The Wisconsin Commercial Building Code

After 3 days of building code seminars in Madison at the Alliant Energy Expo Center, I am gradually starting to recover. The educational sessions were great, actually: very informative, professionally done with a wide variety of participants and presenters in attendance.

A couple highlights of possible interest to others relating to the State of Wisconsin Commercial Building Code:

Item #1

Adoption of the 2009 version of the I-Codes (IBC, IECC, IEBC, etc.) is hoped to occur by July 1st. This seems to be a "hope" and not an "expectation" for a few reasons:

1. The Safety & Buildings Division will be moving from the Department of Commerce ot the Department of Regulation & Licensing with an expected effective date of July 1st.
2. The proposed changes to the building code need to receive the blessing of the Secretaries of the appropriate department head (now, is that the Commerce Secretary, or the Regs & Licensing Secretary, or more probably both of them?) before becoming finalized.
3. The proposed changes also need to go through the legislative bodies of the State Government before becoming adopted. Anyone heard what they're up to lately? I think they have some higher priorities than a new building code right now, and rightly so.

Item #2

Three Plan Reviewers allegedly retired just last week from the Green Bay plan review office at Safety & Buildings, presumably because of the same reasons for uncertainty outlined above. This leaves the Green Bay office with no plan reviewers left and the State-wide review system which until 18 months ago had 6 offices is now down to just 3: Madison, La Crosse (Holmen), and Waukesha. 18 months ago the single Hayward plan reviewer was laid off, more recently the Shawano office consolidated with Green Bay, and now the "effective" closing of the Green Bay office as all Plan Reviewers there have retired.

Expect plan review to take longer, especially if the spring construction season gets into full swing! Call early for engineering and state plan review so that your summer work doesn't have to become your fall work. Also, remember that for some extra money and with the Owner's signature we can get Permission to Start footings before review is done, but that's as far as you can go without plan review completed by the State.

Any questions, please call me.

Thanks!
Aaron Halberg, P.E.