Iowa City adopts 2024 building and fire codes and clarifies accessible-parking aisles

The Iowa City Council voted 6-0 Tuesday to give first consideration to ordinances that would adopt the 2024 editions of the International Building Code and the International Fire Code and to amend city parking rules to treat an ADA access aisle as part of the parking space.

City staff said the changes update local rules to reflect new building materials and safety practices and to provide clearer enforcement for accessible parking. The measures were advanced without public comment and will return to the council for further consideration.

Danielle Sisman, with Neighborhood and Development Services, told the council the International Code Council updates model codes on a three-year cycle and the city's proposed ordinance brings Iowa City into the 2024 cycle. "The 3 years, refresh of the codes allows for expertise of hundreds of building and safety experts across the country, allows us to capture lessons learned from prior disaster events and new building science, as well as climate research and new technologies and practices," Sisman said. She noted the update makes certain newer materials, such as mass timber, an accepted, standard building option rather than a special approval.

Sisman said the city’s draft maintains locally adopted practices, including long-standing "visitability" or universal-design provisions that make homes easier to adapt for people with mobility needs. Staff coordinated the changes with neighboring jurisdictions and the local Home Builders Association; the Board of Appeals recommended approval at a February meeting, she said.

Troy Roth, the city fire marshal, described changes in the 2024 International Fire Code that address lithium-ion battery risks. "This is the first time it's been addressed," he said, explaining the new language focuses on reducing fire and life-safety risks during charging of batteries in multifamily buildings and similar settings. Roth said the code does not ban personal mobility or battery-powered devices but includes safeguards for charging in apartments and other shared spaces.

Kent Ralston, a transportation planner, described the parking ordinance change as technical clarification. "This ordinance makes clear that the marked access aisle for an ADA accessible parking space is considered part of the actual parking space itself," Ralston said, adding that downtown enforcement had revealed confusion over whether the striped access aisle was legally part of the space. The change will make existing ticketing and fines apply to the access aisle.

Councilors voted 6-0 on motions to give first consideration to the building-code ordinance, the fire-code ordinance and the parking amendment. The council recorded affirmative roll calls from Mayor Bruce Teague and Councilors Alter, Bergus, Harmsen, Moe and Salah. No public speakers addressed these items at the hearing.

If adopted in subsequent readings, the building and fire code updates would replace the 2021 editions currently referenced in city ordinances and incorporate the listed local amendments. The parking amendment clarifies enforcement around accessible spaces and is intended to reduce incidents in which vehicles park in striped access aisles that are needed for wheelchair and van access.

The ordinances will next return for additional consideration and a final vote at a future meeting; staff materials and a summary of local amendments are on file with the city clerk's office.