Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 780 CMR - STATE BOARD OF BUILDING REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS › Effective Use of the 2009 IBC

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Section 3412,
Compliance Alternatives
,
			 allows for existing buildings to be evaluated so as to show that alterations,
			 while not meeting new construction requirements, will improve the current
			 existing situation.
Provisions are based on a numerical scoring system involving 18
			 various safety parameters and the degree of code compliance for each
			 issue.
Chapter 34 is repeated in the
International Existing
			 Building Code
(IEBC). Sections 3402 through 3409 are repeated as IEBC
			 Chapter 3 and Section 3410 as Chapter 13.
Chapter 35 Referenced Standards.
The code contains
			 numerous references to standards that are used to regulate materials and
			 methods of construction. Chapter 35 contains a comprehensive list of all
			 standards that are referenced in the code, including the appendices. The
			 standards are part of the code to the extent of the reference to the standard
			 (see Section 102.4). Compliance with the referenced standard is necessary for
			 compliance with this code. By providing specifically adopted standards, the
			 construction and installation requirements necessary for compliance with the
			 code can be readily determined. The basis for code compliance is, therefore,
			 established and available on an equal basis to the building code official,
			 contractor, designer and owner.
Chapter 35 is organized in a manner that makes it easy to locate
			 specific standards. It lists all of the referenced standards, alphabetically,
			 by acronym of the promulgating agency of the standard. Each agency's standards
			 are then listed in either alphabetical or numeric order based upon the standard
			 identification. The list also contains the title of the standard; the edition
			 (date) of the standard referenced; any addenda included as part of the ICC
			 adoption; and the section or sections of this code that reference the
			 standard.
Appendices.
Appendices are provided in the IBC to
			 offer optional or supplemental criteria to the provisions in the main chapters
			 of the code. Appendices provide additional information for administration of
			 the Department of Building Safety as well as standards not typically
			 administered by all building departments. Appendices have the same force and
			 effect as the first 35 chapters of the IBC only when explicitly adopted by the
			 jurisdiction.
Appendix A Employee Qualifications.
Effective
			 administration and enforcement of the family of
International
			 Codes
depends on the training and expertise of the personnel employed
			 by the jurisdiction and his or her knowledge of the codes. Section 103 of the
			 code establishes the Department of Building Safety and calls for the
			 appointment of a building official and deputies such as plans examiners and
			 inspectors. Appendix A provides standards for experience, training and
			 certification for the building official and the other staff mentioned in
			 Chapter 1.
Appendix B Board of Appeals.
Section 112 of Chapter
			 1 requires the establishment of a board of appeals to hear appeals regarding
			 determinations made by the building official. Appendix B provides qualification
			 standards for members of the board as well as operational procedures of such
			 board.
Appendix C Group U-Agricultural Buildings.
Appendix
			 C provides a more liberal set of standards for the construction of agricultural
			 buildings, rather than strictly following the Utility building provision,
			 reflective of their specific usage and limited occupant load. The provisions of
			 the appendix, when adopted, allow reasonable heights and areas commensurate
			 with the risk of agricultural buildings.
Appendix D Fire Districts.
Fire districts have been
			 a tool used to limit conflagration hazards in areas of a city with intense and
			 concentrated development. More frequently used under the model codes which
			 preceded the
International Building Code
(IBC), the appendix
			 is provided to allow jurisdictions to continue the designation and use of fire
			 districts. Fire District standards restrict certain occupancies within the
			 district, as well as setting higher minimum construction standards.
Appendix E Supplemental Accessibility Requirements.
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (U.S. Access
			 Board) has revised and updated its accessibility guidelines for buildings and
			 facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the
			 Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Appendix E includes scoping requirements
			 contained in the new ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines that are not in Chapter
			 11 and not otherwise mentioned or main streamed throughout the code. Items in
			 the appendix deal with subjects not typically addressed in building codes
			 (e.g., beds, room signage, transportation facilities).
Appendix F Rodent proofing.
The provisions of this
			 appendix are minimum mechanical methods to prevent the entry of rodents into a
			 building. These standards, when used in conjunction with cleanliness and
			 maintenance programs, can significantly reduce the potential of rodents
			 invading a building.
Appendix G Flood-resistant Construction.
Appendix G
			 is intended to fulfill the flood-plain management and administrative
			 requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that are not
			 included in the code. Communities that adopt the
International Building
			 Code
(IBC) and Appendix G will meet the minimum requirements of NFIP
			 as set forth in Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Appendix H Signs.
Appendix H gathers in one place
			 the various code standards that regulate the construction and protection of
			 outdoor signs. Whenever possible, the appendix provides standards in
			 performance language, thus allowing the widest possible application.
Appendix I Patio Covers.
Appendix I provides
			 standards applicable to the construction and use of patio covers. It is limited
			 in application to patio covers accessory to dwelling units. Covers of patios
			 and other outdoor areas associated with restaurants, mercantile buildings,
			 offices, nursing homes or other nondwelling occupancies would be subject to
			 standards in the main code and not this appendix.
Appendix J Grading.
Appendix J provides standards
			 for the grading of properties. The appendix also provides standards for
			 administration and enforcement of a grading program including permit and
			 inspection requirements. Appendix J was originally developed in the 1960s and
			 used for many years in jurisdictions throughout the western states. It is
			 intended to provide consistent and uniform code requirements anywhere grading
			 is considered an issue.
Appendix K Administrative Provisions.
Appendix K
			 primarily provides administrative provisions for jurisdictions adopting and
			 enforcing NFPA 70-the
National Electrical Code
(NEC). The
			 provisions contained in this appendix are compatible with administrative and
			 enforcement provisions contained in Chapter 1 of the IBC and the other
International Codes
. Annex H of NFPA 70 also contains
			 administrative provisions for the NEC; however, some of its provisions are not
			 compatible with IBC Chapter 1. Section K110 also contains technical provisions
			 that are unique to this appendix and are in addition to technical standards of
			 NFPA 70.