(A) This code is hereby declared to be remedial, and shall be construed to secure the beneficial interests and purposes thereof through structural strength, stability, sanitation, adequate light and ventilation, and safety to life and property from fire and other hazards incidental to the construction, alteration, repair, removal, demolition, use and occupancy of dwellings, apartment houses, rooming houses or buildings, structures, or premises used as such.
(B) The provisions of this code shall apply to all existing housing and to all housing hereafter constructed within the town. Portable, mobile, or demountable buildings or structures, including trailers, when used or intended to be used for housing within the town shall be subject to the provisions of this code.
(C) This chapter establishes minimum requirements for the initial and continued occupancy of all buildings used for human habitation within the town.
(D) The construction or repair or alteration in any way of buildings within the bounds and jurisdiction of the town comes under the codes and standards of the following regulatory agencies: North Carolina State Building Code (all volumes most recent edition and amendments), Fire Prevention Code (most recent edition), Coastal Area Management Act, Federal Flood Insurance Program, and the following additions or more stringent requirements adopted by the town and approved as a part of the minimum housing code. No building may be occupied without a proper occupancy permit.
(E) Plans and specifications for all structures not within the scope of this code shall be submitted simultaneously to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, Raleigh, N.C., to the Building Inspector of the town, and to any other environmentally concerned agencies. Permits for these structures will not be issued until approval has been received from all concerned agencies.
(F) Building permits for structures estimated to cost in excess of $30,000 will be issued only to contractors licensed by the state and only when plans and specifications for such bear the seal of a registered architect or engineer. The seal is not a requirement for plans for one- and two-family dwellings regardless of their estimated cost. In all construction special attention should be paid to the North Carolina Uniform Residential Building Code Appendix D: "Windstorm Resistive Construction".
(G) A building permit is valid for a period of time stated on said permit or according to the State Building Code. Renewals or extensions of this time limit shall be at the discretion of the Building Inspector, not to alter or change those standards set by the North Carolina State Building Code.
(H) A building permit is required to erect, alter, repair, or demolish any structure within the town. No building permit will be issued without a proper and complete application.
(Ord., passed 1-22-77; Am. Ord. 1845, passed 6-22-23)