Council adopts changes to property-notice procedures and new commercial building code

The Topeka City Council voted April 14 to allow additional validated methods of service for property maintenance notices and to adopt the 2024 International Building Code for commercial construction with local amendments.

Property maintenance: City staff presented an ordinance amending local code to permit additional methods of service for property maintenance notices — adding first-class mail and electronic communication to the existing certified mail and personal service options. Staff said the change will let the property maintenance division issue richer digital notices and reduce costs: certified mail now costs roughly $8.60 per notice and the division issues thousands per year. Staff retained certified mail for required billing or invoice situations but asked to add alternatives for efficiency. The council approved the amendment.

Building code: The governing body also approved adopting the 2024 edition of the International Building Code with local amendments to maintain fire-resistive construction and alarm requirements for certain downtown mixed-use buildings and to continue previous exemptions treating small multifamily units as single-family for sprinkler requirements. Division director of development services described the review process with the Board of Building and Fire Appeals and industry stakeholders; council members asked staff to align the 2024 fire code updates in the next review cycle. The ordinance passed.

Both items passed on recorded votes during the meeting; staff noted some overlapping code chapters will be reconciled as the fire code is reviewed in the coming months.

Provenance: Property notices discussion SEG 2327–2490; building code discussion SEG 2496–2665.