{"id":1317,"date":"2013-02-14T07:58:53","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T14:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=1317"},"modified":"2013-02-14T07:59:40","modified_gmt":"2013-02-14T14:59:40","slug":"california-adopts-new-building-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/","title":{"rendered":"California Adopts New Building Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alison Rice – February 1, 2013<\/p>\n

The new code includes stricter energy efficiency requirements and more straightforward rules for accessibility.<\/p>\n

Given California\u2019s reputation for regulation, the state\u2019s 2013 Building Standards Code could have been a headache and a half for builders.<\/p>\n

But the newest version of the code, adopted by the California Building Standards Commission in January and slated to go into effect in 2014, promises to make life easier for builders, especially in the area of accessibility. \u201cLast week represented a huge long-term victory for us,\u201d says Bob Raymer, senior engineer and technical director at the California Building Industry Association in Sacramento.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the new code streamlines the rules for accessible buildings, building on last fall\u2019s emergency legislation against frivolous Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits.<\/p>\n

For years, California builders have been responsible for somehow following the overlapping and often conflicting rules regarding accessibility from both the feds and the state. In recent years, that led to \u201cdrive-by lawsuits,\u201d where attorneys and others threatened to sue California businesses whose offices, residential properties, or common areas weren\u2019t in compliance with the confusing rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would send letters saying, \u2018if you give me $4,000, I won\u2019t proceed with litigation,\u2019\u201d says Raymer. \u201cAnd a whole lot of people were just paying that, especially small- or medium-sized businesses. We estimated it would cost $22,000 to $25,000 to fight this in court, and that was if you won.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last fall, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill (SB 1186) into law that reduced California businesses\u2019 exposure to such lawsuits. Since then, such complaints have required, among other things, detail on what part of the state or federal code was being violated.<\/p>\n

In addition, California addressed the confusion between whether the state or federal codes applied in various situations by adopting the federal guidelines where accessibility was concerned, with an overlay of state codes as necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time in 20 years, we\u2019re going to have building officials in localities checking to see if buildings are in compliance with state and federal codes,\u201d says Raymer, who believes the more coordinated approach should help builders ensure their projects\u2019 accessibility is up to code. \u201cThe last thing we want is to get into court over a civil rights violation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Public and multifamily buildings such as apartments and condos will need to be wheelchair-accessible; new single-family homes, despite lobbying by disability rights groups, will not. \u201cThere has been a strong desire to mandate access in single-family dwellings,\u201d says Raymer, who has technical and design concerns about adding such features to all new homes.<\/p>\n

One feature that will be added to all new homes under the new code is greater energy efficiency.<\/p>\n

Thanks to regulations adopted in 2012 by the California Energy Commission and now included in the state code, builders will need to use highly efficient windows with a solar-heat-gain coefficient of .25 and U-value of .32; insulation with values of R-19 to R-21 in much of the state, and HVAC systems with a SEER rating of 14. Ductwork must be tested and allow no more than 6% air leakage. California wants all new homes to be zero-net energy by 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve taken all this to an extremely stringent level,\u201d says Raymer, who estimates the new requirements will boost construction costs by $2,500 per home.<\/p>\n

via California Adopts New Building Standards – Building Codes, Legislation, Codes And Standards, Universal Design, Energy Efficiency – Architect Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alison Rice – February 1, 2013 The new code includes stricter energy efficiency requirements and more straightforward rules for accessibility. Given California\u2019s reputation for regulation, the state\u2019s 2013 Building Standards Code could have been a headache and a half for builders. But the newest version of the code, adopted by the California Building Standards Commission… Continue reading California Adopts New Building Standards<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[63,14,172],"tags":[63],"class_list":["post-1317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-building-codes","category-construction-2","category-construction-law-2","tag-building-codes","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nCalifornia Adopts New Building Standards - Advise & Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"California Adopts New Building Standards - Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alison Rice – February 1, 2013 The new code includes stricter energy efficiency requirements and more straightforward rules for accessibility. Given California\u2019s reputation for regulation, the state\u2019s 2013 Building Standards Code could have been a headache and a half for builders. But the newest version of the code, adopted by the California Building Standards Commission… Continue reading California Adopts New Building Standards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-02-14T14:58:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-02-14T14:59:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"California Adopts New Building Standards\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-02-14T14:58:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-02-14T14:59:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/\"},\"wordCount\":566,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Building Codes\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Building Codes\",\"Construction\",\"Construction Law\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/\",\"name\":\"California Adopts New Building Standards - Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-02-14T14:58:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-02-14T14:59:40+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Construction Expert Witnesses\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"width\":162,\"height\":75,\"caption\":\"Advise & Consult\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"California Adopts New Building Standards - Advise & Consult, Inc.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"California Adopts New Building Standards - Advise & Consult, Inc.","og_description":"Alison Rice – February 1, 2013 The new code includes stricter energy efficiency requirements and more straightforward rules for accessibility. Given California\u2019s reputation for regulation, the state\u2019s 2013 Building Standards Code could have been a headache and a half for builders. But the newest version of the code, adopted by the California Building Standards Commission… Continue reading California Adopts New Building Standards","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/","og_site_name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","article_published_time":"2013-02-14T14:58:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-02-14T14:59:40+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@adviseconsult","twitter_site":"@adviseconsult","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7"},"headline":"California Adopts New Building Standards","datePublished":"2013-02-14T14:58:53+00:00","dateModified":"2013-02-14T14:59:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/"},"wordCount":566,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Building Codes"],"articleSection":["Building Codes","Construction","Construction Law"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/","name":"California Adopts New Building Standards - Advise & Consult, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-02-14T14:58:53+00:00","dateModified":"2013-02-14T14:59:40+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/california-adopts-new-building-standards\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","description":"Construction Expert Witnesses","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Advise & Consult","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","width":162,"height":75,"caption":"Advise & Consult"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ztG6-lf","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}