On June 16, the Pagosa Springs Town Council passed the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the 2024 editions of the International Code Council (ICC) build series, Manufactured Home Standards, and the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code.
If the ordinance passes upon second reading, it will replace the town’s current operating building standards under the 2015 International Building Code.
The 2024 ICC codes proposed for adoption include the International Building Code, International Residential Code, International Energy Conservation Code, International Mechanical Code, International Fire Code, International Fuel Gas Code, Existing Building Code, Swimming Pool and Spa Code, and International Property Maintenance Code (a new code for the town).
Building Code Official Tim Hatch was on hand to explain the changes to the council.
Hatch explained that, with the passage of Colorado House Bill 22-136, there would be “consequences” if the town sticks to the older building codes and does not update them.
As part of the new law, the Model Low Energy and Carbon Code goes into effect statewide on July 1, and if the town does not pass the newer IBC code, it would have to adopt these new standards.
Section 8 of this law requires any municipality or county that updates any of its building codes after that date to adopt the new model code, or a code that will achieve greater energy efficiency and pollution reductions.
Hatch explained that the town “really wouldn’t be ready” to adopt these new energy and carbon codes at this point in time, and so adopting the 2024 IBC would be the better option for right now.
One benefit of adopting the new code, he explained, is that it “should lower insurance costs” for homeowners.
“The further out our code gets, the worse our insurance score will be,” he explained.
A staff brief on the matter states that “insurance companies like the newer codes, for obvious reasons, because the requirements are typically more stringent.”
It adds, “If we lessen the criteria through an amendment, they will determine we have lessened the effect of the code and lower our [insurance] score.”
The IBC is updated every three years to incorporate rapid advancements in building science, new technologies, and lessons learned from past hazards and fix their mistakes, Hatch explained, adding that the town’s current reliance on the 2015 IBC is outdated.
He noted that two biggest changes would be how the town determines snow load requirements and in the new energy efficiency requirements, or the R-value requirements, in wall insulation.
For example, “The 2024 code requires higher minimum wall R-values (e.g., R-30 cavity or R-20+5 continuous insulation) and stricter, more detailed insulation requirements compared to the 2015 standards,” the brief states.
This would probably raise the cost of construction in some cases, Hatch added.
derek@pagosasun.com
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