Building Inspections Newsletter, Issue 12, July 2008 - January 2009

10 Newsletter JOHNSTON COUNTY BUILDING INSPECTIONS DEPARTMENT Issue 12 July 2008 - January 2009 Mission Statement hnston County Inspections Department aspires to lead by example It is our mission to provide friendly and knowledgeable service , while demonstrating integrity , professionalism , and to hold the public's welfare and safety to the highest of standards Jo I t's already 2009 Here in the Inspections Department , we're ready We have many exciting changes coming for 2009 As technology grows and evolves , we are striving to keep up with the changes but we need your help this year Feedback from you is vital Our goal is to provide excellent customer service to the builders and citizens of Johnston County If you have any input that you feel can improve our efforts to provide customer service , feel free to let us know You can e - mail me directly , leave comments on our discussion board , write us a letter , give us a call , etc With your help , we can make this a productive year for the Johnston County Inspections Department If you experience any problems with the Listserv or Newsletter , feel free to email me Beth Collier at bethcollier @ johnstonnccom IMPO RTANT REMINDER FRO M A MY C LIFT ON , R ESID ENT I AL S UPERV I SO R REMINDER FROM AMY CLIFTON 1 NEW CODE CHANGES BUILDING CODE 2 PLUMBING CODE 2 - 3 MECHANICAL CODE 3 ELECTRICAL CODE 3 - 6 REMINDERS 7 RESIDENTIAL SUNROOM ADDITION REQUIREMENTS 2009 8 FORTUNE - TELLER BUSINESS 9 THINGS ON OUR WEBSITE 9 PHONE LIST 10 2009 HOLIDAY CALENDAR 10 LAST LAUGH 10 T AB LE OF C ONTENT I will be attending a code update s e minar January 26 th th ru the 29 th , I w i l l s e n d i n n e w s l e t t e r f o r m a n y c o d e c h a n g e s a n d interpretatio n s that aff e c t residential c o nstructio n as so on as I return Our department just re cei v ed the 2009 code books Incl uded in this newslet t er are a fe w of the cha n ges we hav e come across s o fa r The Buildi n g , Mechan i c al , Gas , Plumbing a n d Energy Codes will be mandator y Ju ly 1 , 200 9 T h e E l ectric al C o d e b e c a m e mandatory June 1 , 2008 some cha n ges were de layed until January 1 , 20 09 Co de En fo rc e m ent Offici als are req u ired to ob tain six ho urs of c o ntin uing e d ucatio n in all trades and fire Our department sched u les instructors to come he re to teach these courses Ge neral , Electrical , Me chani c al and Plumbing Cont ractors who would be interesting in attending a n y of our cour ses can contact me and I will make a list of people to conta c t with the dates and time of these courses These course s do not qualify fo r co ntinui ng educati o n h o urs re quired for trade contract ors R EGI S TER FOR OUR L ISTSERV TO RECEIVE UPD A TES , POSTINGS , A N D OUR N EWSLETTERS AT WWW JOHNS TONNNC COM IN SPECTIONS OR FEEL FREE TO C O NT A C T M E , B ETH C OLLI ER A T 919 98 9 - 5 060 OR E M A I L BETH COLLI ER @ JOHNSTONNC CO M Y OU C A N FI ND A N A R C H I VE OF R E CENT N EWSLETTERS ON OUR WEBP A G E A T WWW JOHNSTONNC COM INSPEC TIONS IN T H E R EFERE NCE D ESK SECTION PageSection R31143 Land ings at doo rs There shall be a flo o r or landin g on each side of ea ch exterior door The floor or landing at th e exterior d oor shall not be m o re th an 15 in che s lower than the top of t he threshold The landing shall be p e rm itted to have a slop e not to exceed 025 units vertical in 12 units horizontal 2 - percent Section 3121 Guards Porches , balconies , ramps or raised floor New surface located m o re than 30 inches above the floor o r grade below shall have guards not l e ss than 36 inches in height Open sides of stair s with a total rise of more than 30 in ches above the floor or grade below shall h a ve guards not less than 30 inches in height measured vertically from the nosing of the tre ads Section R4013 Drainage NEW Exception W here lot line s , walls , slo pes or other physical b a rriers prohib i t 6 inches of fa ll within 10 feet , the fin a l grade sh all slope aw ay from the foundation at a minimu m slope of 5 percent and the water shall be dire cted to drains or swe lls to ensure drainage away from the structure Swells shall be slo ped a minimum of 2 p e rcent when located wit h in 10 feet of the building foundation Impervi ous surfaces wit h in 10 fe et of the bu ilding foundation shal l be sloped at a minimu m of 2 percen t away from t he building Section R4045 Retaining Walls New Retain ing walls th at are not laterally sup ported at th e top and t hat retain in excess of 24 in ches of unb alanced fil l shall be desi gned to ensure stability against overturning , slid i ng , excessive foundation p r essure and water uplift Retaining walls sha ll be designed for a safet y factor of 15 against later a l slid ing an d overturning Section R5 0624 Reinforcement support New Where p r ovided in slabs on grou nd , reinforcement shall be supported t o remain in place from the ce nter to upper on third of the slab for th e duration of the concr e te placement R60261 Drilling and n o tching of top plate W hen piping o r ductwork is placed in or partly in a n exterior wall or interior lo ad - bearing wall , necessitation cut t in g , drilling or notching of the top plat e by more than 50 of its width , a galvanized met a l tie of not less than 0 054 inch thick and 1 ½ inches wide shall New be fastene d across and to the plate at each side of the o pening with not less th an 8 eight 16D nails at each sid e or equivalent Exception When the entire side of the wall with the notch or cut is cover ed by wood structural pa nel sheathin g Section 802101 Truss design d r aw ings Truss desig n drawings , prepared in conformance to Sect io n R802101 , shall be pro v ided to the building off i cial and appr oved prior to installat i on Section 4215 Access to Pump Access shall be provided to circu l atio n pump s in accordance with the fixture or pump manufacturer s inst allat i o n instruct ion s Where t he manufacturers instr u ctions do not specify the location and min size of field - fabrica t ed access openings , a 12 inch by 12 inch minimum sized opening sha l l be inst alled to provide access to the circulat ion pump Wh ere pump s are located more than 2 feet from the access ope ning , an 18 inch by 18 inch min size d opening shall be inst alled A door or p anel shall be permitted to close the opening In all cases , the access opening sh all be unobstructed an d of the size necessary to permit the removal and replacement of the circu l ation pump Section 3013 Connect i ons to drain age system now has an except ion Bathtubs , showers , lavatories , clot he s washers an d laundry systems shall not be required to di sch arge to the sanit a ry drainage system where such fixtures discharge to an approved " gra y w a ter s y stem " for flushing of water c l oset s and urinals or for subsurface landscape irr i gation 2 NEW - Code Information Plumbin g Code Buildin g CodePageAppendix C governs the materials , design , construction and installation of " gray water systems " Section 5046 Requirements for discharge piping Water Heater T & P valve piping 1 Not be directly connected to the drainage system 2 Discharge through an air gap located in the same room as the water heater , either on the floor , into an indirect waste receptor or outdoors 3 Not be smaller than the diameter of the outlet of the valve served and shall discharge full size to the air gap 4 Serve a single relief device and shall not connect to piping serving any other relief device or equipment 5 Deleted 6 Discharge in a manner that does not cause personal injury or structural damage 7 Discharge to a termination point that is observable by the building occupants 8 Not be trapped 9 Be installed so as to flow by gravity 10 Not terminate more than 6 inches above the floor or waste receptor 11 Not have a threaded connection at the end of such piping 12 Not have valves or tee fittings 13 Be constructed of those materials listed in Section 6054 or materials tested , m rated and approved for such use in accordance with ASME A11241 Framing around the return Interpretatio n from DOI states that S M ACNA installation stan dards do not give a detail for attachin g sheet rock to duct work Therefore , all returns fo r residential must be framed around to attach sh eet rock Article 10 - ADMINI STRATIVE SECTI ON 101 TITLE These Administrative Regulations a l ong with th e requirements in cluded in the 200 8 Edition of the Nation al Electrical C ode NfiPA - 70 - 2008 as approved b y the North Carolina Building Code Council on March 11,2008 , to be effective June 1,2008 , with the following a m endments 1 902 B 5 b Scope , Not Covered 2 2108 a 3 Exception No 2 3 21012 Arc - Fault Circuit - Interrupter Protection A FCI 4 25050 5 33415 Exposed Work 6 4068 Receptacle s in Damp or W e t Locations Shall be kn own as the North Carolina Electrica l Code and may be cited as su ch o r as the Sta t e Electrica l Code ; and will be referr ed to herein as " the code " or " this cod e " 102 SCOPE Article 80 A d ministratio n and Enfor c ement of th e code is he reby not adopted and d oes not app ly for this co de For Scope and Exceptions to Applicability of Technical Cod e s , refer to the North Ca rolina Administrative Code and Policies 103 PURPOSE The purpose of