarification to fees and valuations:
Building. Fees for building permits and related inspections shall be as set forth in Table 1-A from the 1997 Uniform Building Code as previously published by the International Code Council, Inc. The valuation of construction used for the calculation of the building permit fee from Table 1-A shall be the greater of either the valuation noted in Supplemental Table 1-B or the declared valuation of construction from the applicant for the permit. The declared valuation shall include the total value of all construction work for which the permit is issued, as well as all finish work, painting, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, elevators, fire-extinguishing systems, and any other permanent equipment. Valuations not shown in Supplemental Table 1-B shall be based on the "Building Valuation Data" as published in the Building Safety Journal by the International Code Council, Inc., or shall be as determined by the building official to reflect the total value of all construction work for which the permit is issued, as well as all finish work, painting, roofing, electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, elevators, fire-extinguishing systems, and any other permanent equipment. The Supplemental Table 1-B shall be updated on January 1st of each year and shall incorporate changes from the "Building Valuation Data" as published in the Building Safety Journal by the International Code Council, Inc., except that those mathematical formulas presented in the "Building Valuation Data" which calculate fees shall not be incorporated or adopted.
Plan Review. Fees for review and examination of required construction plans and/or construction data shall be calculated at sixty-five percent (65%) of the building permit fee as set forth in Table 1-A from the 1997 Uniform Building Code as previously published by the International Code Council, Inc. These plan review fees shall be in addition to the building permit fee and shall be payable at the time of first submittal of plans together with a completed application for permit. There shall be no fee required for the review and examination of plans for any detached, single-family dwelling construction; attached, two-family dwelling construction; or construction of accessory buildings to or additions to such one- and two-family dwellings; except for additional review and examination of changes made to plans for such one- and two-family dwellings, additions, or accessory buildings after completion of the plan review or after issuance of the building permit, all of which will be required to pay a fee as shown in item (2) of Table 1-A. Additional plan review required by changes, additions, corrections, or revisions made to the plans after completion of the initial plan review or after issuance of the building permit shall be required to pay a fee as shown in item (2) of Table 1-A.
Plumbing. Fees for plumbing permits and related inspections shall be as set forth in Table 1-1 of the 1997 Uniform Plumbing Code as previously published by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, Inc., and shall incorporate changes from the "Building Valuation Data" group R-3, type VB as published in the Building Safety Journal by the International Code Council, Inc., except that those mathematical formulas presented in the "Building Valuation Data" which calculate fees shall not be incorporated or adopted and except that plumbing work associated with a current and active building permit shall not require any permit fee. Fees for review and examination of plumbing plans and/or construction data shall be calculated at twenty-five percent (25%) of the plumbing permit fee as set forth in Table 1-1, except that plumbing plans associated with a submittal of building plans shall not require any plan review fee or additional plan review fee. Additional plan review required by changes, additions, corrections, or revisions to the plans after completion of the plan review or after issuance of the permit shall be required to pay a fee as shown in Table 1-1 or as shown in Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code for plumbing work associated with a building permit.
Mechanical. Fees for mechanical permits and related inspections shall be as set forth in Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Mechanical Code as previously published by the International Conference of Building Officials, Inc., and shall incorporate changes from the "Building Valuation Data" group R-3, type VB as published in the Building Safety Journal by the International Code Council, Inc., except that those mathematical formulas presented in the "Building Valuation Data" which calculate fees shall not be incorporated or adopted and except that mechanical work associated with a current and active building permit shall not require any permit fee. Fees for review and examination of mechanical plans and/or construction data shall be calculated at twenty-five percent (25%) of the mechanical permit fee as set forth in Table 1-A, except that mechanical plans associated with a submittal of building plans shall not be required to pay any plan review fee or additional plan review fee. Additional plan review required by changes, additions, corrections, or revisions to the plans after completion of the plan review or after issuance of the permit shall be required to pay a fee as shown Table 1-A of the 1997 Uniform Building Code for mechanical work associated with a building permit.
Grading. Fees for grading permits, for review of grading plans, and for related inspections shall be as set forth in Table A-33-A and Table A-33-B of the 1997 Uniform Building Code, Appendix Chapter 33, as previously published by the International Code Council, Inc. and shall incorporate changes from the "Building Valuation Data" group R-3, type VB as published in the Building Safety Journal by the International Code Council, Inc., except that those mathematical formulas presented in the "Building Valuation Data" which calculate fees shall not be incorporated or adopted.
Factory-Assembled Structures. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Richland Municipal Code, fees for installation of a factory-assembled structure, including structures meeting the requirements of Title 23 of the Richland Municipal Code for manufactured homes or designated manufactured homes, shall be three hundred dollars ($300.00) per installation. Fees for building permits for structures attached to a factory-assembled structure, including, but not limited to, garages that are not structurally dependent upon the factory-assembled structure for support, shall be as noted above for building permits and plan review based on valuation of construction. Where a conflict exists between the fee noted here and fees described in other titles of the Richland Municipal Code, the fee noted here shall apply. Factory-assembled structures constructed prior to June 15, 1976, shall be required to undergo inspection and approval by the State of Washington, Department of Labor and Industries, prior to issuance of the installation permit.
Energy Code (NREC). Fees for review of plans and inspection of the construction work related to sections of the Washington State Energy Code that prescribe requirements for non-residential buildings, previously referred to as the Non-Residential Energy Code (NREC), shall be as set forth in the following table. This fee shall not be applied to mechanical permits where mechanical equipment is being replaced with equipment of the same fuel source as the existing equipment.
