Seminars geared to explain voluminous building code

When it comes to building codes, experts say it's good to have all of Southeast Missouri hammering nails the same way. That's why Cape Girardeau will hold two seminars to update area inspectors, builders and engineers on the International Building Code and the International Residential Code.

These two codes are the standards used by most communities across the nation to ensure builders meet the minimum requirements for fire safety, structural stability and other concerns. All new structures and significant additions to existing structures are subject to scrutiny.

The seminars are set to take place Feb. 14 and March 14 at the Osage Community Centre. The first session will cover the code for residential buildings and the second will focus on commercial structures. Both sessions will be led by outside experts in the field.

Cape Girardeau inspections services director Tim Morgan encourages the building public to come and get involved.

"These seminars will provide attendees the fundamentals for applying building codes to plan review and building construction," said Tim Morgan, director of Inspection Services for Cape Girardeau. "With the five cities and the university underwriting most of the costs, the registration fees will be minimal compared to open seminar fees for similar workshops," Morgan said.

The registration fee is $45 for the one-day residential code and $125 for the two-day building code seminar. The fees include required workbooks. The cities of Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Sikeston, Perryville and Park Hills, as well as Southeast Missouri State University, are co-sponsoring the seminars.

Morgan said approaching the material without the assistance of an instructor can be a daunting task even for highly trained builders.

"You could read through it on your own, but it is quite complex. Probably the majority of chapters if you're not involved with it everyday, it's going to be foreign material," Morgan said.

"And sometimes folks question why they have to submit plans for review or why build it this way or that way. Builders, developers, contractors, if they've been through a fundamental course and can hear it from someone who teaches it everyday, then it's not such a chore to understand why."

The entire area uses the 2003 International Building Code. The book outlining this code is 672 pages long and its partner on residential dwellings is 612 pages. The codes regulate everything from maximum occupancy to the number of exits in a structure. All of these standards are based on the structure's use.

Despite its comprehensiveness, it's not always clear what the code enforcers want builders to do. Most area inspectors say they try to maintain a give and take with builders operating in their area to catch violations early on.

"A lot of people don't fully understand it and it's not a set of books a contractor goes out buys. They're too busy so they basically rely on the inspections department to give the rules verbally," on site, said Janet Sanders, Jackson planning and zoning superintendent.

"We find that most of our builders want their product to be a good one. Few if any try to blatantly disregard the code. Let's just say none disregard the code. That's really the case, and I don't want people thinking there are some who don't," she said.

Even so, there are often gray areas. The International Code Council which interprets and revises the code reports more than 100,000 requests annually from communities needing help interpreting the code.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245