Agenda

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Item # 6.b.

City Council (FY24)

Meeting Date:	04/23/2024
Department:	Development Services
Key Focus Areas:	Public Safety

AGENDA CAPTION:

Present and discuss the proposed adoption of the 2024 edition of the International codes and the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Code.

BACKGROUND:

Building codes exist to protect the health, safety and welfare of building occupants. Currently, the International Codes, written and published by the International Code Council, are the preeminent building codes that exist today and are adopted by virtually all cities in the United States. These codes include: International Building Code, International Fire Code, International Residential Code, International Mechanical Code, International Plumbing Code, International Fuel Gas Code, International Energy Code, International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, and the International Property Maintenance Code. That National Electrical Code is written and published by the National Fire Protection Association and is the electrical code adopted by virtually all cities in the United States.

Both the International Code Council and the National Fire Protection Association publish new editions of their respective codes every three years. This allows for newer construction techniques and materials to be included in each code and allows for issues causing concerns related to building safety to be addressed regularly.

Additionally, the ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating of the Town is affected by the edition of the code adopted by the Town. ISO reduces the scoring when a jurisdiction is more than one code cycle behind the currently published codes. Now that the 2024 codes have been published, any jurisdiction that has not adopted the 2021 or 2024 codes will be graded down when their ISO rating is reviewed and calculated. The Town of Addison has currently adopted the 2018 codes; therefore, we would be subject to a reduction in our ISO rating if newer codes are not adopted.

The most recently published version of the National Electrical Code is the 2023 edition, which was adopted by the State of Texas on September 1, 2023. The Town of Addison has currently adopted the 2017 edition of the National Electrical Code. Adoption of the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Code will allow us to be consistent with the code already adopted by the State and help to reduce confusion regarding which code applies.

The proposed codes will bring the Town of Addison up to the most currently published building codes and reduce the number of local amendments from what is currently adopted. This will allow Addison to recognize and be consistent with current construction techniques and technology and move closer to the adoption of the base codes that exist in most cities in the United States by removing some local amendments that are no longer needed.

RECOMMENDATION:

Information only. No action required.

Attachments
Presentation for 2024 Code Adoptions
Building Code FAQ
Information Regarding Proposed Local Code Amendments