Aurora staff brief committee on plan to adopt 2024 building codes, emphasize ISO rating and permit processes

Aurora staff on June 25 gave the Building, Zoning & Economic Development Committee an informational briefing on a proposed ordinance to adopt the 2024 International Code Council (I‑series) codes and recommended local amendments.

Josh Ream, director of development services, said Aurora currently operates on the 2015 code series and proposed a jump to the 2024 series to reflect modern building technologies, maintain the city's ISO insurance rating (reported as a 2) and align local practice with neighboring jurisdictions. Ream described the adoption as a multi‑book review that covers building, fire, plumbing, mechanical and reference standards, and said staff will post red lines showing additions and deletions for aldermanic review.

Why it matters: Adopting a more current code series affects life‑safety requirements, inspection and permitting protocols, insurance underwriting for newly built structures and the city’s ability to remain current with state expectations. Ream and John Curley (chief development services officer) emphasized that maintaining the ISO rating has both public safety and insurance premium implications for property owners.

Existing buildings and flexibility: Staff highlighted the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) performance method, which provides alternative compliance paths for older structures so that reasonable reuse is possible without requiring wholesale retrofits. Staff described an example of a local three‑story building that rehabilitation tools under the IEBC helped make viable for reuse.

Fire protection and thresholds: Staff noted a proposed lowering of the new‑construction sprinkler threshold from 12,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet; for restaurants the threshold is 5,000 sq ft or 100 occupants, an alignment staff said was consistent with the cited standards.

Permit process and community concerns: Committee members and attendees raised questions about how changes will affect existing local amendments (for example, garage and water‑meter rules) and the clarity of permit requirements for homeowners doing small remodels. Staff said red‑lined text will be posted for review, that the department uses front‑end meetings with design professionals for complex remodels, and that typical complex remodel reviews usually take two to three weeks with a one‑week rereview cycle.

Timeline and next steps: Staff said red lines are posted for the item at Committee of the Whole (with property maintenance and housing regulations still being finalized) and predicted Committee of the Whole consideration in August or September, aiming for an implementation date of Jan. 1, 2026. This BZE session was informational only; no ordinance vote occurred.

Quotes: "We're presently on the 2015 series," Josh Ream said. "We are presently at 2. We are the only community in the state with that, and we're looking to maintain that rating." On existing building flexibility, staff said, "The performance method is what we do on most of the gut rehabs. It's essentially a safety benchmarking tool."

Details and clarifications: Staff reported roughly 13 inspectors in the division, an average inspection load of about 12–14 inspections per inspector on busy days, and automation of inspection results and communications to applicants. The department said some code areas are controlled at the state level (for example, the state plumbing code and the Illinois Energy Code), meaning local modification is limited in those areas.

The committee thanked staff for the presentation and discussed communications to residents about the benefits of Aurora’s high ISO rating and what adoption would mean for local property owners.