Council Subcommittee

MINUTES OF THE GILBERT COUNCIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON BUILDING CODES, MARCH 27, 2019, AT 4:30 P.M., ROOM 100, 90 EAST CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, GILBERT, ARIZONA COUNCIL PRESENT: Chair Jared Taylor and Councilmembers Scott Anderson and Aimee Yentes COUNCIL ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Town Clerk Lisa Maxwell, Development Services Director Kyle Mieras, Plan Review and Inspection Manager Larry Taylor, Fire Marshal Dan DuBois CALL TO ORDER Chair Taylor called the meeting to order at 4:34 p.m. AGENDA ITEMS 1. Approval of the minutes of the March 6, 2019 meeting. A MOTION was made by Councilmember Anderson, seconded by Councilmember Yentes, to approve the minutes of the March 6, 2019 meeting. Motion carried 3-0. 2. Presentation of significant changes to the 2018 Building Codes. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor continued with changes to the 2018 Building Codes (Code). International Building Code (IBC) 304.1 Business group B: Small food processing establishments and commercial kitchens not associated with a dining establishment changed from group F1 to group B if the establishment is less than 2,500 square feet. 714.4.2 Membrane penetration: An exception which allows for use of a double top plate of nonbearing walls to interrupt ceiling membrane protection. This is applicable to buildings such as apartments, hotels, and senior living constructions and this change has been requested frequently in the last few years. Table 1004.5 Maximum floor area allowances per occupant: A section added for concentrated business use areas. Mercantile establishments no longer have different requirements for different floors. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor said he has been granting code variances for companies. 1010.1.4.4 Locking arrangements in educational occupancies: Requirements given for types of locking hardware that provide security in a “shelter in place” situation but still allow access to emergency personnel. 1607.12 Vegetative and landscaped roofs: A new section with definitions and uniform design live loads. 1705.2.3 Open-web steel joists and joist girders: These now require a special inspection. 2303.1.4 Cross-laminated timber – Definitions and standards added to code. This material has been used in Europe for years and it can be used in twelve story buildings 3310.1 Stairways in buildings under construction: At least one stairway (temporary or permanent) must be provided during construction once the building has reached a height of 40 feet. International Mechanical Code 307.3 Condensate pumps: Requires a pump to be connected to appliance so the appliance will shut off if pump fails. 502.20 Manicure and pedicure stations: Requirements for exhaust inlets when manicure tables and pedicure stations do not have factory installed exhaust inlets. 505.3 Common exhaust systems: Allows for a common shaft for domestic kitchens in multi-story buildings. 506.3.7.1 Grease duct reservoirs: Requires grease duct reservoirs to extend across the full width of duct. 506.3.8 Grease duct cleanouts: Requirement for vertical grease duct cleanouts every 20 feet if not accessible from the hood or discharge openings. 507.2.6 Clearances for type I hoods: Must follow the clearance listed on hood. 508.1.2 Air balance: Commercial kitchens must submit an air balance design as part of their plan submittal. International Plumbing Code 305.6 Protection against physical damage: Reduced the minimum distance concealed piping must be from the face of stud from 1.5 inches to 1.25 inches. 403.1.2 Single user toilet rooms: Signage required to show the facilities may be used by either sex. 403.2 Separate facilities: Separate facilities are not required for occupancies with a maximum occupant load of 25 or fewer people which is up from the previous occupant load of 15 people. The Town already has an amendment allowing this. 403.3 Required public toilet facilities: Exceptions for when businesses are not required to provide a public toilet. 403.4 Directional signage: Signage for public facilities must be posted so the sign can be seen from main entrance. 411.3 Emergency shower & eye wash stations: A new section requiring a temperature mixing valve at these stations equipped with hot and cold water. 422 Health care fixtures and equipment: Entire section deleted. 713 Health care plumbing: Deleted in its entirety. 423.3 Footbaths, pedicure baths and head shampoo sinks: Temperature limiting devices required. 607.3 Thermal expansion control: Allows for the use if thermal expansion control devices instead of a tank. 716 Replacement of underground building sewers and building drains by pipe-bursting methods: Provides methods for replacing sewer pipes. International Fuel Gas Code Table 402.2 Approximate gas input for typical appliances: Table deleted. 403.4.2 Steel: Allows for the use of schedule 10 steel pipe in fuel-gas piping. 403.6 Plastic pipe: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and Chlorinated PolyVinyl Chloride (CPVC) not allowed for use as gas piping. 410.2 Medium pressure (MP) regulators: MP regulators installed on rigid pipe must have a union installed within 1 foot of either side of the regulator. 503.4.1 Plastic piping: Can only be used for venting when appliance is listed for its use. International Energy Code 403.10.17 Refrigeration Equipment Performance: Requirements for self-closing doors and curtains to prevent outside air from entering walk-in coolers and freezers. 