10-12 - BUILDING CODE UPDATES - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item Nos. 10 -12 memorandum TO: Mayor & City Council John Godwin, City Manager FROM: Carla Easton, PE, City Engineer SUBJECT: BUILDING CODE UPDATES DATE: June 19, 2017 BACKGROUND: In 2010, the City of Paris adopted the state mandated building codes developed by the International Code Council (ICC) in order to safeguard the public health, safety and welfare, and to provide for the safety of emergency responders by regulating building construction and renovation projects with consistent and standardized practices. The 2006 version of the International Building Code (IBC), Existing Building Code (IEBC), Residential Code (IRC), and the 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) became the official codes for Paris, and are still the adopted codes today. The ICC codes are drafted and updated by building professionals every three years. Local government agencies are encouraged to keep current with code adoptions to maintain relevance in code enforcement and training, and also to improve insurance ratings provided by the Insurance Service Office (ISO). The ISO is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of code enforcement agencies, and assigning a rating that is used by insurance providers when setting policy premiums with appropriate risk. The ratings range from 1 to 10, with a rating classification of 1 being exemplary and 10 being deficient. The City was evaluated by the ISO in June of 2016 and received a rating of 9 due to outdated codes. During the evaluation, the ISO representative indicated that in order to improve the rating from a 9, the City would need to adopt, enforce and maintain a code that is within 5 years of its release. STATUS OF ISSUE: Many municipalities and counties in northeast Texas have adopted, or plan to adopt the 2015 ICC codes as their official building code. The State of Texas has adopted the 2015 International Residential Code and the Energy Conservation Code. Updating the model codes will keep the City of Paris current with construction standards. This will simplify the design and permitting process, advance the safety of building systems, promote a common code interpretation between communities, facilitate the mobility of contractors, and improve training opportunities and cost.