2006 Code Change Cycle General Information

The final building and fire regulations were published in the Virginia Register on March 17, 2008.  They can be found at:  http://register.state.va.us/vol24/Welcome.htm The 2006 regulations will become effective on May 1, 2008.

**Code Change Cycle Update, effective September 17, 2007

The Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) and the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC) proposed regulations were published in the Virginia Register on June 11, 2007 (Volume 23, Issue 20), which may be accessed online at: http://legis.state.va.us/codecomm/register/vol23/Welcome.htm.

The 60 day comment period will run through Aug. 11, 2007, which is the cut off date for the acceptance of new code change proposals for these regulations.

The Virginia Amusement Device Regulations (VADR) and the Virginia Industrialized Building Safety Regulations (IBSR) are scheduled to be published in the Virginia Register on July 23, 2007 with the 60 day comment period and cut off date for new code change proposals ending Sept. 23, 2007.  

The proposed regulations approved by the Virginia Board of Housing and Community Development for the VADR and the IBSR are in the C & S  Committee March 26, 2007 Agenda Package, second half for review before their publication in the Virginia Register.

The compilation document containing all code changes and staff evaluations is now available.  It is in six parts and links to each part are provided below.  The 30-day comment period to further comment on any code change proposal is from September 17, 2007 to October 17, 2007.  Comments may be submitted to the Technical Assistance Services Office (TASO), 501 N. 2nd Street, Richmond, VA 23219-1321, telephone (804) 371-7140, FAX (804) 371-7092 or email bhcd@dhcd.virginia.gov.

Compilation Document – Part I (Code Changes C-103.1 – C-310.6(R408.1)) - 4mb
Compilation Document – Part II (Code Changes C-310.6(R602.3) – C-408.8)- 4mb
Compilation Document – Part III (Code Changes C-503 – C-2803.1(M701.1))- 4mb
Compilation Document – Part IV (Code Changes C-2804.1(FG310.1) – C-3501.1-c)- 4mb
Compilation Document – Part V (Code Changes C-3501.1-d – F110.1)- 4mb
Compilation Document – Part VI (Code Changes F-111.1 – CS-41) - 4mb

Changes to the Virginia Certification Standards and the Virginia Manufactured Home Safety Regulations are being handled differently in this code change cycle.  While the Board approved some changes to these regulations, they are minor and do not contain substantive issues.  Therefore, these regulations are using a fast-track process and will be published only as final regulations with an effective date to coincide with the USBC, SFPC, VADR and the IBSR.  The fast-track regulations are scheduled to be published in the July 23, 2007 Virginia Register.

Below you will find information outlining current activities in the 2006 Code Change Cycle for updating building and fire regulations.

1. A Notice of Intended Regulatory Action (NOIRA) is the first step in the regulatory update process. When published in the Virginia Register, a 30 day period is established for the submittal of comments concerning the Board of Housing and Community Development’s intent to update the building and fire codes. Approval for publishing the NOIRA has to be obtained through the Executive Branch of the state government (the Department of Planning and Budget, the Secretary of Commerce and Trade and the Governor’s Office). The NOIRAs for the 2006 code change cycle were published in the Feb. 5, 2007 Virginia Register.  The Virginia Register is a publication of the Virginia Code Commission used as a clearinghouse for viewing changes to any state agency’s regulations. The Virginia Register may be viewed at http://legis.state.va.us/codecomm/register/REGINDEX.HTM.
2. The next step in the code change process is the formulation and publishing of proposed regulations. The Board of Housing and Community Development approved proposed regulations for the Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC), Statewide Fire Prevention Code (SFPC), Virginia Certification Standards (VCS), Virginia Manufactured Home Safety Regulations (MHSR) and the Virginia Amusement Device Regulations (VADR) at its March 26, 2007 meeting. Those proposed regulations are now being considered for approval through the Executive Branch agencies and will published in the Virginia Register once authorized. The planned date of publication of the proposed regulations is May 28, 2007.
3. Once the proposed regulations are published, a 60-day public comment period for the submittal of any code change proposals to change the proposed regulations will be observed. The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) already has a number of code change proposals which have been submitted by various work groups and committees and by individuals or organizations. The last day for the acceptance of code change proposals is currently July 27, 2007, based on the proposed regulations being published in May. If the deadline changes, it will be announced on this Web page. Any proposals received after the deadline will be held over for the 2009 code change process.
4. During the 60-day comment period, the Board of Housing and Community Development is also conducting a public hearing to permit oral comment to accompany the submittal of code change proposals. The date of the public hearing is tentatively planned for July 24, 2007. The time and location of the hearing will be contained in the notice of public hearing found in the Virginia Register with the proposed regulations.
5. After the 60-day comment period ends and the public hearing has been held, DHCD staff will compile public comment and code change proposals. A staff evaluation will be done for each proposal and then a compilation document will be developed. This compilation document will contain all the code change proposals, testimony of the public hearing and the staff evaluations. We are currently planning on having the compilation document available in Adobe (PDF) format and downloadable from this Web page and from other selected Web sites.
6. Once the compilation document is available, a second comment will be established. We anticipate the second comment period to be a 30-day comment period from mid-September to mid-October of 2007. This comment period provides the opportunity for all interested parties to review all proposals submitted and to review the staff evaluations for all proposals. The Board will accept comments during this period on any proposals and on the staff evaluations. In other words, if you or your group wish to argue against a proposal, you may submit comments requesting the Board to reject the proposal providing any necessary substantiation. If you or your group disagrees with a staff evaluation, then you may submit comments to that effect. You may also submit comment supporting a particular proposal.
7. At the end of the second comment period, all comments will be compiled and the Board will consider each proposal. The anticipated time frame for the Board’s action on all proposals is early November 2007 with the anticipated final action by the Board on Dec. 10, 2007. Once the Board’s decisions are made, staff will prepare the final regulations for submittal through the Executive Branch agencies and for final publication in the Virginia Register. The final regulations are slated to become effective in March of 2008.

The following forms and publication links are to information relative to the 2006 Code Change Cycle. If further information is needed, please contact the Technical Assistance Services Office at (804) 371-7150.

Forms and Publications

New Code Change Form without boxes >> MS Word Format

2006 Code Change Cycle Schedule >> PDF

C & S Committee Book I (November 16, 2006) >> PDF (1st half) >> PDF (2nd half)

C & S Committee Book II (February 20, 2007) >> PDF (1st half) >> PDF (2nd half)

C & S Committee March 26, 2007 Agenda Package >> PDF (1st half) >> PDF (2nd half)

April 9, 2007 Stakeholder’s Package >> PDF (1st part) >> PDF (2nd part) >> PDF (3rd part)

April 13, 2007 Workgroup Schedule and Assignments >> PDF