First major revision of the City’s Building Code to take effect July 2008. On June 27, 2007, the City Council voted 47-0-1 to approve the Bloomberg Administration’s proposal to replace the City’s building code with a modified version of the International Building Code. The vote followed two public hearings before the City Council’s Committee on Housing & Buildings and culminated nearly five years of work led by the Department of Buildings. Over 400 volunteers, primarily experts in the fields of construction, fire safety, engineering, architecture, government and affordable housing, labored over section-by-section revisions to the International Building Code to make it applicable to the city’s unique density and building issues.

The Council approved a new Building, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Code along with amendments to the new administrative sections of the code. This vote followed the 2005 approval of a new Plumbing Code and the administrative sections which are to become effective with the full code. Mayor Bloomberg signed the new code on July 3rd. (read more…)