Question 1

My building is a senior care facility, does it need to comply with the Standard?

Accepted Answer

The Clean Buildings Performance Standard is mandatory for all covered commercial buildings located in the state of Washington. A covered commercial building is a building where the sum of nonresidential, hotel, motel and dormitory floor areas exceeds 50,000 gross square feet, excluding the parking garage area. • Nursing homes and senior care/assisted living facilities are considered institutional occupancies according to Washington state building codes. Institutional occupancies are considered commercial buildings by the standard and shall comply with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard when the building floor area is greater than 50,000 square feet. • Senior Care Community refers to buildings that house and provide care and assistance for elderly residents. Senior Care Community applies to nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities) and assisted living facilities and is not intended for retirement communities that offer only independent living. A senior living residential community may include a mixture of residential and institutional occupancies. If more than 50,000 of any single building is categorized by the building codes as institutional occupancy, the building would need to comply with the Standard. The building’s occupancy permit should list the occupancy designation. You may also check with the building department if you cannot find the record on site. If you are still uncertain about the designation of your facility, please contact us by filling out the customer support form.

Question 2

My building is a senior care facility, does it need to comply with the Standard?

Accepted Answer

The Clean Buildings Performance Standard is mandatory for all covered commercial buildings located in the state of Washington. A covered commercial building is a building where the sum of nonresidential, hotel, motel and dormitory floor areas exceeds 50,000 gross square feet, excluding the parking garage area. • Nursing homes and senior care/assisted living facilities are considered institutional occupancies according to Washington state building codes. Institutional occupancies are considered commercial buildings by the standard and shall comply with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard when the building floor area is greater than 50,000 square feet. • Senior Care Community refers to buildings that house and provide care and assistance for elderly residents. Senior Care Community applies to nursing homes (skilled nursing facilities) and assisted living facilities and is not intended for retirement communities that offer only independent living. A senior living residential community may include a mixture of residential and institutional occupancies. If more than 50,000 of any single building is categorized by the building codes as institutional occupancy, the building would need to comply with the Standard. The building’s occupancy permit should list the occupancy designation. You may also check with the building department if you cannot find the record on site. If you are still uncertain about the designation of your facility, please contact us by filling out the customer support form.