the code is to provide minimu m Standard s , provision s and requirements of safe and stable design , methods of con s truction an d uses of materials in b u ildings or structures he reafter erected , constructed , enlarged , altered , repaired , moved , converted , to other u s es of demolished and to regula t e the electrical systems , equipment , ma intenance , u s e and occupancy of all buildings o r structures All regulations contain e d 3 Electrica l Code M e chanical CodePagein this code have a reasonable and substantial connection with the public health , safety , morals , or general welfare , and their provisions shall be construed liberally to those ends 104 ADMINISTRATON For administrative regulations pertaining to inspections rough - ins and final , permits and Certificates of Electrical Compliance , see local Ordinances and the North Carolina Administrative Code and Policies When the provisions of other codes are determined to be contrary to the requirements of this code , this code shall prevail 105 DEFINITION Unless the context indicates otherwise , whenever the word " building " is used in this chapter , it shall be deemed to include the word " structure " and all installations such as plumbing systems , heating systems , cooling systems , electrical systems , elevators and other installations which are parts of , or permanently affixed to , the building or structure 106 APPLICATION OF CODE TO EXISTING BUILDINGS For requirements of existing structures , refer to the North Carolina Administrative Code and Policies 107 SERVICE UTILITIES 1071 CONNECTION OF SERVICE UTILITIES No persons shall make connections from a utility , source of energy , fuel or power to any building or system which is regulated by the technical codes until approved by the Inspection Department and a Certificate of Compliance is issued General Statute 143 - 1432 1072 AUTHORITY TO DISCONNECT SERVICE UTILITIES The Inspection Department shall have the authority to require disconnecting a utility service to the building , structure or system regulated by the technical codes , in case of emergency or where necessary to eliminate an imminent hazard to life or property The Inspection Department shall have the authority to disconnect a utility service when a building has been occupied prior to Certificate of Compliance or entry into the building for purposes of making inspections cannot be readily granted The Inspection Department shall notify the service utility , and whenever possible the owner or occupant of the building , structure or service system of the decision to disconnect prior to taking such action If not notified prior to disconnecting , the owner or occupant shall be notified in writing within eight 8 working hours General Statutes 143 - 1432 , 153A - 365 , 153A - 366 , 160A - 425 and 160A - 426 108 TEMPORARY POWER 1081 SCOPE The provisions of this section apply to the utilization of portions of the wiring system within a building to facilitate construction 1082 PROVISION FOR TEMPORARY POWER The Code enforcement official shall give permission and issue a permit to energize the electrical service when the provisions of 108 and the following requirements have been met 1 The service wiring and equipment , including the meter socket enclosure , shall be installed , the service wiring terminated , and the service equipment covers installed 2 The portions of the electrical system that are to be energized shall be complete and physically protected 3 The grounding electrode system shall be complete 4 The grounding and the grounded conductors shall be terminated in the service equipment 5 At least one receptacle outlet with ground - fault circuit interrupter protection for personnel shall be installed with the circuit wiring terminated 6 The applicable requirements of the North Carolina Electrical Code apply 1083 USES PROHIBITEDPagePage pageNumber5In no case shall any portion of the permanent wiring be energized until the portions have been inspected and approved by an electrical Code Enforcement Official Failure to comply with this section may result in disconnection of power or revocation of permit 1084 APPLICATION FOR TEMPORARY POWER Application for temporary power shall be made by and in the name of the applicant The application shall explicitly state the portions of the energized electrical system , mechanical system , or plumbing system for which application is made , its intended use and duration 1085 SECURITY AND NOTIFICATION The applicant shall maintain the energized electrical system or that portion of the building containing the energized electrical system in a secured and locked manner or under constant supervision