A new North Carolina law changes the building code update cycle in the state, and also limits the power of local governments to require inspections for houses under construction, the Mecklenburg Times reports ("Gov. McCrory signs building code changes into law," by Payton Guion).
North Carolina will now adopt code revisions every six years, rather than every three (even though the International Code Council, which develops the residential and commercial codes adopted by states and towns, publishes revisions for its model codes every three years).
The state law also reins in local inspection practices by towns and counties, the Times reports: "The law imposes a limit on the number of different inspection categories local code enforcement agencies may require on a building. For residential construction that number is seven. For commercial construction, it is eight, according to the N.C. Building Code Council's administrative code. The inspections would be the same for all residential and commercial buildings."
