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Town Government & |
Departments: Building Department
Safeguards For thousands of years, building codes and regulations have protected the public. The earliest known code of law - the Code of Hammurabi, king of the Babylonian Empire, written in 2200 B.C. - assessed penalties if a building was constructed improperly. Hammurabi's code said that if a builder builds a house and does not make its construction firm, and the house collapses causing the death of the owner, that builder shall be put to death. Modern building codes and ordinances do not contain a death penalty. They do protect the public, reduce potential hazards, provide building standards and lower construction and insurance costs. "Today, we use and enforce modern building codes that address structural, fire, electrical and mechanical safety as well as health, security and even energy conservation," said the Building Commissioner. "Our job is to make sure that homes, schools, businesses and other structures are safe places to live, work and play. We inspect construction projects at several stages to ensure that happens." For codes to be effective, building officials, property owners and the construction industry - developers, builders, architects, engineers and urban planners - must work together. The town's Building Department provides a wide range of services from building plan review to inspection during all stages of construction, according to the Building Commissioner. "Building codes provide local government with a way to guard the public's personal safety, much like trafffic laws regulate driving. Construction codes also ensure the economic well-being of our community. They reduce the potential spread of fire and disease. They tell consumers that homes and commercial buildings in our community are built as safe as possible," the Building Commissioner said. In the late - 19th century, the United States enacted the first set of building regulations because of widespread property losses caused by fire. By the early 1900s, code enforcement officials were writing codes for their individual communities. These codes, which were often inconsistent from town to town, led to the need for model building codes that could be used all across America. National building codes are now the regulatory basis for the administration of construction in cities, counties and states throughout the United States. Building codes and ordinances set minimum safety standards for all aspects of building construction - structural, fire, and plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems. Codes impact architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, plumbers, electricians, manufacturers, distributors of building materials and occupant of the building. Inspections at various stages verify that the structure complies with the established code. Before you can move into a new home, office of factory, an average of 10 inspections has been conducted, the Building Commissioner said. For do-it-yourselfers, the Building Commissioner recommends calling the Building Department before beginning any building project for information about what type of permits and inspections may be required. The most recent responsibility of building officials comes from the need to conserve energy. Beyond adding insulation, energy-saving steps include new standards for appliance construction and energy-saving steps include new standards for appliance construction and energy-efficient designs for showerheads, thermostats and toilets. A system of fees, such as building permits, defray the costs of administrating and enforcing building codes. Generally, the fees are less than 1% of the overall cost of the building project. "That's a small price to pay for safety," the Building Commissioner said. "Building codes provide safeguards. Although no code can eliminate all risk, our codes and inspection process reduce risk to an acceptable level."
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