to exclude unauthorized personnel The applicant shall alert personnel working in the vicinity of the energized electrical system to its presence 109 REQUIREMENTS OF OTHER STATE AGENCIES , OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING BOARDS , OR COMMISSIONS The North Carolina State Building Codes do not include all additional requirements for buildings and structures that may be imposed by other State agencies , occupational licensing boards , and commissions It shall be the responsibility of a permit holder , design professional , contractor , or occupational license holder to determine whether any additional requirements exist Amendment 902 B 5 b Retain NEC 2005 902 B 5 b Scope , Not Covered 5 Installations under the exclusive control of an electric utility where such installations a Consist of service drops or service laterals , and associated metering , or b are located in legally established easements , rights - of - way , or by other agreements either designated by or recognized by public service commissions , utility commissions or other regulatory agencies having jurisdiction for such installations , or c Are on property owned and leased by the electric utility for the purpose of communications , metering , generation , control , transformation , transmission , or distribution of electric energy Amendment 2108 A 3 Amend NEC 2008 3 Outdoors Exception No 1 to 3 Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are supplied by a dedicated branch circuit for electric snow - melting or deicing equipment shall be permitted to be installed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Article 426 Exception No 2 to 3 A single outlet receptacle supplied by dedicated branch circuit which is located and identified for specific use by a sewage lift pump Amendment 21012 21012 Arc - Fault Circuit - Interrupter Protection AFCI B Dwelling Units All 125 - volt , single - phase , 15 - and 20 - ampere branch circuits supplying outlets installed in dwelling unit family rooms , dining rooms , living rooms , parlors , libraries , dens , bedrooms , sunrooms , recreation rooms , closets , hallways , or similar rooms or areas shall be protected by a listed arc - fault circuit interrupter , combination - type , installed to provide protection of the branch circuit Note This requirement for AFCI protection shall become effective January 1 , 2009 It shall be permitted to meet the 2005 NC Electrical Code Article 21012 for bedrooms until that date PagePage pageNumber6Amendment 25050 Delete NEC 2008 text and replace with 25050 GROUNDING ELECTRODE SYSTEM If available on premises at each building or structure served , each item in 25052 A 1 through A 6 shall be bonded together to form the grounding electrode system Where none of these electrodes are available , one or more of the electrodes specified in 25052 A 4 through A 7 shall be installed and used Amendment 33415 C Amend NEC 2008 C In Unfinished Basements and Crawl Spaces Where cable is run at angles with joist in unfinished basements and crawl spaces it shall be permissible to secure cables not smaller than two 6 AWG or three 8 AWG conductors directly to the lower edge of the joist Smaller cables shall be run either through bored holes in joist or on running boards NM cable installed on the wall of an unfinished basements shall be permitted to be installed in a listed conduit or tubing or shall be protected in accordance with 3004 Conduit or Tubing shall be provided with an insulating bushing or adapter at the point the cable enters the raceway The NM cable sheath shall extend through the conduit or tubing and into the outlet box or device box not less than 6 mm 1 4 in The cable shall be secured within 300 mm 1 2in of the point where the cable enters the conduit or tubing Metal conduit , tubing , and metal outlet boxes shall be connected to an equipment grounding conductor ARTICLE 33810 B 4 A 33810 B 4 a Installation Methods for Branch Circuit And Feeders a Interior Installations In addition to the provisions of this article , Type SE service entrance cable used for interior wiring shall comply with the installation requirements of Part II of article 334 FPN See 31010 for temperature limitation of conductors Amendment 4068 4068 Receptacles in damp or Wet Locations A Damp Locations A Receptacle installed outdoors in a location protected from the weather or in other damp locations shall have an enclosure for the receptacle that is weatherproof when the receptacle is covered attachments plug cap not inserted and receptacle covers closed An installation suitable for wet locations shall also be considered suitable for damp locations A receptacle shall be