Preston adopts updated state building codes, repealing outdated Title 15

The Preston City Council voted to repeal the city's existing Title 15 (building and construction) and adopt a new Title 15 that formally aligns city code with the state-adopted codes.

Staff explained that Preston’s older Title 15 referenced long-obsolete standards and that, in practice, the city has followed the state-adopted codes. The ordinance replaces the outdated language and incorporates the 2018 International Building Code with Idaho amendments, the Idaho Residential Code, the Idaho Energy Conservation Code and related electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire codes as cited in the ordinance. The package also formally adopts the Idaho Standards for Public Works Construction (ISPWC) for public-works specifications such as roads and manholes.

Building Inspector Kurt Fuller and staff described operational benefits, including clearer inspection standards and fewer inconsistencies between city and state references. Staff also noted the city will consider developing Preston-specific supplemental public-works standards through Keller & Associates and Planning and Zoning.

City Clerk Linda Aycock read Ordinance 2026-3 in summary; the council introduced and approved the ordinance by roll-call vote. Council members asked about floodplain mapping and whether building permits would continue to be checked by public works; staff confirmed those checks would remain part of the permitting process.

The ordinance lists the codes adopted and provides for publication by summary and an effective date; violations of the adopted title are described as misdemeanors in the ordinance text.