Issue No. 1

MASS BUILDING CODE CHANGES ENACTED

Perhaps your office has already received a thick package of amendments to the 6th Ed. which were enacted on November 27, 1998. There are 10 amendments to the body of the code, four amendments to various appendici, and four to the registration criteria. Unfortunately the BBRS does not provide any summary of the content of these changes; below is a sampling of the more significant revisions.

427.0 Limited Group Residence: Requirements for fire alarm systems and supervision have been revised. See in particular 427.3.6 and 427.3.8.

504.0 Height Modifications: The allowance for an increase in height under "General Building Limitations" for Use Group R has been revised. To achieve a height modification (increase of one story and 20 feet) for residential construction an NFiPA-13R automatic sprinkler system will no longer be accepted. Only the more comprehensive (and expensive) NFiPA-13 system can now be used. This change can have a significant impact on the fire suppression costs of a residential project where an increase in height under section 504 is sought.

507.0 Unlimited Areas: This section allowing unlimited area for buildings of specific use groups and construction types has been amended to include "Bulk Merchandising Retail Buildings, designed, constructed and operated in accordance with 780 CMR 426.0". Those big boxes can now get bigger!

904.0 Fire Suppression Sysytems: The requirement for an automatic suppression system in R-2 Use Group has been modified to allow an NFiPA-13D system where the building has no more than three units. See the exception listed under section 904.7.

917.0 Fire Protective Signalling Systems: The following new language has been added to section 917.5, Location: "For fire alarm systems employing automatic fire detection or water flow devices, at least one manual fire alarm box shall be provided to initiate a fire alarm signal. This manual fire alarm box shall be located where required by the Head of the Fire Department or his or her designee."

918.0 Automatic Fire Detection Systems: 918.4.6 exception #2 used to state that system smoke detectors are not required in guestrooms or dwelling units of Use Group R-1 under certain conditions. This was intended to reduce nuisance alarms caused by chain smokers and inattentive chefs. The new exception #2 requires multiple station detectors with five specific features which would allow for monitoring and verification.

1023.0 Exit Signs and Lights and 1024.0 Means of Egress Lighting: The period of time during which emergency exit signs and lights must be illuminable by an emergency electrical system has been increased from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. See sections 1023.4 and 1024.4.

1507.0 Prescriptive Requirements (Roofs): Low-slope roof covering materials and installation requirements have been modified to incorporate manufacturer's written installation and warranty requirements. See section 1507.3.

Official Interpretations 47-98, 48-98, and 49-98: Three new "official interpretations" have been included among these amendments. 47-98 warns designers (and builders) that structural connections to masonry walls "must be detailed to allow the framing members at the wall connection to rotate in the event of a fire while additionally providing the lateral support for the walls in the event of an earthquake." 48-98 provides a good illustration of when NFiPA 101 (Life Safety Code) can (and can't) be invoked. 49-98 elucidates the conditions under which ionization type smoke detectors can be used in one- and two-family dwellings.Be sure to check out the exciting graphics included with this interp.

Appendix J, Energy Conservation: Compliance criteria for additions to existing buildings have been greatly elaborated, with a new exception provided for sunroom additions to residences.

Boston Issues New Zoning Articles:

Charlestown, Bay Village and the South End now have their own "neighborhood overlay zoning districts" replacing the underlying zoning which had been in effect for over thirty years. New dimensional and use regulations are intended to more specifically address the unique characters of these neighborhoods. (Note: the Sullivan Code Group now offers consulting on all municipal zoning codes in the Commonwealth, including the infamous multi-volume Boston code.)

Access Board Regulations Amended:

As of March 6, 1998 521 CMR, also known as the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board Regulations, were amended. Important changes include the statute's scope and jurisdiction (see 3.1 and 3.3), dimensions of interior dwelling unit doorways (9.5.1), public use and common use spaces in multiple dwellings (10.1), transaction areas in commercial buildings (11.6), and concession stands in places of assmbly (14.7). One amendment welcomed by designers of parking garages reduces the required vertical clearance for van accessible spaces from 9'-6" to 8'-2".

Amendments to the Building and Access codes are available at the State House Bookstore.

Zoning Code amendments are available from the Boston Redevelopment Authority on the 9th floor of City Hall.

Building Code Amendment Proposals Under Review:

At each of their regularly scheduled public meetings the State Board of Building Regulations and Standards considers proposals for amending the building code. In August of last year the Sullivan Code Group submitted three amendment proposals. As of yet the Board has not acted on these proposals. Amendment proposal 11.98.2 seeks to clarify the requirements for rating/protecting the exterior walls of exit stairways. Amendment proposal 11.98.4 seeks to remove language from Chapter 34 (Repair, Alteration, Addition and Change of Use of Existing Structures) which eliminates the applicability of this chapter to alterations in A, I, and R use groups. Amendment proposal 11-98-5 seeks to elaborate the definition of Substantial Renovation or Substantial Alteration in order to better define "substantial cost", and hopefully standardize the threshhold for sprinklering requirements in renovations and alterations.