The bill adds new enforcement provisions to chapter 18.160 RCW and amends RCW 18.270.070 to create and expand investigatory and enforcement procedures for fire protection sprinkler contractors and persons performing fire protection or residential sprinkler fitting work. It requires the state director of fire protection (or an authorized representative/designee) to investigate alleged violations, permits fire code officials to require contractors or fitting workers to produce evidence of a license or certificate on request, and makes failure to produce that evidence an infraction under the referenced statutes. Fire code officials are authorized to issue stop work orders when a contractor lacks a license or is otherwise violating the chapter and to determine whether public safety warrants removal and replacement of systems or components installed, altered, or extended by an unlicensed contractor. Fire code officials must promptly notify the state director or designee to initiate investigations. The state director (or designee) may require a contractor to provide all relevant payroll records in a timely manner for an active investigation. The bill defines “fire code official” as a person authorized by a city, town, county, local governing body, or the state director to conduct enforcement under the chapter. Affected entities named include the Office of the State Director of Fire Protection, local fire code officials, fire protection sprinkler system contractors, and persons performing fitting work. Legislative action recorded in the extracted facts shows the bill passed the House on February 10, 2026 and the Senate on March 3, 2026. Legally, this is a mix of new law and amendment: it creates procedural enforcement mechanisms (investigations, document production, stop work orders) and establishes or clarifies that failure to produce licensing or certification documentation is an infraction under existing penalty provisions. The text in the extracted facts does not provide the existing statutory definitions of licenses or certificates, the specific penalty amounts for infractions, a definition of “timely manner” for payroll records, or details on the appointment or qualifications of the state director or designees; those details are not included in the provided extracts.

If enacted, local fire code officials and the Office of the State Director of Fire Protection will be able to demand proof that sprinkler and fitting contractors are licensed or certified, pause work on jobs done by people who can’t show credentials, require payroll records during investigations, and order removal or replacement of systems if unlicensed work creates a safety risk. Contractors and workers will need to carry and produce their license or certificate on request or face an infraction, possible stop-work orders that remain until compliance, and potential costs to redo or replace unsafe work done without proper credentials. The people most affected are sprinkler contractors and residential fitting workers, who will likely face higher compliance costs, more frequent inspections or demands for documentation, and increased risk of lost income from work stoppages or costs to remediate unlicensed work. Local fire officials and the state director’s office will have greater enforcement responsibilities and may need additional resources to investigate and manage cases. Important details are missing here, including exact fine amounts, how quickly payroll records must be produced, and procedural rules for investigations and designees, so some operational impacts are unclear.