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Gonzales building official outlines plan to adopt 2024 codes; FEMA grant and ISO rating cited
Summary
City building official proposed public workshops, a summer training program and an Oct. 1 effective date to update Gonzales from 2015 to the 2024 building codes to improve ISO rating and access FEMA grant funds for software and training.
A city staff presentation to the Gonzales City Council on Jan. 30 laid out a multi-month plan to update local building codes from the 2015 cycle to the 2024 International Codes and to seek grant funding for inspection software and training.
"We are behind," the building official told the council, noting the city currently operates under the 2015 code and that moving to the 2024 cycle would help the city’s ISO rating and access technical support. The official said the city received only 2 points of a possible 9.5 in a recent ISO review because of its older code cycle and that adopting the 2024 codes and certifying staff would improve the rating.
Nut graf: The official proposed a public engagement and training schedule — information sessions in February and March, a council workshop on the draft ordinance, extended summer training for trades, and an Oct. 1 effective date timed with the city fiscal year — and asked council to support grant applications to FEMA for software purchases and code-adoption training.
Key components and timeline: The official said the city will hold four information-gathering sessions (two commercial, two residential), each offered as an evening and a weekend meeting, to solicit contractor input. The staffer recommended a further series of deeper summer trainings separated by trade (builders, mechanical/electrical/plumbing, etc.) to prepare the local construction community for changes. The official recommended making the new code effective Oct. 1, concurrent with the fiscal year, to allow a full summer for training.
The official also said the city would apply to FEMA grant opportunities opened Jan. 6—one grant could fund software and training stations (including at city hall and the public library) and the other could cover code-adoption training. The staff presentation explained an in-kind contribution from the city's budget (already allocated for permitting software) would satisfy part of the match requirement.
Council questions focused on permit continuity and developer impact. Councilmember Croke asked whether projects permitted under an older code would be required to change plans after adoption. The official said permits are governed by the code in force at the time a permit is issued: "The actual code that you build to is the code that's adopted by ordinance at the time you get your permit," the official said, explaining projects already permitted would not be retroactively changed by the new code.
Ending: Council did not take immediate action but asked staff to continue stakeholder outreach and to return with a draft ordinance and grant-application updates. The official said staff would inform council when grant applications are filed and would coordinate workshops for contractors and the public.
