Important Laws that Apply to State Facilities

Life Safety

Municipal building codes ensure that office space meets minimum standards of safety and health. Most of the tenant improvements or alterations made to a leased office space will require a building permit. Essentially, this means that occupants must be able to exit the building safely in the event of a fire, have adequate ceiling, wall and door clearances so that they can move about within the space safely, and there are no conditions which might cause people to trip or fall. The building inspector will examine the job at regular intervals to make sure that the construction does not violate building codes.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The ADA is Federal legislation that is incorporated into Washington building codes. Basically, the construction section of the ADA ensures that persons with disabilities are able to enter and exit buildings, move about and function within the space, get from floor to floor, use the restrooms, respond to fire alarms, and use the drinking fountains. Many ADA standards apply to wheelchair users, but vision and hearing-impaired people also benefit. The State is committed to supporting requirements defined within the ADA. For more information, please visit our page on barrier free facilities.

Prevailing Wage

State law requires that persons who perform construction work on State offices be paid in compliance with RCW 39.12 regarding prevailing wage. RCW 39.12 prohibits release of funds to any contractor unless prevailing wage requirements have been met.

Employee Parking Restrictions

In order to reduce the state's subsidization of employee parking, agencies are no longer permitted to enter into leases for employee parking in excess of zoning code requirements unless exempted by the Director of the Department of Enterprise Services. The law (RCW 43.01.240 (3)) applies to all state facilities (owned or leased) except colleges and universities. For more information, please check: