A sign of possible regulatory relief for Spokane fire victims

It takes an average of 18 to 36 months to rebuild a home burnt by wildfire in mere minutes, and most communities ravaged in an afternoon will take decades to be restored. Every day of this process is a day too long, but bureaucratic delays should not be adding months to the permitting process.

In the wake of last months, devasting Spokane wildfires, Washington’s governor appears to agree.

Governor Bob Ferguson issued an emergency proclamation order on August 10^th regarding ‘Wildfires – Immediate Relief and Response.’ For those hoping to rebuild their homes and buildings, one section might relieve some of the immense pressure of waiting for stable shelter. The order requires a report within 30 days (plus updates every 60 days) identifying regulations that could be waived or suspended to expedite the rebuilding process.

The order directs the State Environmental Protection Act, the Growth Management Act, the Shoreline Management Act, and the State Building Code (separate report) to deliver a report identifying any regulations “… that should be waived or suspended on the grounds that strict compliance would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with the emergency, including by preventing, hindering, or delaying the rebuilding of housing and other structures, while this State of Emergency is in effect.”

Hopefully this effort is diligently followed by Washington’s regulating agencies and real relief is provided. Policymakers in the Evergreen State can learn from the recent failures of others who failed to deliver. One example is the still too-long recovery timeline for the Los Angeles Pacific Palisades Fire.

Wildfire victims in Los Angeles understand best that the promises of politicians may not be enough to expedite the rebuilding timeline. Six months after the fire, Mayor Karen Bass said, “we continue to lead the fastest recovery in state history.”

But in July 2025, 15 months post-fire, rebuilding was much slower than proclaimed. Damage from other California wildfires had rebuilt at least over 60 homes in that same time frame (Paradise, November 2018) and up to 111 in Santa Rosa (October 2017). Altadena is less than half at 24 homes and Pacific Palisades rebuilt just 10 homes in 15 months. A pathetic showing when the economic and bureaucratic engine of Los Angeles is much more robust than the small urban community of Santa Rosa or the rural town of Paradise.

Despite executive orders from both the Los Angeles City Mayor and the California governor, the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods are still slow to recover. Mayor Bass’s Executive Order 1 (E01) reads that the order, “streamlines and expedites the permitting process to allow for the rapid rebuilding of the Palisades.” 

‘Rapid’ rebuilding has not happened, but bureaucracy and unfair taxes continue to block recovery efforts a year and a half after the fire.

Washington lawmakers may also want to reconsider a prior reform they failed to act on to provide relief for wildfire victims. During the 2023 and the 2024 legislative session, the original version of House Bill 1899 in 2023 would have allowed victims to use the 2023 version of building codes, not the later adoption of Washington’s higher energy code requirements.

Instead, the bill was amended to make assistance available to ensure that repairs and rebuilds met the state’s new and fluctuating definition of energy efficiency and environmentally friendly. A move that still made wildfire victims responsible for the added cost of updated energy codes, up to $28,000 per house with natural gas requirements.

Bill sponsor, Representative Mike Volz said:

“The people affected by these wildfires should not be hit with additional burdens and red tape. We need to do everything we can to get them back into their homes and a stable living situation as quickly as possible. That’s really the ultimate goal of this legislation. However, the bill as amended, falls far short of the original. It does not allow people to choose which codes they will use, and it doesn’t get the financial relief to the victims fast enough.”

Washington officials can learn from the failures of true expedited rebuilding in L.A. communities recovering from wildfires need reliable, streamlined permitting and politicians who help, not hinder, rebuilding efforts. Governor Ferguson’s executive order is a good start.

Now, agencies need to identify significant and unnecessary red tape and take action to put out the blaze of bureaucracy likely to hurt rebuilding efforts in Spokane and other western communities.