TOTAL VALUATION
NREC FEE
$1 to $20,000
$100
$20,001 to $300,000
$100 for the first $20,000 plus $3.00 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof, to and including $300,000.
$300,001 to $800,000
$940 for the first $300,000 plus $1.00 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof, to and including $800,000.
$800,001 to $1,020,000
$1,440 for the first $800,000 plus $0.50 for each additional $1,000 or fraction thereof, to and including $1,020,000.
$1,020,001 or more
$1,550 maximum
G. 
111.1 (R110.1) Use and Occupancy. This subsection shall be amended to add the following paragraph:
The building official shall not issue a certificate of occupancy or a certificate of completion until approval has been obtained from all City of Richland departments and divisions and from all State of Washington and Federal agencies having jurisdiction or authority over the building project. The finance director, or currently designated person responsible for finances and accounting, of the City of Richland is authorized and directed to deny any requests for utility services, including, but not limited to, electrical service, solid waste removal, water service, and sewer service, on a permanent-user basis, unless the applicant demonstrates that the building for which such service is requested has been issued a certificate of occupancy or temporary certificate of occupancy by the building official. Provisional utility services may be provided to the extent necessary for construction of the building prior to issuance of such a certificate so long as the building is not used or occupied.
H. 
111.2 (R110.3) Certificate Issued. This subsection shall be amended to add the following related to issuance of a certificate of completion:
111.2.1 (R110.3.1) After final inspection of a building or structure for which the permit was issued for only the building shell, if no violations of this code or of related land use and public health ordinances, rules and regulations have been discovered, or if such violations have been discovered and have been corrected, the building official shall issue a certificate of shell completion which shall contain the following:
1. The building permit number.
2. The address of the building.
3. The name and address of the owner.
4. A description of the building or that portion of the building for which the certificate is issued.
5. The name of the building official.
6. A statement that no portion of the building shall be occupied until tenant improvement permits are obtained and occupancy is approved.
7. The edition of the code under which the permit was issued.
8. The type of construction as defined in chapter 6.
9. If an automatic sprinkler system is provided, whether the sprinkler system is required.
10. Any special stipulation and conditions of the building permit.
11. An explanation that the responsibility for the building's compliance with the provisions of the applicable City of Richland codes and for maintenance of the building rests exclusively with the permit applicants and their agents and the building's owners.
I. 
113.1 (R112.1) General. The board of appeals as described in this section shall mean the Mid-Columbia Board of Appeals as currently established by the jurisdictions of the city of Richland, the city of Kennewick, the city of West Richland, the city of Pasco, Benton County, and Franklin County, together with such other jurisdictions as currently constitute the Mid-Columbia Board of Appeals. The board of appeals as described in other codes adopted herein as the building codes for the city of Richland shall also mean the Mid-Columbia Board of Appeals. The code enforcement board as established in RMC Title 2 shall not constitute the Board of Appeals as described here.
(Ord. 20-04; Ord. 17-07; Ord. 11-10 § 1.01; Ord. 01-11 § 1.05; Ord. 13-20 § 1; Ord. 18-20 § 1; Ord. 06-21 § 1; Ord. 2022-29 § 28; Ord. 2024-23 § 1)
The use of cedar shakes or cedar shingles, or roofing material of wood with similar flame spread characteristics, or other roofing material with similar flame spread characteristics, is hereby prohibited on all new construction. Replacement, repair, or additions onto existing single-family structures or buildings with existing cedar shakes or existing cedar shingles or existing wood roofing materials with similar flame spread characteristics is permitted, provided any replacement areas and all new roofing areas use Class C or higher fire-retardant treated shakes or shingles on the roof. The use of wood siding of any type shall not be prohibited except as provided in the adopted building codes of this chapter.
(Ord. 20-04; Ord. 11-10 § 1.01; Ord. 18-20 § 1)
Any violation of any provision of this title shall be considered either a civil infraction pursuant to RMC Title 10 punishable by a fine of not less than $250.00; or shall be considered a criminal violation as described below. Violations which are subject to the requirements for obtaining a permit in order to correct or abate the violation shall comply with the voluntary correction agreement pursuant to RMC Title 10 and shall obtain the required permit and follow all the provisions of the issued permit.
Any violation of any provision of this title, or of any provision within the codes adopted in this chapter, which is not considered to be a civil infraction as described above and in RMC Title 10, shall be considered a criminal misdemeanor offense subject to the penalties described in RMC § 9.02.020(C).
For any violation of a continuing nature, each day's violation shall be considered a separate offense and shall subject the offender to the above penalty for each offense.
(Ord. 20-04; Ord. 06-10 § 1.39; Ord. 11-10 § 1.01; Ord. 43-19 § 1; Ord. 18-20 § 1)
Nothing contained in any provision of this chapter shall apply to an offense charged at any time prior to the date upon which this chapter is effective. Any such offense shall be punished according to the provision of the ordinances or other laws in effect when such offense was charged in the same manner as if this chapter had not been enacted.
(Ord. 20-04; Ord. 11-10 § 1.01; Ord. 18-20 § 1)
The provisions of this chapter are declared to be separate and severable, and the invalidity of any section, subsection, provision, clause or portion of this chapter, or the invalidity of the application thereof to any person or circumstance, shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this chapter or the validity of its application to other persons or circumstances.
(Ord. 20-04; Ord. 11-10 § 1.01; Ord. 18-20 § 1)