Permit Review Delays

We have a temporary permit review backlog due to the unusually high number of applications submitted before the 2021 Building Codes became effective in November 2024. Permit review times are currently taking up to 4 weeks longer than normal. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Wildland-Urban Interface Code

The effective date for the 2021 Seattle codes is November 15, 2024. Until then, applicants may use either the 2018 or draft 2021 Seattle codes. Please visit the 2021 Seattle Code Adoption webpage for updates.

What Is It?

The Seattle Wildland-Urban Interface Code (SWUIC) regulates construction near wildland areas to:

Protect life and property from wildland fires
Prevent building fires from spreading to wildland areas

This code requires that you build with ignition-resistant construction (using materials and methods that make structures less likely to catch fire and burn) when your building is within a wildland-urban interface or intermix area.

When will it be adopted?

The new Seattle Wildland-Urban Interface Code was scheduled to be adopted when Seattle adopts the 2021 codes. However, that adoption has been delayed.

Senate Bill 6120 and a Washington State Building Code Council emergency rule has delayed the 2021 State WUIC adoption until the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) develops and publishes new statewide wildfire hazard and wildfire risk maps to replace the current state Wildland-Urban Interface map. There is not an expected timeframe for the development of these maps, but it is expected to take at least a year and a half. As a result, Seattle must also delay adopting and implementing the new 2021 SWUIC until the state mapping is completed and Seattle can incorporate the changes into the draft SWUIC.

When the new maps are adopted, the Washington state WUIC will include ignition resistant construction requirements but not hazard mitigation strategies, such as establishing defensible space that restricts combustible vegetation and trees near buildings.

Does it apply to my project?

The SWUIC does not apply to projects at this time since it has not yet been adopted. When adopted, this code will apply to construction within wildland and wildland-urban interface and intermix areas in Seattle.

Read the Code

We will post the draft SWUIC when Washington state has updated the statewide wildfire hazard and wildfire risk maps.

Proposed Changes

Washington state has postponed the development of this code until the maps have been updated.