Category: building code

County opts out of sprinkler requirement

Elaine Blaisdell Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — The Board of Garrett County Commissioners unanimously voted to enact the 2012 editions of the International Residential, International Building and International Energy Conservation codes, with all local amendments, to become effective Sept. 28.

The amendments include the deletion of the requirement for automatic sprinkler systems in one- and two-family dwellings and the stairway geometry requirements in the new code. The deletion of the stairway geometry requirement returns the code to the steeper stair requirements that were made prior to 2009, according to Commissioner Gregan Crawford, who made the motion to approve at Tuesday’s meeting.

Jim Torrington, chief of the Permits and Inspections Division, explained the stairway geometry dimension to the commissioners.

A public hearing on the codes was held Aug. 21 and the commission decided to leave the public record open for 10 days because some county builders just learned of the stairway amendment. Comments included six requests for the steeper stair geometry and two for the opt-out provision for the residential fire sprinklers, according to Torrington.

“What we are being told (by the building industry), is sometimes this geometry lends itself to being very tricky and complex, especially in smaller homes,” said commission chairman Jim Raley.

The readoption of the building code will allow the county to opt out of the sprinkler mandate until 2015, according to a news release. Earlier this year, Gov. Martin O’Malley signed legislation that mandated sprinklers in new residential housing. In late June, John Nelson, director, department of planning and land development, and Torrington learned that if the county adopted its building code ordinance before Oct. 1, it could opt out of the new sprinkler requirement.

Also during the meeting, the following was discussed or approved:

• Heard a departmental update from the County Board of Elections.

• Heard an organizational update from the Chamber of Commerce.

• Heard an agency update from Garrett County Action Committee.

• Approved a $62,652 bid award from Timbrook Ford in Keyser, W.Va., for a dump truck for the facilities and maintenance department.

• Approved a bid award to Environmental Resources Management for a water and sewage master plan to be completed in October 2013. The total project cost is $99,943 and currently the finance department is preparing a $100,000 budget amendment.

• Approved 19 acres of standing timber located at the airport as surplus property. The area needs to be clear-cut in order to be in compliance with state licensing standards.

Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.

More here.

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Jul. 29, 2010

One- and two-family homes built in Garrett County after Jan. 1, 2011, will not have to have automatic sprinkler systems. The 2009 International Residential Code (IRC) requires the systems, but the county commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the local code on Tuesday morning that deletes that section of the IRC.

“We have a received a number of correspondence relative to this matter, an almost overwhelming majority asking us opt out of the sprinkler system [requirement] for the stick built homes,” said Commission chair Ernie Gregg.

The commissioners and Department of Planning and Land Development’s Permits and Inspections Division held a pubic hearing two weeks ago to receive comments on possible changes to the local building ordinance, based on new IRC requirements. Only two possible IRC changes were proposed: a new, less steep stair geometry and sprinklers.

Local officials at the hearing indicated they would most likely adopt the stair regulation into the county code and, perhaps, the sprinkler requirement. The commissioners held the record open for two weeks following the hearing to allow for more comments.

“As you know, there was strong opposition to this (sprinklers) in the public hearing, and numerous written comments received during the past two weeks opposing the requirement as well,” Permits and Inspections chief Jim Torrington told the commissioners prior to their voting on the matter. “Therefore, we propose to delete this section (Chapter 3, Section R313.2) from the 2009 IRC.”

As a result of the amendment deleting the requirement, one-family and two-family homes will not be required to have automatic sprinkler systems.

Torrington stressed that systems will still be required for multiple family homes (i.e. townhouses) and modular homes. The county tried to include modular homes in the amendment, but this type of stick-built structure falls under state regulations.

The state, however, does not require sprinkler systems in singlewide and doublewide mobile homes.

“We went so far as to contact Secretary Skinner, Department of Housing and Community Development, about getting the modular homes exempted, but he said we cannot override the Maryland code this comes under,” Commissioner Fred Holliday explained.

Gregg said the commissioners adamantly opposed the issue of requiring that stick-built homes have sprinklers because of the additional cost to homeowners and the infringement on their personal property rights.

“We certainly are concerned about public safety,” Gregg said. “We are also concerned about having what we consider unnecessary costs.”

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