Issaquah, WA Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Core duty
- Elevator accessible, usable and in good working order at all times
- Single-elevator residential buildings
- Full-service maintenance contract with a Washington licensed elevator company
- Alternative housing trigger
- Elevator out of service longer than 72 hours, on request
- Transport during outage
- Up to once per day at no expense, up to 24 hours
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000 fine or 90 days, or both, under IMC 16.06.240
- Retaliation
- Prohibited against tenants asserting elevator rights
Summary
Issaquah requires the owner, lessor or managing agent of a building to keep the elevator accessible, usable and in good working order at all times. Outages trigger notice duties, and residential buildings with a single elevator need a full-service maintenance contract and, after 72 hours, alternative housing on request.
604.8 Duty of building operators to repair elevator and give notice. Any owner or lessor of the entirety of a building subject to this chapter, or any agent thereof with the responsibility for managing such building (hereafter “building operator”) shall ensure that the elevator is accessible, usable and in good working order at all times. ... 604.8. ... 2 Residential Buildings Served by a Single Elevator Level of Service. Buildings served by a single elevator shall maintain a full-service maintenance contract with a Washington State Licensed Elevator Company that provides the industries’ highest-level service. ... 2. Alternate housing. When the elevator is out of service for longer than 72 hours, the building operator shall provide upon request alternative housing for any person residing in the building who needs to use the elevator to gain access to or egress from his or her unit because of such person’s impaired ability to climb stairs as a result of such person’s physical disability, medical condition, infirmity, illness or other disability.
Full Breakdown
IMC 16.06.100 adds Section 604.8 to the 2021 International Fire Code. The duty falls on the building operator, defined as any owner or lessor of the entirety of a building, or any agent with responsibility for managing it. The operator shall ensure that the elevator is accessible, usable and in good working order at all times.
Section 604.8.1 sets notice rules for any outage. The operator must notify all occupants by text, e-mail, or phone call and post a written notice on or adjacent to the elevator on each floor. The notice must give the anticipated date and time that service will resume, the accommodations available for occupants who depend on the elevator, and contact information for questions. Non-residential buildings can limit the notice to the posted written notice.
Section 604.8.2 applies to residential buildings served by a single elevator, which must maintain a full-service maintenance contract with a Washington State Licensed Elevator Company that provides the industries' highest-level service. Section 604.8.3 requires those buildings to keep a plan for out of service conditions affecting mobility impaired occupants, at no cost to the occupant. The plan must include a list of companies qualified to transport mobility impaired individuals in and out of the building up to once per day at no expense when the elevator is out of service for up to 24 hours. When the outage lasts longer than 72 hours, the operator must provide alternative housing on request, at the operator's expense, that is decent, safe, sanitary and reasonably accommodating. The duty does not arise if a natural disaster or an act of God prevents repair within seventy-two hours or any time thereafter.
Section 604.8.5 prohibits retaliation: a landlord or building operator cannot threaten or bring an action to recover possession, serve a notice to quit, decrease services or increase rent because a tenant asserted rights under the chapter, and cannot refuse to rent because a person requires an elevator. Claims can go to the Human Rights Commission under RCW 49.60. Section 604.8.6 makes these remedies cumulative.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 604.8.4, a resident whose access to or egress from a unit is substantially restricted by a failure to repair the elevator in time, or to provide alternative housing, can ask the City of Issaquah to start a code compliance investigation. If the City finds a violation, it can issue a violation under IMC 16.06.240, a misdemeanor with a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment not to exceed 90 days, or both, and pursue other legal remedies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for repairing an elevator in Issaquah?
What notice must be given when an Issaquah elevator is out of service?
When must a landlord provide alternative housing?
What can a tenant do if the elevator is not repaired?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Issaquah
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