considered to be considered to be in location protected from the weather where located under roofed porches , canopies , marquees , and the like , and will not be subjected t beating rain and water runoff All 15 - and 20 - ampere , 125 - and 250 - volt non locking receptacles shall be a listed weather - resistant type B Wet Locations 1 15 - and 20 - ampere Receptacle in Wet Location 15 - and 20 - ampere , 125 - and 250 - volt receptacle installed in wet location shall have an enclosure that is weather proof whether of not the attachment plug is inserted All 15 - and 20 - ampere , 125 - and 250 - volt non - locking receptacles shall be a listed weather - resistant type ARTICLE 40611 40611 Tamper - Resistant receptacles in Dwelling Units In all areas specified in 21052 , all 125 - volt , 15 - and 20 - ampere receptacles shall be listed tamper - resistant receptacles 6PagePage pageNumber7Section 320 of the Int e rnational R e sidential Code explain s the requ ir ements for Subterranean Termite Co ntrol The Johnston County Inspections Department will l ook for a slip in the permit box from th e company the does your treatment On new single family dwellings the inspector will look for this at the slip at the open fl oor inspection when the home is being construct ed on a slab we will pick i t up at the sl ab prep insp ection Appendix G of the International Residential Building Code addresses s w imm i ng pools , spas and h o t tubs Over 90 of injurie s tha t occur to ch ildren under the age of 5 occur in th e home environment The presence of a pool heightens t hat risk , wit h 60 - 80 of nationwide childhood drownings occurring in residential p ools The definition of a swi mming pool any struct ure intended for swimmi ng or recreational bathin g that cont ains water over 24 inche s d eep This includes in - g round , aboveground an d on - ground swimming pools , hot t ubs and sp as Inst allation of a barrier is required b y the IRC and the requir e ment s for the barrier ar e explained in Section A G 105 Section AG106 Entrapment Prot ection for Swimming pool and S p a Suction Outlet s This section is ne w to the Residential Cod e A great amo unt of the swimming pools in this co unty have n o t been permitted and the ones that do get per mit s of ten do not call for a final inspect i on which would be the fe nce or deck inspection The Johnsto n County In spection s Dep a rtment h a s this infor m ation avail able in a brochure form in our of fice as well as o n line www j ohnstonnccom inspections I have had several cont ractors cont act me abo ut shower p an inspe c tio n s The residential insp ections dep artment will do a single inspecti on of the sh ower drain p an at the request of the contractor The concern of t he plumber and the contractor was construction material damaging the p an before the tile could be in st alled Plan review requirement s to finish u n finished sp aces now require that th e contractor include the attic ventilation calcula t io ns Also , anoth e r reminder that for plan review do es not allo w reverse p l ans Y ou would need to sub m it a right and lef t drawings if you plan to reverse the structu r e 7 Reminders A Special Note To Remember 2008 Permit Activity Residential New 844 issued Modular Homes 248 Manufactured Single Wide 142 Manufactured Double Wide 113 Commercial New 86 Commercial Additio n 12 See our w e bsite for the complete 2008 Annual Repo rtPagePage pageNumber8The 2006 North Carolina S t ate Buil ding Code 2003 IRC with North Carolina Amendment s defines a Sunroom Addition as follows A one - story structure added to an existing dwelling with a glaz ing area in exc e ss of 40 percent of the gross area of the structures exterior walls and roof Glazing Area The interior surface area of all glazed f enestration , including the area of the sash , curbing or other framing element s , that enclos e conditioned sp ace Includes t he area of glaz ed fenestration assemblies in walls bounding conditioned basement s There are two 2 dif f erent approaches for construction of a residential sunroom 1 Built from the ground up 2 Built upon an existing structure such as a deck Let us examine the requirement s for building upon an existing structure 1 NC S t ructural Engineer must verify that existing structur e is c a p a ble of rec e iving anticip ated load s 2 Footing minimum footing size for pier cons truction T ABLE R4031 a is 1 " - 4 " x 2 - 0 " x 8 " 3 Johnston County is allo wing masonry pier s minimum size 8 " x 8 " six 6 foot on center and within 1 one foot of each cor ner with anchor bolt s inst alled per code 1 2 " bolt s 127mm in diameter and shall extend a minimum of 7 inches