The state Clean Buildings deadline of July 1, 2027
Washington’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard treats multifamily residential buildings over 20,000 gross square feet (parking garage excluded) as Tier 2. Tier 2 owners report compliance to the Department of Commerce by July 1, 2027, and every five years after that.
Seattle’s Building Emissions Performance Standard is a city ordinance and stops at the Seattle line, so a Bellevue tower answers to the state standard alone.
Source: Washington Department of Commerce, Clean Buildings Tier 2 compliance, read November 2026.
What it means for your study
Tier 2 compliance is about benchmarking, an operations and maintenance program and an energy management plan rather than a hard emissions target. Even so, the energy work it prompts tends to surface components, such as controls, boilers and lighting, that belong in the reserve study with a realistic life.
A Bellevue board commissioning a Level I or Level II study before 2027 can ask the firm to read the benchmarking data alongside the site visit, so the two documents agree.
Two Washington firms listed below give a Bellevue or Renton address, close enough for a site visit without travel charges.
The rule in Bellevue
King County associations follow the same state law as everyone else. Under RCW 64.90.545, the study is updated every year and
“An updated reserve study must be prepared at least every third year by a reserve study professional and based upon a visual site inspection conducted by the reserve study professional.”
Communities created before July 1, 2018 may still be partly under the older acts until January 1, 2028 (how that works).
- 2026Site visit
A reserve study professional walks the property. The first study can instead rest on plans, for buildings not yet built.
- 2027Annual update
Balances, costs and contributions brought up to date. No visit required.
- 2028Annual update
The same again, ready for the budget the board adopts.
- 2029Site visit
The update is prepared by a professional from a fresh visual inspection.
- 2030Annual update
The cycle carries on.
- 2031Annual update
Each update feeds the budget summary owners receive before they ratify the budget.
- 2032Site visit
And again, at least every third year.
Professional study from a visual site inspectionAnnual update; a desk review is enough
Firms that name Bellevue
These firms name Bellevue, King County or the surrounding region on their own websites.
| Firm | Based | Works in | Credentials stated | From its own website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bach Associates | Bellevue | Washington | RS | David Bach & Associates; reserve studies since 1999. |
| Reserve Studies NW | Renton | Washington | Not stated | Level 1, 2 and 3 studies; names King, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, Mason and Kitsap counties. |
National firms that say they work in every state: Association Reserves, Reserve Advisors, MillerDodson Associates, Reserve Data Analysis, Global Solution Partners, Apex Reserve Group. See all firms in Washington.