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Shawnee adopts 2024 building and fire codes but omits commercial energy provisions
Summary
The Shawnee City Council unanimously approved seven ordinances to update the city's building and fire codes to the 2024 International codes. Staff excluded commercial energy code changes from the package, citing high costs and added requirements for businesses.
Shawnee
The Shawnee City Council unanimously approved seven ordinances on Nov. 24 to update the city's building and fire codes to align with the 2024 International Building Code and the 2024 International Fire Code. Staff said they excluded proposed commercial energy code provisions from the current package because of concerns about high costs and additional requirements for companies.
Why it matters
City officials said the package updates multiple technical requirements for new construction and safety systems. The residential code changes reported in the meeting summary include updated electrical requirements intended to improve energy efficiency in homes. The commercial code changes, which staff did not forward for adoption at this time, would have included clarifications and new provisions related to lithium-ion batteries and associated design requirements.
Details from the meeting
According to the council wrap-up, staff from community development presented the proposed building code updates and staff from the fire department presented related fire code changes. The fire code provisions discussed included a number of measures intended to help fire departments fight fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. The meeting record in the wrap-up reports that all seven ordinances to adopt the new building and fire codes "passed the council unanimously." The wrap-up does not list ordinance numbers or provide the text of the commercial energy provisions that were omitted.
What the council did not adopt
Staff explicitly did not include the commercial energy codes in the adopted package ‘‘due to its high cost and added requirements for companies,’’ as summarized in the meeting record. The wrap-up does not say whether staff will return with a separate proposal for commercial energy codes or when that might occur.
Next steps
The wrap-up does not list effective dates for the ordinances or implementation timelines. The council's next regular session is scheduled for Dec. 8, when new council members will be sworn in; the wrap-up does not state whether implementation details will be discussed at that meeting.
