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Archive for the ‘Legislation & Law’ Category

September 9th, 2010 - 8:17 am § in Building Standards/Codes, Legislation & Law, New Laws

City of Seattle Introduces New Building Codes on September 23, 2010

Time for Change. The City of Seattle is ready to implement brand spanking new building codes on September 23, 2010. The codes are based upon the 2009 IBC, replacing the current 2006 IBC. Its vitally important that all builders, in the Seattle area, take note of these codes as soon as possible. The i[...]

August 30th, 2010 - 7:33 am § in Case Law, Legislation & Law, Warranties

More on Warranty Limitations in Washington

Back on August 9, I published a short article summarizing the ruling in a recent Washington Court of Appeals case (held before Division II). The case opinion in Mattingly v. Palmer Ridge Homes LLC concerns the disclaimer of home warranties and the effect of third-party warranty limitations. [...]

August 27th, 2010 - 10:14 am § in Case Law, Construction Liability, Employment & Labor, Legislation & Law, Managing Risks, Workers Compensation

Are You a Contractor or Employee?: The Dreaded 1099 Dilemma

There has been a long standing rule that unregistered contractors cannot recover payment of contract sums for construction work. The theory is that a person or entity cannot actually perform construction work unless they are registered. If they cannot legally perform the work – they cannot leg[...]

August 26th, 2010 - 8:59 am § in Construction Liability, Legislation & Law, Managing Risks, New Laws

Do You Owe Taxes in Washington? A Guide For Out of State Contractors

Are you an out of state business that works or sells products in the State of Washington? Then you might need to register with the Department of Revenue (DOR) and pay taxes. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that gobs of out of state contractors and suppliers have no idea that they might be o[...]

August 24th, 2010 - 7:00 am § in Case Law, Contracts, Legislation & Law, Liens & UCC, Litigating Your Contract, Litigating Your Lien

Division 1 Takes on Lien Issues – Offers Perspective on Controversial Williams v. Athletic Field Ruling

Division 1 took on two very intriguing issues in the lien world: (1) reformation of lien releases based on mistake and (2) the ruling in Williams v. Athletic Field. The ruling in North Coast Electric Company v. Seattle Construction Services, Et Al. is a great read for any construction lawyer, contra[...]

August 19th, 2010 - 10:36 am § in Case Law, Construction News, Legislation & Law

WA Supreme Court: Government Agencies Have No Free Speech & No Immunity For Reporting

There was a very interesting ruling handed down today by the Supreme Court. The Court heard argument on whether RCW 4.24.510 immunizes a government agency who communicates a complaint to another government agency. The Court says no, finding that the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) mi[...]