North Carolina Additional State Info

State Certification Letter for residential code determination has been received:
No

State Certification Letter for commercial code determination has been received:
No

Adoption Process:

The North Carolina State Building Code Council is responsible for developing all state codes. By statute, the Commissioner of Insurance has general supervision over the administration and enforcement of the North Carolina state building code. Engineering Division staff assist the Building Code Council. Rule proposals are considered quarterly and anyone may propose a rule change. Final authority to adopt criteria rests with the state legislature. Public hearings are conducted quarterly to consider proposals and must proceed through the rule making process.

Compliance Method:

Compliance is determined by plan review and inspections through the normal building permit process. Compliance forms are included in the energy provisions for both residential and commercial buildings.

Enforcement:

Local units of government enforce the code through the permit/inspection process for new construction and additions. The North Carolina Department of Insurance is responsible for general supervision of the effort statewide. Depending on the size of the local government unit, the same individual may be responsible for performing plan reviews and inspections.

Background/History:

In December 1973 the North Carolina State Building Code Council adopted the Southern Building Code Congress (SBCC) Standard Building Code insulating standards as statewide requirements. These standards were found to be too "prescriptive" and did not meet the particular requirements of North Carolina; therefore, an energy subcommittee was appointed to investigate energy conservation and study the ASHRAE standards that were being developed. The committee recommended new energy requirements in March 1977, and the Building Code Council adopted these standards, which went into effect on January 1, 1978.

In June 1991 an ad hoc energy committee was appointed by the Building Code Council to study and update the energy requirements in the state building code. This committee began studying the state's current code as well as the 1989 MEC. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 shifted and refocused the committee's study efforts. The committee completed its review of the 1992 MEC and the Building Code Council adopted the proposed new standards for one- and two-family dwellings, which became effective on April 15, 1993.

The 1994 SBCC Standard Building Code with North Carolina amendments was adopted by the Building Code Council and is known as the 1996 North Carolina Edition of the North Carolina State Building Code. The energy requirements are contained in the new edition as Chapter 13. Chapter 13 provides very simple prescriptive requirements for thermal envelope and references the new Volume X (Energy) for other systems.

In March 1995 the Building Code Council adopted Volume X (Energy) as the new energy code for North Carolina. These new energy requirements became effective July 1, 1996. Volume X is a reprint of ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1-1989 (codified version) with North Carolina amendments. The code applies to commercial buildings, including those used for assembly, business, education, and storage, as well as institutions and merchants. High-rise and multi-family residential buildings are also covered under Volume X.

On June 11, 1996, the Building Code Council adopted the 1995 CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code with North Carolina amendments effective July 1, 1997. Chapter 39 contains a simplified prescriptive requirements for meeting the 1995 MEC based on REScheck.

Technical Assistance:

Year	Description
2000	Designing a statewide assessment methodology to assess residential and commercial code compliance on a county-by-county basis.
1998	MINI REQUEST: Provided COMcheck-EZ presentation on CD-ROM.

Residential Construction (New Building Permits):

No data Available at this time.

Commercial Construction (Millions of Dollars):

No data Available at this time.