The purpose of this code is to establish uniform requirements for the erection, construction, repair, alteration, and maintenance of residential buildings, including construction of industrialized units. Such requirements shall relate to the conservation of energy, safety, and sanitation of buildings for their intended use and occupancy with consideration for the following:
(a) Performance. Establish such requirements, in terms of performance objectives for the use intended. Further, the rules shall consider the following:
(1) The impact that the state residential building code may have upon the health, safety, and welfare of the public;
(2) The economic reasonableness of the residential building code;
(3) The technical feasibility of the residential building code;
(4) The financial impact that the residential building code may have on the public's ability to purchase affordable housing.
(b) Extent of use. Permit to the fullest extent feasible, the use of materials and technical methods, devices, and improvements which tend to reduce the cost of construction without affecting minimum requirements for the health, safety, and security of the occupants of buildings without preferential treatment of types or classes of materials or products or methods of construction.
(c) Standardization. To encourage, so far as may be practicable, the standardization of construction practices, methods, equipment, material and techniques, including methods employed to produce industrialized units.
This code does not prevent a local governing authority from adopting additional regulations governing residential structures if the regulations comply with this section.
(a) A local governing authority shall, and any person may, notify the board of building standards of any regulation the local governing authority adopts related to content within the scope of this code and request that the board of building standards determine whether that regulation conflicts with the state residential building code.
(1) Not later than sixty days after receiving a notice to review local regulations for conflict, the board shall determine, based upon a recommendation from the advisory committee, whether the regulation conflicts with the state residential building code and shall notify any person who submitted the notice and the local governing authority that adopted the regulation of the board's determination.
(2) If the board determines that a conflict does not exist, the board shall take no further action with regard to the regulation. If the board determines a conflict exists and the regulation is not necessary to protect the health or safety of the persons within the local governing authority's jurisdiction, the regulation is not valid and the local governing authority may not enforce the regulation.
(3) If the board determines that a conflict exists and that the regulation is necessary to protect the health or safety of the persons within the local governing authority's jurisdiction, the board shall adopt a rule to incorporate the regulation into the state residential building code. Until the rule becomes a part of the state residential building code, the board shall grant a temporary variance to the local governing authority and any similarly situated local governing authority to which the board determines the temporary variance should apply.
(Ord. 30-10. Passed 6-22-10.)