Coffee Break RECAP: Existing Building Codes

COFFEE BREAK RECAP – This month’s “coffee break” video recap focuses on how to navigate the existing building code and uniform construction code within your historic building project in Pennsylvania. Watch below.

 

VIDEO SUMMARY:

• Focus: Exemptions (Existing Building Code) and things liable to the Uniform Construction Code, depending on the parameters of a historic building project in Pennsylvania
• Solutions: Danielle and Jonathan discussed tips: 
   
  1. Work with a contractor or design specialist who has preservation knowledge who can work flexibly with a code officer.
  2. Know EXEMPTIONS that fall under Existing Building Code:
     • Historic buildings listed on the state or national historic register
     • Historic building that is part of a historic district 
     • Replacement in kind (under the Secretary of Interiors Standards) 
     • Staircases (unaltered) 
     • Means of egress (doorways)
     • Energy conservation 
     • Floodplain-located buildings
     • Fire rating  
  3. Know what is LIABLE to the Uniform Construction Code:
     • Changing the usage of a building 
     • Substantial improvement/Alterations – if the percentage of alterations is more than 50% of the building’s value (even if usage remains the same)
     • Relocated structure 
     • Seismic (structural) retrofits
     • Means of egress 
  4. If you disagree with the code officer, know the process of appeals
     • Check with your local municipality  

Old buildings are not automatically exempt from the Uniform Building Code in Pennsylvania
– ARM YOURSELF WITH KNOWLEDGE TO NAVIGATE CODES ON YOUR NEXT PROJECT!

 

Further resources:

• Meylvn Green’s book, Building Codes for Existing and Historic Buildings
• Although some things are municipality-specific, here is an example overview of the historical review process in Philadelphia
• The Secretary of the Interior’s Codes and Regulatory Requirements for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings
• For fire ratings/safety: Although it is obsolete, this building materials ratings guideline can help inspectors who ask for more information. Also, this video shows flammability of a historical interior vs. a modern one.