Residential
Date: 9/2/09 Recorder and minutes prepared by: Danny Wooten/Jeff Griffin
Staff present : Gene Morton, Jeff Griffin, Harold Sinclair, Patrick Biddy, Don Sprinkle,
Ralph Vernon, David Williams, Steve Kellen, Billy Yandle, George Rogers, Morton
Robins, Steve Pearson, Rob Bock, Danny Wooten, Ron Dishman, Dave Ries, Greg
Walsh, Tim Taylor.
Public present : Greg Sloan/Hans Kasak (Ryland Homes); Bob Mckee (Ryan Homes);
Dave Reynolds (Bldrs, 1 st
source); David R. Schwieman (DR Schwieman, Inc); Wayne
Carter (J&B Development); Jason Whitener (Southern Tradition Homes); Kevin
Ratcliff (Griffin Masonry); Terry Cleary (Meeting Street Homes); Charlie
Sofinowski / Darren Price (M/I Homes); T. Dale Coe (Evergreen Dev. Group); Matthew
Klapheke (L&M Homes); Chad Ritter PE (IDE Charlotte).
Topics/Subject Decisions/Conclusions/Actions
SB831 expiration of permits
Re-reviewed this bill which was passed and signed by the Governor on
August 5 th
and is related to the expiration date of project permits from a period of January 1 permit on January 1 st
2008 thru December 31 st
2010. If you had an active st
2008 the time line for permit expiration has been extended and the clock basically will not start until after December 31 st
,
2010 (suspension period), see attached information. Our Document control department, per County Attorney’s office, has already starting re-activating older expired permits that would have been active on Jan
1 st
2008. There has been some issues come up with projects that have already pulled other permits and are finalled out, and contractors that are no longer in business. The Department will work through each issue on an individual basis as needed, there is no fee associated with reactivating permits.
House Bill
1478 dealing with designers seals
Residential Ad
Hoc
Discussed the recent passing of this bill related to reproduction of designers seals on document copies. All information that the
Department receives is public record but any drawing, letter or general correspondence that has a seal on it cannot be re-produced and given out to the general public, the seal would have to be covered to protect against misuse in the field. Sealed documents as needed would still be available in any court proceedings.
Work has begun on the 2012 NC Residential code, discussed were some major changes that were being looked at for the next residential code the top 2 at this stage where residential sprinklers and a 30% increase requirement in the energy efficiency of a home. No final decision have been made on either but these significant items will be discussed as work progresses at the State level so feedback can be given from all interested parties, next Ad Hoc meeting set for September 22 nd
.

Department approved stamped plans
3 rd
Annual
Education
Seminar
Detached garages
Question in the last couple of weeks has been raised on several sites as to if approved stamped plans are needed on site. All projects that have been through the review process and stamped either by hand or electronically are required on site before an inspector can perform an inspection. There is no longer a requirement for the stamp to be in red but approved plans with stamp and reviewers name must be available on site. In addition group discussed alterations to the approved set of plans.
It is recommended that a builder discuss with his inspector any alteration, hopefully before doing them, to determine if change is something that can be handled in the field of needs to go back to plan review. Typically all significant structural and design changes need to be sent back to reviewer for RTAP (revision to approved plans).
The Department will be conducting its 3 rd
annual education seminar for local Charities. This is a 2 day event that highlights the changes in the commercial and residential codes along with process improvements and will be held on Sept 23 rd
and 24 th
. Information about cost, location and classes offered can be found at: www.meckpermit.com
at the bottom under what’s new or the direct link is: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/LUESA/CodeEnforcement/Arch itects+and+Engineers-tools/UW+Seminar+2009.htm
Issue brought up related to a detached garage which is required to have a separate permit, what makes it detached per the building code vs. zoning ordinances. Some town zoning ordinances define detached as having a common wall between the two for 10 or more feet, some have different rules. The residential code doesn’t define what is attached and what is detached and generally is only a concern for protection issues from garages. The example given was a garage that was connected structurally by a deck/walkway between the house and garage.
Currently the Department looks at this application as attached if structurally connected to the house at all, we will discuss with DOI for additional input on detached vs. attached. There is new language in the code that talks about fire separation that has come into play related to detached buildings (any accessory building ). The requirement under the definition for fire separation distance item #3 requires us to assume a lot line between buildings (not structures-see definition for buildings) on the same lot. So if there is a detached garage it would need to be at least
6’ from the house, if it was closer both the house and the garage would have to have 1 hour walls with no openings.

SB831—Extend Permits Regarding Land Development
The N.C. General Assembly recently passed key legislation that will help home builders in this tough economic time. SB 831—Extend Permits Regarding Land Development extends the duration of all state and local permits and approvals affecting the development of real property in
North Carolina. The extension applies to all development approvals that are current and valid at any point from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2010.
If a permit was issued prior to and was valid at any time during the permit extension period
(January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2010), the remaining time of validity is added beginning
January 1, 2011.
For example, if a builder received a one-year permit on June 1, 2007, then seven months of the permit had passed when the extension period started on Jan. 1, 2008. The new law
“pauses” the permit duration for the extension period (January 1, 2008 through December
31, 2010) and the remaining 5 months of validity will start on January 1, 2011.
If a permit was issued between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010, the running period of the permit will not begin until the suspension is lifted December 31, 2010.
For example, if a builder receives a one-year building permit on June 1, 2009, the permit will not expire until December 31, 2011, because the running period will not start until
January 1, 2011.
Eligible permits are automatically extended, and no request or application must be made for the extension. There are no fees associated with the extension.
The following permits will be suspended:
• Building permits issued under the State Building Code.
• Approval of sketch plans, preliminary plats, plats regarding subdivision of land, site-specific development plans or phased development plans, development agreements, or building permits issued by cities or counties.
• Water and wastewater permits issued by the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) or local health departments.
• Stream origination certifications and water quality certifications issued by DENR.
• Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) major permits, minor permits and any other permit issued under CAMA.
• Environmental impact statements and findings of no significant impact required pursuant to the State Environmental Policy Act.
• Erosion and sedimentation control plan approvals granted by the N.C. Sedimentation
Control Commission or local government.
• Air quality permits issued by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC).
• Certificates of appropriateness issued by a preservation commission of a city.