Washington's Capitol To Reopen To Public In July

OLYMPIA, WA — Starting July 1 the Washington state Legislative Building will be reopened to the public after having its doors shut for more than a year.

The Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) says some details of the reopening are still being ironed out, and that tenants like the Governor’s Office and Secretary of State may set their own security requirements for their private offices.

The DES also says it is working to resume public tours of the campus, and is recruiting tour staff and volunteers to get those programs back up and running.

The Legislative Building has been closed since March 2020 when it was ordered shut as an early precaution against the pandemic. It has been sparsely used in the months since: Lawmakers gathered at the Capitol exactly once at the start of the legislative session in January to formally approve remote procedures.

The reopening in July puts a cap on a long, strange year for Washington's Capitol Campus. Following the closure of the Legislative Building in March, the Campus itself remained open until Jan. 6, when a protest breached the gates of the governor's mansion — the same day a deadly riot stormed the nation's capitol in Washington D.C.

Following the breach, Washington State Patrol and the Washington National Guard were ordered to secure the Capitol Campus — an order that was eventually boosted through inauguration day and then indefinitely as officials evaluated the potential for future threats.

The Campus has since reopened, and the final bit of security fencing was pulled from the Capitol in early May.