Tacoma, WA Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- TMC § 2.01.060(AA)
- Requirement
- Elevators must comply with Building Code
- Applies to
- All buildings with elevators, citywide
- Enforced by
- City Building Official
Summary
Tacoma's minimum building code requires every elevator in a building to be kept in compliance with the state Building Code as part of the city's baseline property maintenance standards for heating and mechanical equipment.
Heating, mechanical, and elevator equipment. Heating equipment shall be provided to heat every dwelling and guest room, and shall have the capacity to heat all habitable rooms to 70 degrees Fahrenheit with an ambient outside temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Such equipment shall be in compliance with the Mechanical Code or the Building Code in effect at the time of installation. Solid-fuel-burning appliances or cooking appliances and portable heating devices shall not be used to provide the primary heat for the dwelling or guest rooms. A supply of air for complete combustion of the fuel and for ventilation of the space containing the fuel-burning equipment shall be provided for the fuel burning equipment. Elevators shall be maintained in compliance with the Building Code.
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Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4946110; v22 updated 2026-07-28).
Full Breakdown
Tacoma's Minimum Building and Structures Code sets baseline maintenance standards for every building in the city. Under the subsection covering heating, mechanical, and elevator equipment, the code states plainly that elevators must be kept in compliance with the Building Code, not with whatever standard applied when the elevator was installed. The Building Official enforces this alongside the rest of Chapter 2.01's repair standards, and a non-compliant elevator can factor into a derelict or unfit-building determination under the chapter's administration and process provisions. The rule applies citywide to any structure with an elevator, from apartment buildings to commercial properties.
Violations & Fines
Enforced by the Building Official under Chapter 2.01's compliance process; an elevator that isn't maintained per the Building Code can support a notice of violation, repair order, or unfit-building determination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tacoma require elevator inspections?
Who enforces Tacoma's elevator maintenance rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tacoma
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