The presentation of new building codes to the Jefferson City Council will be delayed by two weeks, city officials said late Monday afternoon.
A special citizen committee was supposed to present to the council on July 19 new building codes governing things like electric, structural and fire codes. The council will now hear the first reading of the proposed new codes at its Aug. 7 meeting, city officials said Monday.
Jefferson City Building Official Larry Burkhardt said Monday in an email that city staff need more time to edit updates in other portions of the city code. Burkhardt said in the email that this change is not being made to change any of the proposed codes.
"This delay is only to review administrative and not technical content," Burkhardt said in an email.
Over the past 18 months, a 33-member committee made up of community volunteers held dozens of meetings to craft the new codes as the city updates its build codes to 2015 standards. The city last updated its building codes in 2011 and uses 2009 versions of most building codes.
As proposed, the biggest changes will come to sprinkler requirement provisions for apartments in the new fire code. Changes may also be made to the swimming pool codes and the types of tornado shelters commercial buildings are required to have.
Current city code allows developers to build apartment complexes with 10 or fewer units without sprinklers. Fire officials and committee members told the News Tribune the changes are common-sense safety measures. The new codes will also fully regulate swimming pool installation. Current city code mentions pools but only in fleeting instances under the construction codes section. Now the city will implement the latest version of the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.
The new codes could also alter the requirement commercial buildings be built with storm shelters that can withstand EF-5 tornadoes with winds of 250 mph. Burkhardt said at a June 1 public meeting that EF-5 tornadoes are rare in central Missouri and that installing these types of shelters is costly. Under the new codes, commercial buildings will be required to build tornado shelters that can withstand EF-4 tornadoes with winds of 200 mph.
Before Monday's announcement, the council was expected to vote on the codes at one of its two meetings in August. If approved the codes will take effect 60 days after the approval by the council. So, an August approval means they could take effect in October. If a vote is delayed until September, the new building codes could take effect in November.