Salina advisory board recommends technical corrections to local building-code references

The Salina Building Advisory Board on May 12 recommended that the City Commission approve a set of technical corrections to local amendments so those provisions align with the 2018 model building, residential and pool codes.

The changes, presented by staff, update internal code references that were not carried over when Salina adopted the 2018 code editions effective Jan. 1, 2026. Staff said the requested edits are primarily clerical and organizational — relocating sections and updating cross-references — rather than substantive policy changes.

Jim Reid, a staff member who presented the package, said the amendments fall into four categories: relocation of stairway provisions in the International Building Code (IBC), removal or rewording of fixture-count language, updating the local reference to the 2018 Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code, and deleting a redundant amendment to the Uniform Mechanical Code’s electrical-connections section. "The proposed new reading is what the 2018 reads," Reid said, explaining the edits reconcile the local code with current model-code section numbers and text.

Board members asked specific questions about the practical effects of the edits. Charles Renz, a committee member, asked whether the stairway provision’s 48-inch minimum clear width still carries exceptions for sprinklered buildings or low-occupancy stairways: "Is there an exception to that stairway width based on either sprinkler system or areas of lower occupancy?" Reid replied that two exceptions carry forward: buildings equipped with automatic sprinkler systems (per the cited sprinkler sections) and stairways accessed from a refuge area in conjunction with a horizontal exit. "Other than those two exceptions, then the stairway width must be 48 inches," Reid said.

On pools, the staff presentation noted that pool and spa provisions were consolidated into the 2018 stand-alone pool code and local references should point to that book rather than appendix G of the International Residential Code. A board member recalled a prior local amendment affecting above-ground pools and asked whether fencing standards changed; another member clarified that the uniform pool code sets a 48-inch fence height for above-ground seasonal pools (reduced from the previous 6-foot reference) and that the proposed amendments only redirect the local text to the correct 2018 pool-code sections.

The staff presentation also recommended deleting a local amendment to "Section 3.10 — Electrical connections" because that language is now amended in a separate UMC section and leaving the duplicate text would create repetition.

After discussion, Charles Renz moved that the board recommend approval of the proposed local amendments to the IBC and the UMC "as presented," and Ben Wenholz seconded. The board approved the motion by voice vote. The chair declared the motion passed and staff clarified that the board’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Salina City Commission for final consideration.

No formal roll-call vote was recorded in the meeting transcript; the board used a voice vote to approve the recommendation. The board adjourned after the vote.