Photos of projects plan checked or inspected by Willdan

News for California Building Departments
Issue 11, July - September 2006

Index to all issues of The Willdan Letter

Important Dates

July 17-20, 2006	CALBO Education Week at Modesto, CA.	See CALBO’s website for details and registration
Jul6 27, 2006	Building Standards Commission hearing. A progress hearing on the 2007 Code Adoption Cycle, including the 2006 IBC, IFC, UPC, UMC and 2005 NEC	See the Commission's website for detail.
Sept 15, 2006	Last date to apply for IAPMO Certification examinations to be held on October 21, 2006, in various California locations.	See IAPMO’s website for locations and an application.
Sept 17-30, 2006	2006 ICC Annual Conference, Expo and Code Development Conference Lake Buena Vista, Florida.	See ICC website for details.
Sept 24-28, 2006	IAPMO Annual Education and Business Conference Chicago, Illinois	See IAPMO website for details.

What's Up With The State?

At the May 16-17, 2006 hearings of the Building Standards Commission, several 2004 Code Adoption Cycle proposals were approved for adoption. Included was the rewrite of Chapter 11A of the 2001 California Building Code (CBC) regarding accessibility for privately funded multifamily dwellings and publicly funded housing. Also, several amendments to the 2001 CBC Chapter 11B were approved. Next, the BSC will establish a publication date (when it is available for purchase), and an effective date that may be no less than 180-days following the publication date. That could be January or February 2007 for an effective date. There were other amendments approved for the 2001 CBC. In another action, the CBSC dropped efforts to adopt the 2003 Uniform Mechanical Code.
The first hearing for the 2007 Code Adoption Cycle by the BSC is scheduled for July 27, 2006 in Sacramento. The proposed adoptions include the 2006 International Building Code, 2006 Uniform Mechanical Code, 2006 Uniform Plumbing Code, 2006 International Fire Code, and 2005 National Electrical Code. This may be the first of many hearings that will hopefully lead to the adoption and effectiveness in early 2008. PEX piping is expected to be an issue with the 2006 UPC adoption. The Division of the State Architect will be proposing more changes to the California Building Code, Chapter 11B, in order to address USDOJ Access Compliance Board comments on California’s accessibility standards. When adopted, it is expected that Chapter 11B will become certified as being at least equivalent to the federal accessibility standards. Watch for a July 27, 2006 meeting agenda on the BSC website.
The State Fire Marshal is proposing the adoption of the 2002 edition of NFPA 25, in Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations. NFPA 25 is the Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems and is a companion document for numerous NFPA standards on waterbased systems. The public comment period will close at 5:00pm on August 7, 2006. Unless requested by public comment, there will be no public hearing.
On June 5, 2006, David Walls became the new Executive Director of the California Building Standards Commission (BSC), replacing retiring Stan Nishimura. Mr. Walls worked at the Department of Housing and Community Development beginning in 2001, and was the lead person for HCD’s building code adoption functions and presentations before the BSC. Before joining HCD, Mr. Walls worked for the Sutter County Building Department from 1995 to 2001, and at the City of Galt Building Department from 1992 to 1995. Mr. Walls was a builder and earned a degree from the Butte College Building Inspection Technology program before becoming involved with building code enforcement.
Commissioner Mr. Tim Brink has resigned from the BSC. Mr. Brink was in the seat designated by the Health and Safety Code for a contractor. The Governor may appoint a replacement.
The California Energy Commission has a new website for the New Solar Homes Partnership & the California Solar Initiative with information about how the CEC will work with builders to expand solar electricity systems on single family dwellings and apartments.
On May 24, 2006, Ruben Grijalva became the Director of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, in addition to being the California State Fire Marshal.

2006 Legislation of Interest to Building Departments

At mid-year there are several bills proposing state laws that will impact building codes and the operations of building departments. The bills worthy of watching include:

SB1, promoting solar generated electricity in residential dwellings;
AB2496, proposing a lower per flush volume for toilets and urinals installed after January 1, 2009;
AB2977 proposing new child safety standards for residential swimming pools;
AB1231, proposing to remove the sunset date and extending the mobilehome park inspection program indefinitely;
AB1953 proposing to change the means for measuring lead content in plumbing materials;
AB1469 proposing continuing education requirements for managers of mobilehome parks.

Some of these bills have been amended four to five times. More amendments are possible before they reach the end of the legislative process. Our next issue will identify those bills that make their way to the Governor’s desk. Find these bills .

Did You Know?

Did you know that a park trailer is a form of recreational vehicle, and it has limited usage under state law? Many have the appearance of manufactured homes, but they are actually vehicles. California Health and Safety Code (HSC) section 18009.3, defines a park trailer to be a trailer designed for human habitation for recreational or seasonal use only, that has 400 square feet or less of gross floor area, with a width of not more than 14 feet at the maximum horizontal projection, and that requires a permit to be moved on the highways. A park trailer is not subject to manufactured home installation standards under HSC18613, and may not be placed on a foundation system under HSC18551. A park trailer is to be installed in a special occupancy park (see HSC Division 13, Part 2.3 beginning with section 18860), which includes a recreational vehicle park, or on a lot designed for recreational vehicles within a mobilehome park. Installations outside of these parks is a local land use matter. According to HSC18027.3, park trailers are to be manufactured to "ANSI Standard A119.5, Recreational Park Trailers" standards that include structural, fire and life safety, electrical, plumbing and mechanical system requirements. Manufacturers are required to place a label on each unit for sale in California attesting to compliance with the ANSI standard. There is no in-plant inspection conducted by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). HCD’s authority to conduct enforcement of applicable standards for recreational vehicles, including park trailers, was repealed by industry sponsored legislation effective January 1, 1999.

Because some park trailers had been manufactured with loft areas that were intended for occupancy, and created more than 400 s.f. of floor area, the legislature enacted HSC 18033, effective on January 1, 2001, that establishes requirements for lofts including ceiling height, floor design load, stairs, a handrail, a guardrail and two means of egress as specified. Otherwise, the loft must be labeled for storage only. It is unlawful to sell, offer for sale, rent or lease a park trailer in California that does not bear HCD insignia of approval (issued before January 1, 1999) or the manufacturer’s label affixed per HSC18027.3.

It is unlawful to alter a park trailer in a manner that results in a noncompliance with ANSI Standard A119.5. Read all these HSC sections at the state website for state laws.

Other News
The ICC and IAPMO will conduct a national Town Hall meeting in Denver from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on July 15, 2006, at the Adams Mark Hotel (1550 Court Place, Denver, CO Phone: 1-800-444-2326), to discuss progress on developing a single plumbing code, and a single mechanical code, by 2009. The meeting will be webcast. Viewers will be able to submit comments and questions by email.	The State Fire Marshall’s website has an informative discussion about the Wildland-Urban Interface regulations (Phase 1) now in Chapter 7A of the California Building Code.	If you hold certifications issued by the ICBO or ICC based on the legacy model codes you are eligible to transition to the new CALBO-ICC California-Specific certifications, but you must do so by December 31, 2006. For information on the process and examination, go to CALBO’s website. To take the transition exam, visit the ICC website.