405.2.4 Specific Application Lighting Control: Sleeping units required to have a master control device that automatically shuts off lights and switched outlets within 20 minutes of occupants leaving a room. 406.1 Efficiency Package options: Two new options added, Enhanced envelope performance and Reduced Air Infiltration. Rusdon Ray, Gilbert resident, noted most of the changes are reductions in requirements with about 25 percent adding more restrictions. He gave an example of one new restriction which may cause problems for builders. He discussed the need to look at and discuss the items before passing all of Codes. Gordon Ray, Gilbert resident, said if Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor sees a problem he go to Council and get an amendment to correct the problem. He said the Code is just now recognizing that some earlier requirements were unnecessary and they are being removed. Chair Taylor said he when to visit the Rays and he asked them to bring a one page check sheet with definitions so everyone could be working with the same language. The Gilbert Residential Project Plan Requirements has a list of 90 items with an additional 19. The items have reference numbers for the Codes. Builders are required to have a copy of the Codes so they can refer to that particular code. The Code could change every three years so Rusdon Ray took the text from the Codes and added it with the Gilbert Residential Project Plan Requirements to create a new document. Councilmember Yentes asked if it was necessary to have the Code books. Rusdon Ray said builders can use the check sheet then no one will need to the Code books. 3. Discussion of next steps. Chair Taylor began the discussion about how the report to the Council should be structured. He suggested instead of focusing on individual codes to look at categories of codes. The goal is for Council to approve something that is simplified and consistent. Rusdon Ray said the check list could be reviewed and adopted by Town management. Councilmember Anderson noted the check list for strictly for residential buildings such as tract and custom houses. Commercial buildings would be different. Chair Taylor suggested having slides which would summarize the major changes the subcommittee reviewed. Councilmember Anderson asked how this would meet the Mayor’s goal of having something simple and consistent. There was discussion about the changes in the 2018 Codes. Some codes are looser than earlier codes while some are more restrictive. There are some new additions and some sections were removed entirely. It was suggested that would be a good way to group the items. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor said he would like all the least restricted items to be adopted as those are the things he is reviewing and having make exceptions. Rusdon Ray asked how it would work to adopt just the lesser restrictions. Chair Taylor noted when the 2012 Code was adopted the Energy section and the Green Code were adopted as optional. Chair Taylor said there are some new regulations that make sense and the subcommittee needs to show Council what those items are so they can either not adopt them or make them optional. How to best let Council know? Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor said he was pleased with 2015 and 2018 Code updates. Chair Taylor said the 2012 Code could be used as a baseline and the loosened Codes could be added. Councilmember Anderson said Council will be looking to the subcommittee to give a recommendation for a more efficient and simpler Code. If an item is new and it is clarifies the Code then it should be added. Chair Taylor recommended categorizing the list of new Codes into categories of what makes sense and what does not. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor noted the subcommittee had only been looking at the significant changes to the Code and not all the other changes that may have been updated for clarity. He said he will need to go through the items again to sort them. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor described how the Codes are reviewed and updated. There is a group made up of building officials and industry representatives from across the country. They vote on what to include, change or remove from the Code. The them and the International Code Council (ICC) publishes the codes approved by that group. Development Services Director Mieras said the Town has so many amendments to the Code because Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor has worked to get those that make sense for the Town passed. And whenever it makes sense for the builders, he makes exceptions builders for them. Gordon Ray said if the Town started with check list and instead of the Codes staff would not have to go through the Codes looking for changes every three years. There was discussion about the process for a builder to complain if they felt they had been treated unfairly. Councilmember Anderson said it is important for the Code to be clear to the people in the field who are doing inspections. There was discussion about sorting the changes to the Codes into categories. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor said it will take some time for him to go back through the slides and note which are new or changes. Councilmember Anderson suggested saying the minor are clarifying and sorting all of those. Development Services Director Mieras asked what his staff should tell builders if the Council reviews and adopts the Code in pieces. There was discussion about the best approach for adopting the Codes. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor noted if the 2018 Code is adopted the list of amendments to that Code will be shorter than the list of amendments adopted with the 2012 Code. Rusdon Ray suggested adopting the 2018 Code but making only the items on the check list enforceable by inspectors. Plan Review and Inspection Manager Taylor said he was hesitant to go by only the check list when inspecting a building. The check list was developers for the plan reviewers as the most common items that come up. There are a lot of things not addressed in the check list. Development Services Director Mieras said the planning section also has a check list they use but it contains things most often missed and reminders of things to look for. The check list is an end all, be all list. Gordon Ray said he never had anything on a plan that was not on a checklist. Rusdon Ray noted builders cannot use new materials if they are not approved in the Code. He would like to be able to use materials and to install them per the manufactured specifications. The next meeting will be on April 10 at 4:30 p.m. ADJOURN Chair Taylor adjourned the meeting at 5:59 p.m. ATTEST: ___________________________ ___________________________________ Chair Jared Taylor Lisa Maxwell, MMC, Town Clerk