FireApproved
On this page
  1. Why it matters
  2. How it works
  3. The paths
  4. What people mix up
  5. How to check
  6. Limits
  7. Related records

Home / Guides / How the documents differ / Washington WUI code status

Washington WUI code status

Last verified 2026-08-25.

This page is Washington law.

Washington does not have a live statewide IWUIC construction book today. WAC 51-55-003 and WAC 51-55-008 are reserved. RCW 19.27.560 adopts Class 1 roof, wall, deck, and driveway rules into the state building code only upon completion of DNR’s statewide wildfire hazard map and county risk maps. Draft maps are not a permit.

You are looking at a lot in Washington and asking which book binds a new roof or a new deck. The statute is on the books. The administrative chapter that would implement it is reserved. The map that would turn the statute on is still a DNR project with public listening sessions. Your city may have adopted IWUIC on its own. That local ordinance is the live path until the statewide maps exist.

Why it matters

Embers do not wait for a map. A reserved WAC means you cannot spec “Washington IWUIC vents” as a statewide rule. You can spec a local adoption, an insurer checklist such as IBHS Wildfire Prepared, or a hardening sequence that does not need a WUI permit. See the hardening ladder.

How it works

ESB 6120 (2024 c 133) told DNR to finish a statewide wildfire hazard map and a base-level risk map for each county (RCW 43.30.580). The hazard map must designate low, moderate, high, and very high. The maps must be public on DNR’s website.

RCW 19.27.560(1) says the state building code shall, upon those maps, consist of IWUIC Chapter 1 plus named Class 1 ignition-resistant construction and driveway rules. RCW 19.27.560(5) says building permits on high and very high hazard parcels shall apply that code.

The State Building Code Council reserved chapter 51-55 WAC while those maps are unfinished. WSR 26-07-075 filed 17 March 2026, effective 17 April 2026, leaves 51-55-003 and 51-55-008 as Reserved.

The paths

  1. Statewide construction (not in force). Wait for DNR maps, then the Class 1 roof, wall, deck, and driveway rules in RCW 19.27.560(1). Confirm the building official.
  2. Local IWUIC now. A county, city, or town may adopt IWUIC in whole or any portion (RCW 19.27.560(2)). Local wildfire maps may be used until the statewide maps are complete (RCW 19.27.560(4)).
  3. No WUI construction book. Harden anyway. IBHS is a designation, not adopted code.

What people mix up

  • Treating a DNR draft map as the permit trigger. Listening sessions are not a construction book.
  • Specifying the full 2021 IWUIC because WAC 51-55 used to adopt it. That chapter is reserved.
  • Importing Oregon R327 or California CWUIC onto a Washington drawing.

How to check

  1. Ask the building official whether the city or county adopted IWUIC locally.
  2. Open DNR Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping. Do not treat a draft as a lot determination. This site does not read your parcel.
  3. Read WAC 51-55-003. If it still says Reserved, there is no statewide IWUIC chapter in force.
  4. If a local ordinance exists, spec that text, not “Washington IWUIC.”

Limits

This page does not decide a permit. It does not classify your parcel. It quotes Kittitas County Code 20.10 as one local adoption. It does not quote a local ordinance we have not opened. Listed OSFM products are California listings unless the local official accepts them.

Questions

Does Washington require IWUIC on my lot today?

Not as a statewide construction book. WAC 51-55-003 and 51-55-008 are reserved. RCW 19.27.560 puts Class 1 roof, wall, deck, and driveway rules into the state building code only upon completion of DNR’s statewide wildfire hazard map and county risk maps.

Can my city adopt IWUIC before the DNR maps are finished?

Yes. RCW 19.27.560(2) lets counties, cities, and towns adopt the IWUIC in whole or any portion now. Local maps may be used until the statewide maps are complete.

Did Kittitas County adopt IWUIC locally?

Yes. KCC 20.10 adopts the current IWUIC, with Appendix B and Appendix C, and designates all unincorporated areas as WUI. WAC 51-55 remains reserved statewide.

Where is the official map?

DNR’s Wildfire Hazard and Risk Mapping page. Draft maps and listening sessions are not a construction book. This site does not read your parcel.

What construction rules are waiting on the maps?

RCW 19.27.560(1) names Class A roof assemblies (ASTM E108 or UL 790), listed exterior-wall methods, ignition-resistant decks and projections, and driveway length and turnaround rules. Permits in high and very high hazard areas would apply those rules once the maps exist.

Sources