[Adopted 9-1-1998 by Ord. No. 224[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided for the repeal of former Ch. 82, Building Construction, adopted as Art. I, 7-5-1994 by Ord. No. 193, as amended, and Art. II, 7-5-1994 by Ord. No. 194, as amended.
For the purpose of prescribing regulations governing the design, fabrication, erection, construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, location and use of detached one- and two-family dwellings, their appurtenances and accessory structures, the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1995 Edition, including Appendixes A, D, E and F, published by the Council of American Building Officials, 5203 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia 22041, as amended by this article, is hereby adopted by reference thereto, as the Building Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings of the Township of Concord (hereinafter referred to as "the code").
A. 
Wherever the word "municipality" is used in this code, it shall be held to mean the Township of Concord.
B. 
Wherever the words "building official" are used in this code, they shall be held to mean the Building Inspector or his assistants.
C. 
Wherever the words "Building Regulations Committee" is used in this code, they shall be held to mean the Supervisors of Concord Township.
D. 
Wherever the words "this code" or "code" or "building code" are used in this article, they shall be held to mean the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1995 Edition.
E. 
In Chapter 2, Section 202, add the term "group dwelling unit" as a use group, which shall include dwelling units which house five or more individuals who, because of age, mental, visual, physical or other disability, must live in a supervised environment and may not be capable of responding to an emergency situation without personal assistance.
F. 
In Chapter 303, Table 301.2a, under the word "termite," insert the word "yes" and add the following: "There is a history of termite damage in Concord Township. Therefore, all residential buildings shall be protected by using termite resistance wood or with environmentally approved insecticides."
A. 
Said One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, 1995 Edition, hereby is amended by deleting the following chapters and appendixes which are covered under other ordinances of Concord Township:
(1) 
Chapter 29, Plumbing Administration.
(2) 
Chapter 30, Plumbing Definitions.
(3) 
Chapter 31, General Plumbing Requirements.
(4) 
Chapter 32, Plumbing Fixtures.
(5) 
Chapter 33, Water Heaters.
(6) 
Chapter 34, Water Supply and Distribution.
(7) 
Chapter 35, Sanitary Drainage.
(8) 
Chapter 36, Vents.
(9) 
Chapter 37, Traps.
(10) 
Chapter 38, Private Sewage Disposal.
(11) 
Appendix B, Engineered Procedure for Sizing Plumbing Vents.
(12) 
Appendix C, Detailed Procedure for Sizing the Building Water Supply System.
B. 
Said Building Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 1995 Edition, hereby is amended by amending the following chapters:
(1) 
Chapter 1, Section 111, Section 111.1, Permit required, add the following:
111.1 Permit. Electrical wiring or equipment shall not be installed within or on any building, structure or premises, nor shall any alteration be made in any such existing installation without first receiving approval and a permit from the building official.
On completion of the rough-in of electric work and also on completion of final electric work, inspection shall be by a third-party inspection agency licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and approved by Concord Township. On completion of field inspections, said agency shall issue an approved stamp of acceptance to the contractor and shall further notify Concord Township, in writing, within seven days.
(2) 
Chapter 4, Section 403, Footings, 403.1, General, add the following: "Where reinforced concrete lintels are used in lieu of step footings, the following shall apply: Hollow concrete cores under the lintel shall be reinforced with two reinforcing rods one-half-inch diameter, and empty cores are to be filled solid with mortar. The horizontal footing on the opposite end of the concrete lintel shall be reinforced with two reinforcing bars one-half-inch diameter for a minimum of 10 feet. Bearing on horizontal footing shall be a minimum of 16 inches."
(3) 
Chapter 4, Section 403.3, Insulated footings, add Note 7 to concrete and masonry foundation details: "7. All wood sill plates on steel shall be anchored with one-half-inch diameter bolts placed six feet on center and not more than 12 inches from each end."
(4) 
Chapter 4, Section 404.1.1, Masonry and concrete wall construction, add the following: "All basement walls of hollow masonry units shall be a minimum of 12 inches thick. Eight-inch hollow masonry units shall not be used for basement walls."
