Building Officials Corner – August

Category: Build-Remodel-Topics
08/25/2022

New Code Adoption

written by Shawn Ouradnik, Fargo Inspections Director

Greetings from the city of Fargo!

Recently we adopted the 2021 ICC codes. With that adoption came some changes, most notably to the energy code. In the new version of the code, we have decided to do blower door tests on a random basis.

Our team selected all permits that were approved in July as the test pool. The letter has gone out and we have 33 homes that will be doing the blower door testing. We will use this data to evaluate the energy efficiency of the current building practices and gauge the need for blower door testing in the future.

We ask that those selected follow their current practices, so we get a clear picture of how homes are being constructed in Fargo. When those that are selected schedule the test, they are to inform our office of the date and time of the test so we can be onsite to witness it and see where we may have deficiencies.

Additionally, we have adopted appendix AF in the 2021 IRC. Appendix AF outlines the passive radon mitigation system that is now required. This system will basically follow the same procedure as the Radon mitigation practices that are currently being used in Moorhead. Basement R values have also seen a change. They have been increased from an R-13 to R-15.

As always, we are striving to make our homes in Fargo better while trying to balance the cost-effectiveness of the codes being implemented.

We are approaching this as we have in the past with a soft start for this season trying to educate contractors on the changes and allowing them some time to adjust accordingly.

If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office at (701) 241-1561, or speak to an inspector on-site. I hope this is a great year for everyone!