Washington’s legislators had their eye on common interest communities (CICs) during the 2023 regular session, which ended on April 23, 2023. Three bills relating to or affecting CICs become effective on July 23, 2023. One became effective immediately. Here is a brief summary of the new laws.
Legislation
New Oregon Law Complicates Retainage on Construction Projects
If you do not follow the Oregon legislature closely, you may have missed a new law, which went into effect January 1, 2020, that impacts the treatment of retainage on private and public construction projects over $500,000.
For private and public construction contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2020 that include a contract…
Three “Basic Best Practices” New Year Resolution Tips for Construction Projects
Ultimately, improving our companies, like improving ourselves, is up to us and our own diligence and persistence in identifying and implementing improvements on an ongoing basis. A strong market as we start 2019 means a great opportunity to review for and ensure solid implementation of legal compliance and financial goals for your construction projects –…
Developers and Builders Gain Time from Permit Expiration in California with AB 2913
After decades of dealing with a hodgepodge of local adoption (or not) of administrative codes relating to building permit extensions, California Governor Brown’s September 21, 2018 signature on AB 2913 is a welcome addition of at least six months to the existing statutory commencement of work period. AB 2913 allows a uniform 12-month period across…
Joint Washington/Oregon Construction Law Seminar – November 4, 2016
On November 4, 2016, my colleague, Andrew Gibson (from the Portland office of Stoel Rives), and I will co-chair a joint OSBA/WSBA construction law CLE, entitled Two States of Construction Law: Working in Both Washington and Oregon, located at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington. This seminar will include a panel of knowledgeable lawyers…
2016 Utah Legislative Session Summary
This post was guest authored by Stoel Rives partner Martin Banks.
A record number of bills were introduced during the 45-day Utah Legislative Session for 2016. While many of the bills dealt with education and legalizing medical marijuana, a few dealt with the foreclosure and the mortgage lending industry. The bills listed below were…
Yes, Contractor Licensing May Be Required Under California Law Even if the Contractor Does Not Physically Build Anything Itself
It seems that almost weekly, and certainly monthly, I receive a call or inquiry from colleagues and/or prospective clients as to whether a license is really required if the prospective “contractor” is not actually building anything but is merely facilitating a “deal” or is hiring otherwise qualified and licensed contractors and trades. Virtually every time…
New Amendment to Washington’s Contractor Registration Act
A recent legislative amendment to the Washington Contractor Registration Act (the “CRA”) underscores the need for residential property developers to assess whether the development activities they perform on their Washington projects constitute those of a “contractor” and thus require registration with the Department of Labor and Industries. On April 22, 2015, Washington Governor Jay Inslee…
The Latest DIRT in California: Additional Mandatory Reporting for Excavators, Operators and Contractors?
Those that “dig in the dirt” are very familiar with the Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT), which was launched in 2003 by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA). Over the years California has enacted several statutes requiring anyone moving dirt to notify a regional notification center of the area of planned disturbance that may impact a subsurface…
Bah Humbug: California Supreme Court Won’t Hear Dispute Arising From Overbroad SB800 Decision
You may have recently heard that on December 11, 2013, the California Supreme Court denied the builder’s Petition for Review of the published decision in Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. v. Brookfield Crystal Cove LLC, 163 Cal. Rptr. 3d 600, Cal. App. 4th 98 (2013). For builders and contractors, this is very frustrating news and undermines…