(5) 
Chapter 4, Section 404.3, Wood foundation walls, is hereby amended to read:
404.3 Wood foundation walls. Wood foundation walls are not permitted.
(6) 
Chapter 4, Section 409.3, Removal of debris, is amended to read:
409.3 Removal of debris. The under-floor grade shall be cleaned of all vegetation and organic material and be further covered with two inches of concrete.
(7) 
Chapter 6, Section 601.2, Requirements, add the following:
"Buildings with more than one family dwelling unit shall have a fire- and party wall fire-resistance rating of not less than two hours, in which there can be no penetration of any kind. Walls shall have sufficient structural stability under fire conditions to allow collapse of construction on either side without collapse of the wall and shall be constructed of any noncombustible materials that provide the required strength and fire-resistance rating.
"Continuity of walls. Walls shall be continuous from the foundation to one foot, six inches above the roof surface. Walls separating more than one living unit shall extend eight inches beyond the exterior wall of such living units.
"Combustible roofs. The wall is permitted to terminate at the underside of the roof deck if the following conditions are met:
1.
The wall is properly fire-stopped at the deck.
2.
The roof sheathing or deck is constructed of approved noncombustible materials or of fire-retardant treated wood for a distance of four feet (1,219 millimeters) on both sides of the wall, or such roof sheathing or deck is constructed with five-eighths-inch Type X gypsum board, supported directly beneath the underside of the roof sheathing or deck, using minimum two-inch ledgers attached to the sides of the roof framing members, for a minimum distance of four feet (1,219 millimeters) on both sides of the fire wall.
3.
Combustible material does not exceed through the wall.
4.
The roof covering has a minimum of a Class C rating."
(8) 
Chapter 6, Section 602.5.1., Drilling and notching top plate, is amended to read as follows:
602.5.1 Drilling and notching - top plate. Stud partitions containing plumbing, heating or other pipes shall be so framed and the joists underneath so spaced as to give proper clearance for the piping. Cutting and notching of the top and bottom plates of bearing wall partitions or beams, girders and headers are prohibited.
(9) 
Chapter 19, Section 1901.3.5, Duct insulation, amend the first sentence to read as follows: "All duct work installed in nonconditioned areas shall be insulated. Main air supply duct in basements shall be insulated in accord with Section 1901.3.4. Any branch supply ducts within 10 feet of the air-conditioning evaporator shall be insulated accordingly."
(10) 
Chapter 1, Section 106.4, Penalty, is hereby amended to read as follows:
106.4 Penalty.
1.
Any person who shall violate the provisions of this Article I shall, upon summary conviction before any District Justice, pay a fine not exceeding $1,000 and the costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment of the fine or costs, the violator may be sentenced to the county jail for a period not exceeding 30 days.
2.
Whenever such person shall have been officially notified by the Township of Concord or by other service of a summons in a prosecution or in any other official manner that said person is committing a violation of this Article I, each day that said person shall continue such violation after such notification shall constitute a separate offense punishable by a like fine or penalty. Such fines or penalties shall be collected as like fines or penalties are now by law collected.
For the purpose of prescribing regulations governing the design, construction, alteration, enlargement, repair, demolition, removal, conversion, use or maintenance of all buildings and structures, the BOCA National Building Code/1996, Thirteenth Edition, published by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., 4051 West Flossmoor Road, Country Club Hills, Illinois, as amended by this article, is hereby adopted by reference thereto as the Building Code of the Township of Concord (herein referred to as "the code").
A. 
Wherever the word "municipality" is used in the building code, it shall be held to mean the Township of Concord.
B. 
Wherever the words "building official" are used in the building code, it shall be held to mean the Building Inspector or his assistants.
C. 
Wherever the words "Building Regulations Committee" are used in the building code, it shall be held to mean the Supervisors of Concord Township.
D. 
Wherever the words "code" or "building code" or "national code," are used in this article, they shall be held to mean the BOCA National Building Code/1996, Thirteenth Edition.
Said BOCA National Building Code/1996, Thirteenth Edition, hereby is amended as follows:
A. 
Section 101.1, Title, is hereby amended to insert the words "Township of Concord."
B. 
Fees.
