King County is hiring!
We are currently seeking PL01 or PL02 plumbers to join our Plan Review or Field Inspection teams. You can apply for either position through this job opening. These positions are open through February 27. Please see below for more information.
Plumbing plans examiner: Are you an experienced plumber interested in transitioning to something less physically strenuous? King County is seeking PL01 and PL02 Certified Plumbers to join our Plan Review team. This is a fully remote position (except for occasional in-person trainings) represented by Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 32. Training provided.
Plumbing inspector: King County is looking for an experienced, competent PL01 or PL02 plumber to join the Field Inspection team. Aside from occasional training, there is no requirement to check in at an office - you'll be able to go directly from your home to your assigned inspection area. This position is represented by Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 32. Training provided.
Occupancy and Use – Thank you to everyone who helped develop our updated Occupancy and Use guidance document. This document clarifies which projects require Plan Review and which may be subject to field inspection with an over-the-counter permit. We are incorporating comments from stakeholders and other departments internal to Public Health. Once we assemble a final draft, we will again notify various local industry groups (ASPE, ASHRAE, MCA, PHCC) and hold an online meeting to go over the document before publishing it on our website. If you would like to join that meeting, please contact your preferred local industry group. We will announce the meeting date in a future newsletter update.
Houseboats – Correction to previous newsletter: Effective November 2022, Public Health no longer requires houseboat (floating home) projects to be submitted for Plan Review. These projects can proceed with an over-the-counter permit, subject to field inspection. We apologize for the incorrect date previously provided.
As of January 1, 2023, permit applications received for new and remodeled commercial buildings in unincorporated King County must comply with the new adopted amendments to the state energy code. These include all nonresidential buildings as well as multifamily buildings four stories tall or higher. These changes include:
- New heating systems and replaced central HVAC systems may not be fossil-fuel fired or electric resistance equipment (such as electric or gas furnaces, or electric baseboards).
- Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are required for new apartment buildings with 4 or more units, hotels, buildings with a combined water heating capacity greater than 15 kW, and buildings with a heated water circulation system.
- Energy Star rating is required for certain commercial food service equipment.
- An additional 1-inch pipe insulation thickness must be provided on supply and return pipes in heated water circulation systems.
There are additional changes and some important exceptions to the above provisions in the full code text. You can read the full code text within King County Code (KCC) 16.07.
Nothing in the provisions prohibit gas supply to buildings. Many appliances and equipment are still permitted to be used, such as gas or propane fireplaces or cooking appliances.
Additionally, statewide energy code changes for both commercial and residential buildings will be effective July 1, 2023.
For more information on energy code provisions, please visit King County Permitting's Energy Code webpage, or email Kim Barker (she/her) at kbarker@kingcounty.gov.
As a reminder, starting July 1, 2023, Public Health will begin inspecting insulation installations on plumbing systems. Because this is a new inspection policy, we will be holding online meetings with stakeholders to discuss how these inspections will be implemented and how various Energy Code provisions will be enforced. If you would like to be a part of that conversation, please sign up to join our advisory group at this link. We will schedule our first meeting sometime in late-March 2023.
Hopefully you saw our email earlier this week - rules are under development that will govern the installation, maintenance, testing, and reporting requirements for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems within Washington. These rules will apply retroactively to existing installations. The proposed final rule (WAC 246-275) is now available for public comment through March 8 at the ONWS rulemaking website.
If you or your firm is involved with the design, installation, commissioning, testing, or maintenance of such systems, please take the time to review the proposed rule and provide comments as appropriate by March 8.
Due to popular demand, we have added a new email inbox specifically for review timeline updates!
For updates on your specific project (where is it in the queue, when will it be reviewed, etc.), send an email to: planreviewstatus@kingcounty.gov. Please include the project SR# in the email subject line of any related correspondence!
For general inquiries including code enforcement policies, plan requirements, technical questions, atypical installations, etc, please continue to email: planreviewinfo@kingcounty.gov
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