2026 Legislative Session Recap: Legislature Adjourns Sine Die

The Washington State Legislature adjourned sine die on March 12, ending the 60-day 2026 session. Lawmakers passed several housing reforms aimed at improving permitting, expanding housing flexibility, and supporting homeownership, while the session’s final days were dominated by budget negotiations and a controversial new “millionaires’ tax.”

MBAKS Advocacy During Session

MBAKS members played an active role throughout the session, helping ensure the voice of the homebuilding industry was heard in Olympia. During MBAKS Hill Day, members held 43 meetings with legislators, discussing housing supply challenges and priority housing legislation. Builders also participated in BIAW Hill Day, where members conducted 13 additional legislative meetings. MBAKS members Mark Villwock with DR Horton and Mike Appleby with Chicago Title also provided key testimony on housing legislation during committee hearings, sharing firsthand industry perspectives on how policy decisions impact housing production and affordability.

Key Housing Bills Passed

Condominium Reform (HB 2304)
Allows condominium projects up to four stories and twelve units to use an insurance-backed express warranty, helping reduce litigation risk and encourage smaller condominium development.

Permit Review Streamlining (HB 2418)
Clarifies permit application completeness standards and requires jurisdictions to designate a permit contact, improving predictability in the review process.

Commercial-to-Residential Flexibility (SB 6026)
Allows housing in many commercial and mixed-use zones in cities over 30,000. Cities may require ground-floor commercial uses on no more than 40% of commercial or mixed-use acreage, allowing redevelopment of underutilized commercial property for housing.

Rural Accessory Dwelling Units (HB 1345)
Authorizes counties to allow detached ADUs in rural areas under local regulations.

Middle Housing in Urban Growth Areas (HB 2269)
Extends middle housing types such as duplexes and townhomes to unincorporated urban growth areas.

Building Code Modernization (HB 2228 & SB 5156)
Updates building code provisions by allowing scissor stair designs in certain mid-rise buildings and modernizing elevator requirements.

Budget and Tax Policy

Lawmakers also approved a supplemental operating budget for the 2025–27 biennium totaling more than $80 billion. The budget addresses a projected shortfall through a mix of spending changes, new revenue, and transfers from the state’s rainy-day fund.

The session also saw passage of a new “millionaires’ tax” (SB 6346), imposing a 9.9% tax on income above $1 million starting in 2028. The policy is expected to face legal challenges under Washington’s constitutional restrictions on income taxes.

Looking Ahead

With the session complete, attention now shifts to implementation as state agencies and local governments begin putting these new housing policies into practice.

Read more about the legislative session and a full bill tracker on MBAKS Connect.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nona Raybern, Public Relations & Media Manager
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
p 425.457.7067
m 425.208.6308

Master Builders Association Announces 2020 Award Winners

BELLEVUE, Wash.—December 18, 2020—The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) announced its 2020 winners at their annual end of year awards gala on Thursday, December 17. This year’s gala was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring skits, year-end retrospectives, and an awards show.

Each year, MBAKS recognizes members in eight different categories: Spirit of Service, Emerging Leader, Built Green Moving the Market, Associate of the Year, Remodeler of the Year, Builder of the Year, Exceptional Service, and the MBAKS Hall of Fame Award. Winners are decided through an open member nomination and awards committee process.

Here are 2020’s winners:

Joe Reed, Home Run Solutions, Mill Creek, WA

Spirit of Service Award

The Spirit of Service award exemplifies members who go above and beyond to give back to the communities where they do business.

Joe Reed dedicated extra time and effort in our 2019 Rampathon event to find solutions for a mobility ramp that faced extra permitting challenges. Thanks to his efforts, a family now has the ramp they need and solved a critical mobility concern.

Leann McNabb, CW Title and Escrow, Bellevue, WA

Emerging Leader Award

The Emerging Leader award is dedicated to those in the housing industry who are forward thinkers and a demonstrate a willingness to be involved at a higher level.

Leann McNabb served as 2019 chair of the MBAKS Professional Women in Building chapter and continues to dedicate her time to the uplifting of women in the housing community. She is one of the youngest women to serve as PWB Chair in MBAKS’ history.