(1) 
Section 112.1 shall read as follows:
112.1 General: A permit to begin work for new construction alteration, removal, demolition or other building operation shall be issued only after the fees prescribed in this section shall have been paid to the Department of Building Inspection or other authorized municipal agency, and an amendment to a permit necessitating an additional fee because of an increase in the estimated cost of the work involved be approved only after the additional fee shall have been paid. Applicants for permits to be used under this section shall pay at the time of application to the Building Inspector the fee or fees prescribed from time to time by the Supervisors of Concord Township by resolution. The valuation of the proposed construction or work shall be based upon the entire value of such construction or work. The Building Inspector shall have the right to verify or correct the estimated value of such construction or work.
(2) 
Section 112.3.1, Fee schedule, is hereby deleted in its entirety. Fees shall be set forth from time to time by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.
C. 
Section 116.4, Violation penalties, is amended to read as follows:
116.4 Violation penalties:
1.
Any person who shall violate the provisions of this Article II shall, upon summary conviction before any District Justice, pay a fine not exceeding $1,000 and the costs of prosecution; and, in default of payment of the fine or costs, the violator may be sentenced to the county jail for a period not exceeding 30 days.
2.
Whenever such person shall have been officially notified by the Township of Concord or by other service of a summons in a prosecution or in any other official manner that said person is committing a violation of this Article II, each day that said person shall continue such violation after such notification shall constitute a separate offense punishable by a like fine or penalty. Such fines or penalties shall be collected as like fines or penalties are now by law collected.
D. 
Section 117.2 shall read as follows:
117.2 Unlawful continuance: Any person who shall continue any work in or about the building after having been served with a stop order, except such work as he is directed to perform to remove a violation or unsafe conditions, shall be liable to a fine of not more than $1,000.
E. 
Section 421.0, Swimming pools, is hereby deleted.
F. 
Section 1810.3.1 shall read as follows:
1810.3.1 Plain concrete: In plain concrete footings, the edge thickness shall be not less than eight inches (203 millimeters) for footings on soil, except that for buildings of Use Group R-3 and buildings fewer than two stories in height of Type 5 construction, the required edge thickness shall be reduced to eight inches (204 millimeters), provided that the footing does not extend beyond four inches (102 millimeters) on either side of the supported wall.
G. 
Section 1810.6, Forming of concrete, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "In residential construction not over 35 feet in height, precast concrete lintels may be used for step footings on masonry block walls. Hollow cores under lintel must be filled with mortar and two vertical reinforcing rods one-half-inch diameter, inserted into the mortar-filled cores. The horizontal footing supporting the opposite end of the lintel shall have two reinforcing rods one-half-inch diameter for a minimum of 10 feet. Bearing on this footing shall be 16 inches. The width of lintels shall be equal to the width of wall."
H. 
Chapter 18, Section 1812.1, Design, add the following: "Wood foundation walls are not permitted."
I. 
Section 1812.3.2, Thickness based on soil loads, unbalanced backfill height and wall height, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "All basement walls shall be a minimum of 12 inches thick; eight-inch hollow masonry units cannot be used for basement walls."
J. 
Section 2305, Table 2305.2, Fastening Schedule, is amended by adding the following to Item 2, Wall construction: "The sill plate on concrete, masonry block or steel shall be anchored to the foundation wall or steel beams with one-half-inch anchor bolts placed six inches on center and not more than 12 inches from corners or ends. Bolts shall extend 12 inches into masonry and seven inches into concrete."
K. 
Section 2305.3.1, Solid lumber joists, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "Bottom and top plates of bearing wall partitions shall not be cut under any conditions. This shall also apply to beams, girders and headers."
L. 
Section 3104.1 shall read as follows:
3104.1 General: The provisions of this section shall apply to tents, membrane structures and other structures erected for a period of less than 90 days.
A special temporary permit shall be secured from the Building Official for all such installations.
No such structure shall be erected, during any calendar year, for a period exceeding 90 days.
M. 
Section 3408.2, Applicability, is hereby amended to insert the following date: "July 5, 1994."
N. 
Said BOCA National Building Code/1996 is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section, hereby designated "Section 122.0, Administrative Technical Services," to read as follows:
SECTION 122.0 ADMINISTRATIVE/TECHNICAL/ARCHITECTURALENGINEERING SERVICES
122.1 General: Where applications for unusual design or magnitude of construction are filed for any residential, commercial, industrial or institutional structure or where the application is for a structure to be occupied by 50 persons or more, the Board of Supervisors of Concord Township may employ administrative, technical, architectural and/or engineering services to aid the building official in carrying out the provisions of the building code, either as consultants on particular matters or as regular employees of Concord Township. Any such consultant or employee shall keep appropriate records and submit reports as required by the Board of Supervisors of Concord Township and/or the building official.
