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Oak Park board hears first reading to adopt 2024 building codes; staff to return with cost and outreach analysis
Summary
Village staff presented a bulk first reading of nine proposed amendments to Chapter 7 of the Oak Park Village Code to adopt the 2024 model building codes. Trustees discussed impacts — including sprinkler thresholds, attic insulation, EV readiness and the pending energy code guidance — and asked staff for additional analysis before a final vote.
Village officials on June 3 held a first reading of nine proposed amendments to Chapter 7 of the Oak Park Village Code that would update the village’s building and related codes to the 2024 international model codes and recent NFPA guidance.
The proposed package, presented by Development Services Director Craig Faylor and consultant Sean Latau, covers the International Building Code (IBC), International Existing Building Code (IEBC), International Residential Code (IRC), International Fire Code (IFC), the 2023 NFPA electrical code and the 2024 international energy provisions. Faylor said staff planned to take the nine items in bulk for the first reading and return to the board for adoption at a later meeting after public engagement.
The changes would update technical standards, clarify responsibilities at job sites, and add or revise safety and energy requirements. “If approved, these will modify and amend chapter 7 of the village code,” Faylor said. Latau, who is scheduled to start as Oak Park’s chief building official, summarized major technical changes and where costs could rise or fall.
Why it matters: the code updates affect how new construction and many repairs are designed and reviewed, and could change requirements for homeowners and developers in areas such as insulation, rooftop occupancy, carbon monoxide detectors, EV readiness and automatic sprinklers.
Trustees asked staff to analyze several potential effects and to expand community outreach before bringing final ordinances back. Trustees pressed for data on the cost and incidence of projects that would trigger new requirements — especially the rule that requires fire sprinklers when work reaches a 50% “substantial improvement” threshold — and on potential insurance offsets for sprinkler retrofit costs. Faylor and Village Manager Kevin Jackson said the 50% threshold has been on the books since 2015 and reflects the fire department’s life-safety threshold; staff agreed to compile cost data and complaint trends for board review.
Other notable technical points presented by staff: - Risk categories and loads: the 2024 IBC updates risk categories for wind, earthquake, snow and adds tornado exposure; risk category changes affect design loads for some structures and for solar canopies. - Energy code: the adopted energy provisions remain in flux. Latau said the IECC significant-changes publication was expected in the coming weeks, and staff will time presentations for builders and architects once that guidance is available. - Insulation/attic R-value: the IECC draft lowers a residential attic R-value from R-60 to R-49; staff included an amendment option to retain R-60 and noted the board will decide which route to take. - Residential and multifamily changes: expanded ventilation and exhaust rules, clarified requirements for occupiable roofs, adult changing stations in certain facilities, and broader carbon-monoxide detector placements where fuel-burning appliances are present. - Electrical and energy: the NFPA 2023 electrical code changes branch-circuit and arc-fault scopes for lodging and assisted-living occupancies, introduces mandatory EV-charger readiness approaches and tighter energy monitoring (thresholds for monitoring were proposed to align with Oak Park’s benchmarking).
Trustees flagged affordability concerns — particularly for older properties and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — if retrofits or upgraded water services are required to add sprinklers or circuits for EV charging. Trustee Straw and others recounted instances where required upgrades to water service or electrical capacity significantly increased project costs for homeowners. Staff noted that some cost increases stem from necessary infrastructure upgrades (for example, larger service lines) and not solely sprinkler equipment.
Next steps: staff will gather cost and complaint data, follow up with the Building Code Advisory Commission, continue stakeholder outreach to builders and housing providers, and return to the board with final ordinances and recommended amendments. No adoption vote was taken; trustees treated the item as a first reading and a study opportunity.
