At the latest Boston Society of Architects (BSA) meeting this past Wednesday, an update was provided on the adoption of new code editions in Massachusetts. The following information was provided as part of the meeting:
Building Code
- The 9th Edition of 780 CMR is tied up in the Building Code Coordination Committee (BCCC)
- The last BCCC meeting was cancelled
- Next BCCC meeting is hopefully soon and it is possible to get release on the 9th Edition soon
Energy Code
- The IECC needs to be adopted soon by law, and currently the administration is holding it up
- The BBRS adopted a majority of the energy provisions (MA amended 2015 IECC) yesterday for low rise residential and commercial buildings at their meeting with the following portions not yet accepted:
- Solar roof top preparedness
- This will be included at the same time as the 9th Edition of 780 CMR
- They also adopted the updated stretch code with no amendments
- Working to get these promulgated now – the date is suspected to be soon
Elevator Code
- Public hearing on the new 524 CMR on 8/22/16 (targeted date currently for public hearing)
- The new elevator code will be based on ASHRE 2013
- Code will have new format to better align with building code
- There will still be unique MA requirements but they are trying to rely on international codes
Keep an eye out for more updated code update information in the coming weeks!