into masonry or concrete Note footing projection s must be maint a ined per NC code requirement s 4 When cons truction on piers only , the under floor insulation and duc twork must be protected by either enc losing the floor system underneath with approved material s or by inst alling m a sonry pier and c u rt ain wall constructi on or other approved me thod s Crawl s p ace ventilation must be provided per code requirement s 5 Floor system insulation must be R - 30 minimum per zone 7 requirement s 6 Electrical must compl y with 2008 NEC recept acles must be inst alled per 21052 7 Plumbing must comply with 2006 NC Plumbing Code 2003 IPC with North Carolina Amendment s 8 Any other Code requirement s that apply 50225 Conditioned s unroom additions shall maint a in t hermal isolation ; shall not be used as kitchens or sleeping r ooms ; and shall be s e rved by a sep a rate heating or cooling sys tem , or be thermost atically controlled as a sep a rate z one of the existing sy stem 2006 North Carolina Energy Conservation Code , 2003 IECC wit h North Carolina Amendment s 8 Residential Sunroom Addition Requirement s 2009PagePage pageNumber9The building industry has entered the sixteenth straight month of market adjustment Does anyone know what's on the horizon A lot of builders want to start a new house , but they read the paper or look at the news , some even talk to their banker The Media talks them out of the notion When is the turn around , when do I put a footing in the ground Fortune Teller wanted Webster states that the definition for a Fortune Teller is " a person who professes to foretell future events " I don't know one so I guess maybe we can ask Bruce Nichols Bruce has been around a long time , and he's still building We have a few builders that have had the best year they have ever had [ their words ] These builders are my Fortune Teller Builders They read the market conditions and made the necessary adjustments They built smaller houses on cheaper lots , and yes , some of these lots were out of the County Johnston County has a shortage of starter home lots , and with the minimum profit margin in this market , the lots for starter homes are about depleted These builders also parked the big diesel pickups for more economical transportation and stream - lined staff and contractors Builders can build in a sluggish home market and achieve success ; you just need to be a fortune teller We sold eleven new house permits yesterday This could be the start of the recovery in the building market ; sjust going to sit around and listen to the news media talk about an eight month house supply , or will you emerge from your cocoon and start a house Johnston County Inspections look forward to serving you in 2009 , and is willing to assist the builder in permitting and completing a quality house to market Johnston County GO BUILD o , are you If you haven't checked our website in a while , stop by and check it out We've added lots of information to help you through your permits and inspections wwwjohnstonnccom inspections Guide to getting permits Permit applications and forms Handouts and helpful guides Newsletter archives including all past newsletters Permit fee schedule Subscribe to our Listserv to receive the Newsletter Discussion Board this is for the public to ask questions and get quick responses And much , much more Fortune - Teller Business Article from the desk of Dean Barbour , Chief Building Inspector 9Page0INSPECTORS PHONE LIST INSPECTORS PHONE LIST Name Name Desk Phone Nextel ID Allen Derry N A 26 47344 Barbour Dean 989 - 5061 26 47237 Barry Trip 209 - 8326 69 2 Blackman Walter 989 - 5064 26 47242 Bledsoe Mike N A 26 47294 Byrd Brady N A 26 47208 Clifton Amy 989 - 5065 26 51020 Clifton Tommy 209 - 8330 26 47321 Cook Mike N A 26 47349 Hudson Shane 209 - 8322 26 47314 Johnson Davy N A 26 24836 Johnson Patrick N A 26 59509 Jones RB 209 - 8320 26 47298 Lewis Ed 209 - 8328 26 47247 Pender Charles 209 - 8324 26 47203 Reeves Russell 209 - 8323 26 34500 Robinson Bryan 209 - 8331 26 47562 Sasser Brian N A 26 46963 Sauls Jimmie 209 - 8327 26 47277 Sutton Tony N A 26 47276 Nextel Mobile # 427 - 4287 868 - 4615 427 - 3536 427 - 4285 868 - 4618 427 - 7894 868 - 3584 868 - 4638 422 - 6811 422 - 6812 369 - 0308 625 - 8742 422 - 6759 291 - 1571 422 - 6725 291 - 0613 201 - 0430 868 - 4620 427 - 4283 427 - 4282 10 LAST LAUGH Good Friday Friday , April 10 th Memorial Day Monday , May 25 th Independence Day Friday , July 3 rd Labor Day Monday , September 7 th 2009 HOLIDAYS Veteran's Day Wednesday , November 11 th Thanksgiving Thursday & Friday , November 26th & 27 th Christmas Thursday & Friday , December 24 th & 25 thPage