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Building Codes and Inspections/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Garage Attic Space | 7/19/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: My husband and I recently bought a house with a large attic space over the garage. This space is ... A: The ceiling on top of which items are stored was probably not designed for storage, but rather for ... | ||
| 20min rated non-egress doors | 7/14/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: Is a single 20min non-egress door require hardware to be self closing /latching? Non-egress door is ... A: Yes, if the door is required to be 20 minute fire rated, it has to be self-closing and ... | ||
| vent fan | 7/7/2011 | Fred Weldin |
| Q: does my vent fan in the bathroom have to run from the outside? A: TD: Yes (I assume you mean "to the outside"). Furthermore, many jurisdictions require round metal ... | ||
| Bathroom door <32" in Jersey City High Rise | 7/2/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: we have two bathrooms, and one has a 30" door. Its a one story apt (in a 34 story high-rise in ... A: My only expertise on door width has to do with accessibility for persons with disabilities. If it's ... | ||
| Gas fired hot water heater flue | 7/1/2011 | Fred Weldin |
| Q: i live in mexico and am building a wood frame house. Im going to install a rheem 152ltr gas fired ... A: Ryan: Forgive me, but I was trying to be polite. Please look at this from my perspective: Here's a ... | ||
| Interior Door Jamb | 6/23/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I have noticed that interior door jambs are typically shimmed between the jamb and the frame. Our ... A: This is not something that I would normally get involved with - my expertise is in commercial doors ... | ||
| sliding glass doors | 6/22/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I am appraising a house that is 16 years old. The dining room has a sliding glass door with no ... A: This isn't really a door question and that's my area of expertise. I'm positive that there is a ... | ||
| nyc code | 6/22/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: We have a client that lives in a two family house in the Bronx, NY. She was exiting the houses and ... A: Well, I'm not an attorney, and not a NYC code expert either. However, I do believe it is the owner ... | ||
| Handrail on new stairs in a 7 Unit Apartment building | 6/18/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I purchased a 7 Unit apartment house in Swoyersville, PA a few months ago in Luzerne County. The ... A: Yes, you need handrails on both sides. Here is a summary of rules for stairs:If you want to see the ... | ||
| Handrail on new stairs in a 7 Unit Apartment building | 6/17/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I purchased a 7 Unit apartment house in Swoyersville, PA a few months ago in Luzerne County. The ... A: I know how hard times are right now, and any expenditure that does not seem necessary is very ... | ||
| restrooms in restuarants | 6/9/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I live in Honolulu/Waikiki Hawaii and have noticed a serious problem with homelessness here which ... A: I have to confess that I do not know the codes in your state about this. I think that in California, ... | ||
| "California" contracted grade 2 Braille. | 5/23/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: Is there a difference between "california contracted grade 2 braille" and "contracted grade 2 ... A: Contracted (Grade 2) Braille, applies only to the translation of braille, i.e. how the words in ... | ||
| outside stairs | 5/17/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I live in an area of Texas where the ground is known to shift. When my house was built, it was built ... A: This is a fairly common problem. The structure, which is on a foundation, does not settle. The ... | ||
| fire rating for inside door going from garage into house | 5/9/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I have a steel door with windows fire rated for 20 minutes. This door is an inside door going from ... A: Most residential building codes require a 20-minute rated door or equivalent between the house and ... | ||
| Main entrance door closers | 5/3/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I am finishing 3 apartments on the second floor of a commercial building and the inspector is asking ... A: Typically the door between an apartment and the corridor would be fire rated, and fire doors must be ... | ||
| Are buinesses required to have public restrooms? | 4/24/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: Yesterday, My mother and I and my 3 yr old daughter (who now only wears big girl underwear, no ... A: I am sure there is no obligation in a business without sit-down eating facilities to have a public ... | ||
| ext door | 4/4/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: i'm replacing a door on a commercial building , does the new door need to swing out? there are 2 ... A: Building codes typically require doors to swing in the direction of egress (out) when the door is ... | ||
| Building Permits | 4/4/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: We collect building permit information in Utah. All the counties and cities let us have copies of ... A: What you have is a legal question more so than a code question. I can tell you that in Pennsylvania ... | ||
| Electric Hot Water Heaters | 3/28/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: My home was built in PA in 2000. I am selling and the buyer's inspector said I need an expansion ... A: A home built in 2000 will not meet today's code in 2011, nor is it required to. The Pennsylvania ... | ||
| Interior ADA Code Signage placement/surfaces | 3/25/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: Mr. Fuller: I am preparing a proposal for a long-standing client of mine for their new project, ... A: I have no idea why they're saying that, because they shouldn't be causing you to create a violation. ... | ||
| boiler room | 3/18/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: What is the code for storing stuff in a boiler room? I work at a school and the boiler room is nice ... A: My apologies for taking a couple days to get back to you, as I was away. The purpose of the ... | ||
