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CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM |
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Department: |
Planning and Development Services |
Commission Meeting Date: April 16, 2019 |
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Staff Contact: |
Barry Walthall, Building Official |
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Recommendations/Options/Action Requested: |
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Adopt ordinance No. 9626 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 2 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 2 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the 2018 International Building Code, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
Adopt ordinance No. 9627 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 3 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 3 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the 2018 International Residential Code, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
Adopt ordinance No. 9628 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 4 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 4 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2017 Edition, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
Adopt ordinance No. 9629 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 5 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 5 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the 2018 International Plumbing Code, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
Adopt ordinance No. 9630 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 6 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 6 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the 2018 International Mechanical Code, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
Adopt ordinance No. 9631 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 7 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 7 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
Adopt ordinance No. 9632 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 8 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 8 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
Adopt ordinance No. 9633 on first reading repealing existing Chapter 5, Article 9 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, and enacting, in its place, Chapter 5, Article 9 of the Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas, 2018 Edition, and amendments thereto, which adopts and incorporates by reference the 2018 International Existing Building Code, regulating building and construction within the City of Lawrence, Kansas, if appropriate.
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Executive Summary: |
The City’s construction code advisory boards, including the Building Code Board of Appeals, Electrical Code Board of Appeals, Mechanical Code Board of Appeals, and Plumbing Code Board of Appeals, and staff have completed technical review of the 2018 International Code Council (ICC) series of construction codes, and ordinances adopting these codes are provided for consideration by the City Commission. The 2018 series of codes recommended for adoption, along with a description of the scope of construction activity regulated by each code, include:
· International Building Code – Regulates the design, installation and construction of buildings and building systems for other than one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. · International Residential Code – Regulates the design and construction of one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, including structural, energy conservation, fire, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fuel gas code requirements. · International Energy Conservation Code – Regulates the design of energy-efficient building envelopes and installation of energy-efficient mechanical, plumbing, lighting and power systems. · International Existing Building Code – Regulates the repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition to and relocation of existing buildings for other than one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. · International Mechanical Code – Regulates the design and installation of heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems in other than one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. · International Plumbing Code – Regulates the design and installation of plumbing systems in other than one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. · International Fuel Gas Code – Regulates the design and installation of fuel gas systems in other than one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses. · 2017 National Electrical Code – Regulates the design and installation of electrical systems in other than one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses.
The 2017 National Electrical Code is also recommended for adoption in conjunction with the ICC codes.
The proposed effective date for all of the above-listed codes is July 1, 2019.
The 2018 codes incorporate numerous changes from currently adopted 2015 codes, most of which are editorial in nature meant to clarify intent, but also include changes that will impact design and construction. In addition to changes contained within the ICC codes, the adopting ordinances include new and previously existing amendments that are intended to satisfy local conditions and priorities such as safety and housing construction costs. In the opinion of staff, the package of codes and amendments proposed by the advisory boards at the least maintain safety standards currently in place while also attempting to maintain or provide opportunities for reduced housing construction costs.
Throughout the review process staff has been mindful of the impact of revising codes on the cost of housing. Examples of new code regulations and amendments that may reduce housing construction costs include:
· Limits on requirements for Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupters (AFCI’s) to electrical outlets located in sleeping rooms – 2018 codes expand requirements to most electrical outlets throughout dwelling units (existing amendment). AFCI’s detect abnormal electrical arcs in electrical systems, such as nails that penetrate the premises wiring or defective wiring in cord and plug connected utilization equipment. In addition to the impact on the cost of housing, the majority of the members of the Electrical Code Board of Appeals are of the opinion that the technology is unreliable and that nuisance tripping of devices generates call backs to the electrical contractor to repair or identify issues that perhaps too often result in replacing faulty AFCI devices. · Eliminated or reduced requirements to insulate under slab water supply piping (new amendment). This is a requirement for which return on investment may not justify the cost of construction. · Decreased requirements for design for residential retaining walls (new amendment). This allows for common types of retaining walls to be constructed to a reasonable height without incurring additional design costs. · Adoption of IRC appendices that provide prescriptive methods for construction for tiny houses, light straw clay construction, and straw bale construction may reduce the cost of design and construction for these unconventional types of construction (new amendment). · Expanded selection of prescriptive fire resistive wall assemblies that separate dwelling units, which can reduce the cost of design (new to International Residential Code (IRC)). Builders may select from a greater list of options that don’t require additional design. · Increased maximum stair height between landings allows for taller wall heights and/or larger floor joists or trusses (new to IRC). This will decrease the need for intermediate landings in some cases, for which the cost of construction is reduced. · New prescriptive provisions for tall stud walls, up to ten feet in height, may reduce design costs (new to IRC). Builders may select from a greater list of options that don’t require additional design. · Maximum Energy Rating Index (ERI) score remains at 70 (existing amendment). An example of an ERI system is the Home Energy Rating System (HERS), which is frequently used in Lawrence to demonstrate compliance with the International Energy Conservation Code. This maintains the current standard, which a majority of the members of the Building Code Board of Appeals believe provides an appropriately high performance requirement for energy conservation that strikes a balance between controlling construction costs and the cost of home ownership.
Other significant new regulations or amendments include:
· An amendment restricting the location and type of grease interceptors permitted by the International Plumbing Code, and requiring prior approval of the building official prior to installation of automatic grease removal devices. The intent is to minimize resources required by the Municipal Services and Operations Department to clean/remove grease from the City’s sewer infrastructure. This may increase the cost of construction for commercial occupancies required to install grease interceptors. · An amendment allowing the building official to administratively approve a deviation in building tightness for new homes from 3.0 air changes per hour (ACH) to 3.5 ACH, after the builder, with recommendations by an approved third-party energy rater, has exhausted all reasonable efforts to reach 3.0 ACH. In some types of new housing, most typically slab on grade homes, builders are sometimes challenged to comply with the requirement that the air change rate not exceed 3.0 ACH. This standard, as an element of the energy conservation code, is intended to help the homeowner manage energy costs over the long term. This amendment is intended to acknowledge that an administrative variance may be needed where the challenge to tighten a home is extreme, but is not intended to establish a new standard for slab homes of 3.5 ACH. · Prescriptive provisions for construction of decks in the IRC has been consolidated and reorganized so that materials, fasteners, footings, posts, joists, decking and ledger details are located under a single code section. This is a cost neutral code change that increases the usability of the code for design and construction of deck structures. These new provisions consolidate code provisions for deck construction that facilitate ease of use for builders, homeowners and City inspection staff. · The maximum allowable U-Factor rating for exterior glazing (windows) is reduced from .35 to .32. This may be a nominal increase in the cost of construction. A majority of the members of the Building Code Board of Appeals are of the opinion that this new provision is a cost effective measure to improve energy performance of new homes. · The requirements for electrical outlets and branch circuits in garages have changed to increase the minimum circuit rating for garage outlets from 15 amps to 20 amps. The location of required receptacle outlets has changed from requiring one outlet per vehicle bay to be located anywhere in the garage, to requiring that the outlets be placed in each vehicle bay not more than 5’ 6” above the floor. This may be an increase in the cost of construction. This new code provision facilitates recharging of electric vehicles that can utilize standard 120-volt electrical outlets, and allows for heavier use circuits for appliances and equipment often placed in garages such as refrigerators, freezers, vacuum systems and compressors.
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Strategic Plan Critical Success Factor |
Effective Governance/Professional Administration Safe, Healthy, and Welcoming Neighborhoods |
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Fiscal Impact (Amount/Source): |
The fiscal impact to the City is negligible. |
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Attachments: |
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(for CMO use only) |
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