Quick Answer
WABO is the Washington Association of Building Officials, a nonprofit professional association — it is not the agency that licenses Adult Family Homes and generally does not inspect the property itself. A 'WABO inspection' is informal shorthand for the local building inspection performed by your city or county building department using the Adult Family Home Local Building Inspection Checklist, which WABO developed in cooperation with DSHS.
Everyone in the adult family home world says 'WABO inspection,' and almost no one means what the words say. This is the short version for buyers and prospective providers who need to know what actually happens and who does it.
Generally no. WABO is a professional association of building officials. The inspection is performed by your city or county building department using the checklist WABO developed with DSHS.
A passed local building inspection must be complete before DSHS can finish its own inspection and issue the license, so it is on the critical path.
About the author: David Stein is a Washington State licensed real estate broker (eXp Realty, license #133972) and a Washington State certified residential appraiser (Stein Appraisal, license #1702080), with more than 20 years of experience in both disciplines. More about David.
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