Ted Clifton, TC Legend Homes, Bellingham, WA

Built Green Moving the Market Award

TC Legend Homes was granted the 20,000th certification of Built Green, the MBAKS green building program. For this reason, Ted Clifton and TC Legend Homes have won the Moving the Market award.

Their progressive work in green building, including making their IP public for other builders, makes them well deserving of this prestigious distinction.

Clay White, LDC Inc., Woodinville, WA

2020 Associate of the Year

The Associate of the Year award is dedicated to non-builder MBAKS members who have made an impact on the association and its work.

Clay White has served as an MBAKS board member for the last two years, currently serves on the MBAKS Housing Policy Committee, and actively dedicates time to MBAKS Hill Day, where our members and staff meet with legislators to advance housing legislation in the Puget Sound. In 2017, he was a key presenter at our Housing Summit and spoke on addressing the housing crisis in our region.

Ron Palmer, Palmer Residential, Seattle, WA

2020 Remodeler of the Year

The Remodeler of the Year award is presented to leaders in the remodeling industry, who display an exemplary talent in their work.

A long-standing Remodelers Excellence (REX) winner, Ron Palmer shows an exemplary ability for creating new spaces and incorporating progressive design elements. Founded in 2007, his company’s core values include pride in the connections their build with clients, communication, and craftsmanship. Not only dedicated to delivering an exceptional project for their clients, he is also passionate about advocating for the building industry through his support of the Affordable Housing Council.

Trevor Johnson, Blackwood Builders, Lynnwood, WA

2020 Builder of the Year

The Builder of the Year award doesn’t just go to members with exceptional building capabilities, but to those members who go beyond and are leaders within the industry.

Trevor Johnson dedicates time throughout the association and its many facets, exemplifying our core mission and values, from chairing the Affordable Housing Council in 2020, advocating with elected officials to create much-needed housing in our region, and his extensive participation in community stewardship projects with WELD Seattle, New Beginnings, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Dwellings, and more.

Erich Armbruster, Ashworth Homes, Shoreline, WA

Exceptional Service Award

The Exceptional Service award is the highest recognition award for members and staff for their many years of professional leadership and/or exemplary service to MBAKS.

Erich Armbruster is an exquisitely experienced leader in the housing industry and the association. His achievements are long—years of service on the MBAKS board of directors, including as President in 2018, as well as serving in the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW). He has been a consistent voice for engaging with our regional partners to provide a better future for our region’s residents, ushering in an era at MBAKS that saw a higher engagement with pro-housing legislators. He is an irreplaceable asset for the building community in Washington state and beyond.

Joe Reed, Home Run Solutions, Mill Creek, WA

MBAKS Hall of Fame

The purpose of the MBAKS Hall of Fame award is to honor people who have made significant and lasting contributions to our association.

Over the course of his impressive career, Gary Young has made a significant impact on the local homebuilding industry. His commitment not only to the industry, but also to the people that make up this industry, is unmatched. He has been a member of the Affordable Housing Council since 2000, served as a trustee for Rainier Scholars, a nonprofit that offers a pathway to college for low-income students of color by providing access to transformative educational opportunities, played a key role in condo reform in Washington state, and has a strong focus in sustainable building efforts through Built Green.

For more information on this release or for higher resolution photos, contact Nona Raybern at pr@mbaks.com

About MBAKS

Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) is the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders association. Like our founders, our members continue to take a leading role in all facets of homebuilding and support the planning for a growing region. From new technology to advances in sustainability, from collaborative public policy efforts to investing in our communities, our commitment to a thriving, inclusive, and well-planned region never wavers. We are the professional homebuilders, architects, remodelers, tradespeople (carpenters, framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians), planners and engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and sales and marketing professionals in your community who believe everyone deserves access to a healthy and productive place to call home.

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Contact: data@mbaks.com

February 2026 Builders Bulletin: Housing Inventory Rises

Mortgage interest rates continued to trend lower in January as housing inventory for sale increased. While this shift offers some relief for homebuyers, other indicators in the February Builders Bulletin point to continued headwinds for the housing market, including higher unemployment in Washington state and the Seattle region in December and declining builder confidence in January.

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