OLYMPIA – Two bills sponsored by Sen. Jeff Wilson were sent to the governor Tuesday as the state House approved measures promoting kit homes and changing the definition of rural counties.
The kit home bill capped four years of work by the Longview Republican. It had passed the Senate three times but had never been reached the House floor until now. The measure passed 93-0 and advances to the governor for final consideration.
“I’m not going to declare victory until the governor gives us his autograph,” Wilson said. “But this certainly has been a long time coming. This legislation addresses the housing shortage we face today by hearkening back to a construction method popular in our grandparents’ time.”
Senate Bill 5552 directs the state Building Code Council to develop rules specifically for kit homes of 800 square feet or less. The idea is that standardized kits should undergo design review only once, bypassing the one-by-one reviews for custom stickbuilt homes. New rules would need to be in place by 2027.
Kit homes, common before WWII, offered homeowners an affordable way to build homes of all types, providing precut lumber and all other materials required. Today’s kits are typically on the smaller end, but they are becoming an increasingly popular option for homeowners wishing to build tiny homes or accessory dwelling units in their backyards. Prices start at less than $10,000.
“We’ve all heard of the famous Sears-catalog homes, but this method of construction fell out of favor for economic reasons in the 1940s,” Wilson said. “Today the economics can be compelling, especially in smaller do-it-yourself projects.”
Also winning approval in the House Tuesday was Wilson’s Senate Bill 6149 changing the definition of rural counties, which passed the Senate earlier in the session and cleared the House 93-1. Currently rural counties are defined as counties with fewer than 100 people per square mile. The bill adds counties with a population density of more than 100 people per square mile, as long as no city has more than 45,000 people. The change ensures Cowlitz County remains among the state’s 29 rural counties for purposes of financing public facilities and economic development.