Building Code Compliance And Enforcement

Additional information on the Minnesota State Building Code can be found at the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry's website: http://www.dli.mn.gov/business/codes-and-laws. There you can find reference guides, maps, charts, fact sheets, archived references, Statute and Rule excerpts and other helpful information to assist you in using the Minnesota State Building Code.

When the technical requirements of the 2012 INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE (IFC) aren't enough, look no further than the 2012 INTERNATIONAL FIRE CODE COMMENTARY. In the tradition of the other titles in the International Code Council's highly successful Code Commentary series, the book includes the complete text of the 2012 International Fire Code, and presents it alongside detailed, in-depth commentaries. These commentaries help users to navigate critical IFC requirements, explaining why they were developed, their implications, and the problems that can result when they are not followed properly.This book is a must-have for any code official, engineer, architect, inspector, plans examiner, contractor, or firefighter seeking a solid foundation in the 2012 IFC and its applications.

To overcome the common bugaboo of leaving something important out, this practical guide to estimating home construction costs has been updated with digital Excel estimating forms and worksheets that ensure accurate and complete estimates for your residential projects. Load the enclosed CD-ROM into your computer and create your own estimate as you follow along with the step-by-step techniques in this book.

As part of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's (LBL) technical assistance to the Sustainable City Project, compliance and enforcement activities related to local and state building codes for existing and new construction were evaluated in two case studies. The analysis of the City of San Francisco's Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO) showed that a limited, prescriptive energy conservation ordinance for existing residential construction can be enforced relatively easily with little administrative costs, and that compliance with such ordinances can be quite high. Compliance with the code was facilitated by extensive publicity, an informed public concerned with the cost of energy and knowledgeable about energy efficiency, the threat of punishment (Order of Abatement), the use of private inspectors, and training workshops for City and private inspectors. The analysis of California's Title 24 Standards for new residential and commercial construction showed that enforcement of this type of code for many climate zones is more complex and requires extensive administrative support for education and training of inspectors, architects, engineers, and builders. Under this code, prescriptive and performance approaches for compliance are permitted, resulting in the demand for alternative methods of enforcement: technical assistance, plan review, field inspection, and computer analysis. In contrast to existing construction, building design and new materials and construction practices are of critical importance in new construction, creating a need for extensive technical assistance and extensive interaction between enforcement personnel and the building community. Compliance problems associated with building design and installation did occur in both residential and nonresidential buildings. Because statewide codes are enforced by local officials, these problems may increase over time as energy standards change and become more complex and as other standards (eg, health and safety codes) remain a higher priority. The California Energy Commission realizes that code enforcement by itself is insufficient and expects that additional educational and technical assistance efforts (eg, manuals, training programs, and toll-free telephone lines) will ameliorate these problems.