The 2007 Florida Building Codes with the 2009 revisions went into effect on March 1, 2009.   If you have plans prepared and signed that were not submitted to the building department for permitting before this date they will need to go back to the Design Professional and be revised prior to submission.  The primary reason for this is that the Design Professional is required by the code to submit plans that comply with the code in effect at the time the plan is submitted.  This requirement is given in the following paragraph from the 2007 Florida Building Code:

106.1.1 Information on construction documents.  Construction documents shall be dimensioned and drawn upon suitable material. Electronic media documents are permitted to be submitted when approved by the building official.  Construction documents shall be of sufficient clarity to indicate the location, nature and extent of the work proposed and show in detail that it will conform to the provisions of this code and relevant laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, as determined by the building official.

The second reason is that the Building Official is required to certify that the plans comply with the code in effect at the time a permit is issued.  This requirement is given in the following paragraph:

106.3.1 Approval of construction documents. When the building official issues a permit, the construction documents shall be approved, in writing or by stamp, as "Reviewed for Code Compliance." One set of construction documents so reviewed shall be retained by the building official. The other set shall be returned to the applicant, shall be kept at the site of work and shall be open to inspection by the building official or a duly authorized representative.

Building Officials we have spoken with refuse to take a follow-up letter from the Design Professional stating that a plan prepared under another code also complies with the 2007 Florida Building Code with the 2009 supplement.  The code specifically requires the plan to be in conformance so even a reference to an out of date code would prevent the Building Official from approving the plan as submitted.  

If you have questions about this issue, we're here to help. Contact Gary Pailthrop at gpailthorp@brackenengineering.com.

For those of you who deal with buildings in Special Flood Hazard Areas (A and V zones), you should know that FEMA has updated its Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM panels) and is in the process of releasing them. Florida's FIRM panels can be accessed online at no cost from FEMA at:
 www.fema.gov/hazard/map/firm.shtm

FEMA has also updated the Elevation Certificate form but has not released it yet. Although the old form expired on February 28, 2009 it was granted an extension until the new form is released. The new form is expected to be released by April 3, 2009. Until then the current form can be accessed online at no cost from FEMA at
www.fema.gov/pdf/nfip/elvcert.pdf

In both cases you will find some differences between the old and the new. Some of the changes include new zone designations; X, A, Ao, Ah, AE, VE, and A99. Not to mention the fact that a large number of areas all throughout the country have been revised and reclassified.

If you have questions about this issue, we're here to help. Contact William Bracken at wbracken@brackenengineering.com.

Partner Profiles: IRP
Author: Eric Gardner - Operations Manager 

IRP-Florida’s Historic Building Code section contains Building Codes that were in effect in Florida from as early as 1976.  Each code is separated into chapters and is available in PDF format from our site to registered users.  Each set of codes contains all the chapters that made up the volume when it was in effect.  IRP-Florida has the largest online collection of historic Florida codes.  This database allows construction, insurance, and law professional’s access to the historic codes that they may need for a project or case.  With the most accurate and accessible information possible, IRP-FLORIDA will help you to produce a more accurate and better quality product.

In order to view the historic building codes please log onto www.irp-florida.com and register for an account. 

If you are affected by these changes and have questions about the impact, we're here to help. Contact Eric Gardner at egardner@irp-fl.com.