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Signal Mountain council reviews update to town's energy conservation code
Summary
Council members discussed updating the town's energy conservation code references to the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code, questions about enforcement and inspector capacity, and a planned follow-up with building and codes staff.
Signal Mountain's Town Council spent a portion of its April 28, 2025, work session discussing an update to the town's energy conservation code that would change which reference materials the town's building and codes department enforces.
The proposal would update the code book's referenced materials from older editions to the 2018 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Town staff said the update responds to a recent audit that flagged older references in the town's code book.
Council members raised practical questions about enforcement, noting that some IECC provisions require testing or equipment the town's inspectors may not possess. Council member Andrew Garner asked whether the town could enforce particular technical requirements and whether state or county requirements would override local provisions. Building and codes staff were identified in the discussion as 'Chuck' and 'Brian'; councilmembers said staff will clarify which provisions the town currently enforces and which are primarily enforced by the county or state.
Vice Mayor Craig Columbus said municipalities sometimes align wording with county or regional requirements so enforcement and expectations are consistent across jurisdictions. Council member Myles Jorgensen and others pressed for a clearer explanation of which IECC sections the town actively inspects and enforces, and whether adoption of a newer edition would create obligations the town could not meet.
Town staff and council agreed to follow up with the building and codes department for a line-by-line explanation of the proposed changes and to return with a summarized memo describing what the town would be obliged to enforce, what the county or state enforces, and any equipment or training gaps.
Mayor Elizabeth Baker and other council members noted the audit recommendation to adopt the 2018 IECC, and staff reported that Hamilton County and the state have adopted the 2018 level. Staff said that unless the ordinance adopts the 2018 edition, local inspectors may lack municipal authority to enforce that edition.
No official vote was taken at the work session. Councilmembers asked staff to gather details from Chuck and Brian and to provide a clearer enforcement plan and cost/impact analysis at a future meeting.
