Lewisville staff outline 2024 building and fire code updates, highlight EV, battery and sprinkler changes

At a workshop preceding the regular meeting, Lewisville building and fire officials presented proposed updates to local building and fire codes based on the 2024 model codes and a handful of local amendments intended to address emerging technologies and local development patterns.

Assistant City Building Official George Babon II and Fire Marshal Tom Leggler summarized hundreds of changes from the International Code Council and related standards and described the city’s proposed local tweaks for safety and practical implementation.

Key points staff highlighted include: • Texas Senate Bill 1202: Tom Leggler said SB1202 imposes a three‑business‑day turn‑around for certain EV charger and energy‑storage permits submitted with a certified third‑party inspection, noting the city has processed roughly 130 such permits since the requirement took effect and that fewer than a quarter were third‑party reviews.

• Residential energy‑storage limits: Staff said the 2024 code increases the allowable aggregated capacity without additional fire protection to 20 kilowatts, meaning larger multi‑pack installations will likely require added fire‑safety systems.

• EV charging and accessibility: A proposed local amendment would require that at least 5 percent (no fewer than one) of installed EV charging spaces be “accessible” where they exceed a site’s minimum accessible parking; staff clarified that an accessible EV stall above the site minimum can be used by any motorist but must meet striping, signage and width requirements.

• Parking garages and sprinklers: Staff proposed deleting an old exception for open parking garages and adopting the updated 2023 sprinkler design standard for garages; they also proposed requiring separate floor control valves so a single‑floor sprinkler shut‑off will not disable adjacent floors.

• Threshold for sprinklers in strip centers: To encourage infill and reduce retrofit costs, staff proposed raising the existing threshold that triggers retroactive sprinkler requirements in strip centers from 3,600 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft, while preserving sprinkler requirements driven by occupant load or hazard.

• Battery storage and detection: Commercial battery installations would be subject to additional detection (air‑aspirating or radiant detectors), required fire‑safety plans and third‑party fire‑watch requirements for some multi‑story or multi‑unit occupancies.

• Film production and other operational permits: Staff proposed adding NFPA‑140 provisions to regulate on‑site TV/film production safety and added a proposed operational permit for massage establishments modeled on Harris County practices to improve inspection and enforcement options.

Staff noted several implementation points: staff is completing redlines from legal counsel, will post proposed amendments for at least 21 days of public comment as required for local amendments to the International Building Code, and expects further refinement before bringing adoption ordinances forward. Officials advised that some technical policy choices — for example, whether to require particular mitigation technologies — are better handled as SUP conditions or administrative checklists rather than ordinance language because technology evolves rapidly.

Fire Marshal Leggler and other staff answered questions from council about enforcement of prohibited micromobility charging at single‑family homes (complaint driven) and the effectiveness of fire suppression blankets for EV fires (research ongoing). Officials said periodic monitoring and SUP‑level utility reporting could be added to permit conditions where necessary.