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NAHB Weighs in on ICC Building Code Proposals
Working with more than 30 of its builder members to identify significant issues for single-family and multifamily residential construction, NAHB has submitted over 60 public comments to the International Code Council (ICC) in response to model building code amendments proposed by the organization’s code development committee at first-round hearings in Cincinnati in March.
Among issues of critical importance to one- and two-family dwellings, NAHB has submitted comments in opposition to:
- Vague provisions that would add requirements for buildings located on hills, cliffs and ridges as well as in coastal areas
- Significant increases in energy-efficiency requirements even in areas where the payback period for the energy savings would exceed the normal life expectancy of the occupants
- Mandatory fire sprinklers
- Requirements for impact-resistant shingles for hail
On the multifamily front, NAHB commented on amending the accessibility requirements of the International Building Code (IBC) so that it can provide a safe harbor for compliance with the requirements of the Fair Housing and Americans With Disabilities acts.
NAHB has been an active leader in this effort, securing the approval of the Department of Housing and Urban Development of the 2000 (with a 2001 supplement) and 2003 editions of the IBC as a safe harbor for compliance with Fair Housing accessibility laws.
NAHB indicated its opposition to a number of amendments that would significantly increase multifamily construction costs for the purpose of providing unsubstantiated benefits. One of these amendments would impose stringent requirements related to building height and other features; it would have a significant impact on how buildings are designed for fire safety and suppression. Another amendment would limit the building materials that can be used.
All public comments and requests to modify actions taken at the hearings in Cincinnati will be considered at ICC’s Final Action Hearings in September in Detroit. NAHB will attend those hearings to testify on its own comments and those submitted by other groups.
The amendments that receive final approval in Detroit will become effective in the 2006 editions of the I-Codes, including the IBC, International Residential Code (IRC) and the International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC).
For more information on these and other proposed amendments or on the code development process, e-mail Diane Webb on NAHB’s Codes and Standards staff, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8290.
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