| Finger Guard at Center Pivot Hung Doors | 3/18/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: Does a building code exist that states a finger guard is required at center pivot hung commerical ... A: I don't know of any national code that requires this, and I would have run into it if it existed. ... | ||
| commercial stair codes | 3/8/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: what is the minimum stair tread depth? A: From the International Building Code and ANSI Standards IBC 1009.3 Stair treads and risers. Stair ... | ||
| graywater drain into basement | 3/6/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: my sons house's basement was flooded today. i noticed in the corner after removing a peice of wood, ... A: I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean, but it sounds like grey water is being run into a ... | ||
| goodafter noon | 3/6/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: i would like to ask about,i need to makes safety warning signs to stick over the glass balconies one ... A: If your state has a specific wording and a specific statute for such signs, you need to find out ... | ||
| Garage under house | 3/3/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: Our raised ranch was built in the 70's and the garage is under the bedrooms. We only have insulation ... A: First, contact your local Building Official to see what the building code is in your municipality, ... | ||
| Men/Women Restrooms | 3/2/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: We have a small office with about 10 employees, 2 women and 8 men. The original office manager made ... A: I don't believe there are any laws against that, unless you are remodeling, in which case the ADA ... | ||
| Vinyl Flooring Installation | 2/22/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I just purchased a vinyl flooring measurement from Home Depot and the gentlemen there told me I had ... A: They probably do that for liability reasons so an installer isn't grinding it and creating airborne ... | ||
| conduit support | 2/18/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: The NEC code for emt conduit support states 3 feet from a termination point. Does this include ... A: I'm sorry this is so far from my field in ADA signage. However, you might get an answer at a code ... | ||
| Hot Water Heater | 2/16/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: What are the code requierments for a hot water heating unit that is located in outside closet ... A: Generally speaking, the unit has to be installed in accordance with it's listing (the manufacturer's ... | ||
| Paint and welding area | 2/16/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I have a building that is a warehouse, type S-2 occupancy. the building is a tilt up concrete ... A: Based on the 2009 ICC International Building Code, there are accessory use occupancies which cannot ... | ||
| REVENTING THE UTILITY ROOM | 2/3/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I live in a townhouse in the DC area. The utility closet with furnace and hot water heater are in ... A: The inspector was correct in that the vents are required for combustion air for the burner(s) of the ... | ||
| Direct vent hot water heater | 2/3/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I live in Montgomery Co., PA. I hope to install a direct vent gas hot water heater. I currently ... A: If this installation is in a single family dwelling, the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code ... | ||
| hot water tank location | 2/2/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I need to move my Electric hot water tank and the best location, with the least amount of work, ... A: The answer really lies with your local Building Official who can advise you of their code in your ... | ||
| Door weight | 1/26/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: Are there certain codes for weight of doors in public places and if so, is it required to have ... A: There are no requirements for door weight. If a door doesn't have a door closer and someone slams ... | ||
| Glass in entrance doors | 1/25/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I have a condo with a back door fire escape in the kitchen. The door is half wood and the top half ... A: I can only go by my own feeling, which is that you certainly should have safety glass in the door. ... | ||
| gas water heater | 1/20/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: My gas water heater is out in the open in the laundry room. I would like to put some free standing ... A: The issues involved are the clearance to combustibles, and the need for adequate combustion air. ... | ||
| Electrical Room | 1/17/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: If an electrical room with 1200 amps needs a door with an exit device, when would it be necessary to ... A: I wish I had a simple answer, but this is a complicated question based on information I don't have. ... | ||
| Trip and fall... On stair case | 1/17/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I was in Hawaii,and slipped down a entire flight of stairs! Breaking my right foot, along with a few ... A: We talk about stairs and how dangerous they are at every meeting of the American National Standards ... | ||
| asbestos shingles | 1/13/2011 | . |
| Q: my husband just received an e mail from you about asbestos shingles on a home we just moved into you ... A: A few previously broken transite shingles on the exterior of the house will pose no greater of a ... | ||
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Building Codes and Inspections
Answers by Expert:
Keith Fuller
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I'm an ICC Certified Master Code Professional fielding general building code questions. My experience has been heavy in fire related issues.
Experience
I've been employed since 1985 as an inspector and plan reviewer, and am a municipal Assistant Building Official and Deputy fire Marshal. I've had fire service experience since 1972, having served as a three time Fire Chief and Fire Marshal in years past. The increasing workload, mandatory certifications, and continuing education requirements in recent years have caused me to concentrate my efforts on code related issues. I hold national fire service certifications as well.
Education/Credentials
ICC Master Code Professional
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