6A - State Building Code Discussion

Home Browse Search

INDIRECT BENEFITS OF ADOPTING THE BUILDING CODE • Helps to reduce or eliminate blight and substandard structures • Assists in assuring continued usability, durability, and desirability of local building stock • Helps to maintain property tax value within the community • Provides a platform for the dissemination of local government information • Helps create a positive identity for the local government by educating and informing the citizenry of correct facts and developments • Helps to reduce formal differences between government and its clientele through direct communication and the sharing of information • Directly protects the interests of the local government by ensuring the soundness of the municipalities' investments CERTIFIED BUILDING OFFICIAL Once a municipality adopts the State Building Code, a certified building official must be designated. There are three levels of certification available through the Construction Codes and Licensing Division;they include Building Official, Building Official-Limited, and Accessibility Specialist. An individual certified as a building official may administer the code for all types of projects for which a building permit is required. An individual certified as a building official-limited may administer the code only for residential buildings containing one or two dwelling units and for any structure that is exempt from the requirements of design by a licensed design professional (i.e., Architects, Engineers, etc.). An accessibility specialist is certified only to administer the Minnesota Accessibility Code. All certified building officials, limited building officials and accessibility specialists are required to be re- certified every three years upon satisfactory completion of the required continuing education. In terms of the "person," the building official must also be a good administrator as well as a code technician. As such, the building official must have the ability to organize, plan, coordinate, train, direct, control, review and represent the Every employee municipality as its local expert in the field of code represents the local administration. In doing so, quality code administration and government; enforcement also demands that the building official be to some people he or she responsible for having a good repore with the people of the is the local government. community. It's important to work to close the gap between "what it is" and "what it should be" by building a relationship between the building official and their customers. 9