122.2 Building permit requirements: The use of such consultant or employee shall be determined by the Board of Supervisors of Concord Township prior to the issuance of the building permit and shall be a requisite for the permit issuance.
122.3 Fees and costs: All fees and costs related to the performance of services by such consultant or employee shall be borne by the Township of Concord.
122.4 Inspection: All such consultants and/or employees shall have the same rights and privileges to inspect and examine all buildings, structures and sites as are given to the building official by the building code.
122.5 Certificate of use and occupancy: Where the Board of Supervisors of Concord Township has determined to employ administrative, technical, architectural and/or engineering services, either as consultants or employees, the certificate of use and occupancy shall be used by the building official and the consultant and/or employee.
122.6 Site improvement completion: No certificate of use and occupancy shall be issued for the occupancy of any commercial, industrial or institutional structure or any structure to be occupied by 50 persons or more unless and until all building site improvements, including those related to parking, lighting, landscaping, traffic and stormwater management, have been completed and approved by the Township of Concord. In lieu of the completion of such building site improvements, as required, the township shall have the right to accept from the owner financial security in an amount sufficient to cover the costs of such building site improvements. Such financial security, if accepted by the Township of Concord, shall be in the amount and in the form as determined by the Township of Concord pursuant to the provisions of Section 509 of the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, Act 247 of 1968, as amended._
O. 
Said BOCA National Building Code/1996, Thirteenth Edition, is hereby amended by deleting the following chapters and/or sections:
(1) 
Chapter 5, General Building Limitations.
(2) 
Section 3102.0, Signs, Sections 3102.1 through 3103.6.
(3) 
Section 3105.0, Canopies and Awnings, Sections 3105.1 through 3105.4.
(4) 
Chapter 29, Plumbing Systems (covered under other ordinances of Concord Township).
P. 
Chapter 27, Section 2704.3, Final inspection and test, shall read as follows:
2704.3 Final inspection and test: On completion of the rough-in of electric work and also on completion of final electric work, inspections shall be by a third-party inspection agency licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and approved by Concord Township. On completion of field inspections, said agency shall issue an approved stamp of acceptance to the contractor and shall further notify Concord Township, in writing, within seven days.
Q. 
Chapter 28, Section 2805.2.3, Ducts, shall read as follows:
2805.2.3 Ducts: When air conditioning is used, all duct work installed in nonconditioned areas shall be insulated. Main air-supply duct in basements shall be insulated in accord with the mechanical code listed in Chapter 35. Any branch supply duct within 10 feet of the evaporator or furnace shall be insulated accordingly.
R. 
Section 2311.1, Required, add the following: "There is a history of termite damage in Concord Township. Therefore, all residential buildings shall be protected, utilizing termite-resistant wood and with environmentally appropriate insecticides."
S. 
Chapter 9, Fire Protection Systems, Section 904.1, is amended to read as follows:
904.1 Where required: Automatic fire-suppression systems shall be installed where required by this code, and in the locations indicated in Sections 904.2 through 904.11, and for Use Group B Business use where the fire area exceeds 12,000 square feet (1,116m) in area.
T. 
Chapter 11, Section 1103.1, Exception 3, is amended to read as follows:
3.
Detached one- and two-family dwellings, and their associated sites and facilities, are not required to be accessible, except for group homes in residential one- and two-family dwellings. A group home is a building arranged for lodging for compensation, with or without meals and occupied as a dwelling unit. This group includes structures which house five or more individuals, including supervision, who because of physical impairment, including impaired memory, manual or speaking abilities, that results in a functional limitation in gaining access to and using a dwelling unit and are generally incapable of self-preservation and require a supervised environment.
Whenever any provision or requirement of the regulations of the Department of Labor and Industry of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is more stringent or stricter than a provision or requirement of this article, the applicable provision or requirement of the regulations of said Department of Labor and Industry shall supersede any such provision or requirement of this article.