FISCAL NOTE FOR NON-CAPITAL PROJECTS

Department:	Contact Person/Phone:	DOF Analyst/Phone:
DCLU	Michael Aoki-Kramer/4-7932	Casey Doyle/4-8075

Legislation Title:

An ordinance relating to building and construction codes: repealing Section 22.300.015 of the Seattle Municipal Code (Ordinance 119507), and adopting a new Section 22.300.016 to adopt the 2002 National Electrical Code with Seattle amendments as the Seattle Electrical Code.

· Summary of the Legislation:

Legislation adopts 2002 Edition of the Seattle Electrical Code, which consists of the 2002 National Electrical Code (NEC), the 2003 Washington State Electrical Regulations, as set forth in Chapter 296-46B of the Washington Administrative Code, and the Seattle Amendments to the National Electrical Code. The legislation replaces the 1999 Seattle Electrical Code.

Very few new substantive amendments are proposed for the 2002 Edition of the Seattle Electrical Code. A complete list of changes is attached to the Ordinance as Exhibit A. The most significant changes from the current code include:

· Adding amendments to improve coordination of City and State codes.

· Allowing use of nonmetallic (NM) cable, i.e., “romex”, to be installed in all stories of wood-frame buildings, per new 2002 NEC requirement, with additional protections above NEC minimums. Previously, use of NM cable was limited to three-stories of wood frame construction. This change differs from the State electrical regulations, which maintained the three-story limit on the use of NM cable, but was felt justified given the additional fire and life safety protections required of 5 story wood frame buildings in Seattle.

· Changing administrative Sections 301 and 302 to clarify what types of work do not require a permit and further clarify what types of work require plans and specifications to be submitted with the permit application.

· Requiring ground-fault circuit interrupter protection on all outlets at or near countertops with sinks, all outdoor outlets on nonresidential buildings, and most replaced outlets.

· Background:

The Seattle Electrical Code is typically updated every three years after the national model electrical code, the National Electrical Code, is updated. This update cycle is common to all of the national model building-related codes. Both the State and Seattle amend the NEC to provide greater flexibility and to respond to local conditions and practices. For Seattle, there are also issues unique to a large city and issues involving coordination with Seattle City Light.

Chapter 19.28 RCW, Electricians and Electrical Installations, charges the State Department of Labor and Industries with adopting regulations governing and licensing electricians and electrical installations throughout the state. RCW 19.20.010 (3) grants local jurisdictions the authority to adopt regulations applicable to electrical installations that differ from regulations adopted by the state, provided the local regulations require “an equal, higher, or better standard of construction and an equal, higher, or better standard of materials, devices, appliances, and equipment than that required by this chapter [19.28. RCW]”. DCLU has analyzed the proposed amendments 2002 National Electrical Code and 2003 Washington Administrative Code regulations and determined that the proposed regulations provide equal, higher, or better requirements.

As no changes are proposed to existing electrical permitting or licensing programs, no fiscal impacts are anticipated to stem from adoption of this ordinance.

· Please check one of the following:

X This legislation does not have any financial implications.

Attachment 1: Director’s Report and Recommendation