International Code Council (ICC) Conducting a Study “Promoting Housing Affordability through the I-Codes “.

The ICC has initiated a study titled Promoting Housing Affordability through the I-Codes (BIRC) – ICC .  According to the ICC announcement of the study, “Housing costs and affordability have become critical issues across the United States and many parts of the world. The Code Council supports development of the International Residential Code (IRC) through a consensus process involving stakeholders from throughout the home building industry. The IRC is updated every three years, resulting in incremental changes between each edition using consensus-based methods. Code Council policy requires each proposed change to include cost impact data, which serves as the basis for debate during code development hearings. Contemporary peer reviewed studies continue to find that building codes do not have meaningful implications on homes’ purchase price. However, some industry surveys and projections have suggested stronger interactions. Additional cost drivers often include land development regulations, local development charges, availability of skilled labor, material prices, and interest rates.” The study will span the next 10 months. As part of this initiative, the ICC is forming “an Advisory Committee (AC) to support the study team in fulfilling the objectives of the effort.”  AGA BECS staff has been requested to be included on the AC and has agreed to participate, and it should be noted that this is a non-voting advisory role.  We will provide updates on the progress of the study particularly on issues of potential impact on natural gas applications. The AC input is intended to help shape recommendations to the ICC Board of Directors for potential actions in the development of the 2030 IRC code cycle.

ICC Announces New System for Tracking “Interested Parties” and Distributing Meeting Invitations.

This week, the ICC staff reported that they are moving to a new system for tracking “Interested Parties” and distributing meeting invites.  They are asking all interested parties to fill out a new form to verify continued interest that can be accessed here: https://form.jotform.com/Code_Apps/IP . BECS Committee members are encouraged to sign up for information on ICC committees such as the International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC), International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Building (IBC),  etc., to keep abreast of the code activities that can impact the direct use of natural gas. There is no cost for signing up for a committee and you can select to be added to multiple committees.  Feel free to distribute the sign-up information to others within your organization or service territory who would be interested in the ICC model code development process.

State Codes Activity Update.

Attached is a weekly feature of the “Friday Update” covering state code calendar activities as presented by the online utility “Fiscal Note,” which is sponsored by APGA and AGA Code and Standards. Please review the update and determine if there are state code activities that impact your service territory or organization.

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