A delay in printing the 2012 North Carolina Residential Building Code (“NCRC”), which by law is due to go into effect on Thursday, March 1, is giving local leaders in various parts of the State an unwelcome headache.
Although the 2012 edition is based on the 2009 Code and various summaries of the changes are available online (see here and here), some local government officials are taking no chances. For example, and as reported by the Watauga Democrat late last week, the Boone Town Council has voted unanimously to direct the Planning & Inspections Department to refrain from issuing residential building permits after March 1 until the 2012 NCRC is received, citing liability concerns. Based on this blog post by the Real Estate & Building Industry Coalition (“REBIC”), Mecklenburg County may follow suit. And according to this Sun Journal article, inspection officials in New Bern and Craven County will keep their offices open until midnight on February 29 to make sure builders ready for permits can acquire same under the 2009 Code.
Based on what I’ve read, publication of the revised Code may occur as early as March or as late as May. It’s an open question how other local governments might deal with the snafu in the interim. Which leads to this unsolicited advice: homebuilders with shovel-ready projects should make every effort to obtain needed permits by the close-of-business this Wednesday.
I’ll be keeping my eyes open for developments and will provide updates accordingly.
N.C. Construction Law, Policy & News 