by Andrew Getty
Questions & Answers
Q: When did Old Forge get its first building code?
A: May 1921.
Q: Really? 1921? You are kidding.
A: Nope. Actually in 1921 it was officially called the Building Code for the Village of Old Forge.
Q: How big was it?
A: Eighteen (18) pages of 3×5 inches; maybe a total of two pages of today’s text.
Q: How big is today’s code?
A: Between the actual codes text and all the reference material, it’s about six (6) feet of shelf, maybe more.
Q: Two pages seem pretty simple. When did all that change?
A: During the 50’s & 60’s New York State became aggressively involved in code standards.
Q: What about places like New York City?
A: NYC has had some fairly comprehensive fire safety standards for a very long time.
Q: Outside NYC, did all towns and villages have building codes back then?
A: No. Some did, some had nothing. Old Forge had its own.
Q: Why was that a problem?
A: Consistency of life safety from one town to another was lacking.
Q: So, you could go from one town to another and have very different standards?
A: Absolutely. Not just in fire safety, but structural integrity as well.
Q: Did this create a problem in encouraging growth and development in certain areas?
A: Sure. If one town had strict standards for construction, which would cost more money, it would often discourage investors for factories, commercial buildings, restaurants and even residential housing.
Q: Are the current codes now mandated?
A: Yes, by NYS law all municipalities in the state must adopt and enforce the NYS Uniform Code.
Q: When did this take effect?
A: 1984.
Q: What was in place before 1984?
A: New York State had developed a series of individual codes for single family homes, commercial buildings, industrial buildings and apartment style buildings.
Q: Were these older codes mandated?
A: Nope. They were totally optional and available if a local municipality wanted to adopt them.
Q: Did Old Forge adopt them?
A: Yes, but after the Village government was dissolved and the Town was created. By 1960, most municipalities ultimately did adopt the State Building Codes, but not all.
Q: Why were the state codes later mandated?
A: To create and ensure a level of life safety, structural safety around the state and to put all municipalities on the same level regarding the cost involved to build or remodel.
Q: This sounds like it could have been a little political, was it?
A: Oh yeah, it was. Lots of things were on the table and very much discussed.
Q: What kind of things?
A: Not just the technical standards of the code, but also who would enforce it, the fire departments or a building department? Who would pay for the cost of administration? Would inspectors be trained? Who pays for the training? Should they be certified or pass an exam? Who would pay for the voluminous printing of the codes?
Q: What kinds of conflicts happened in the state agencies or in local communities?
A: This writer was president of the Central NY Code & Building Officials during all this, remembering well the issues during the four- to five-year process before 1984.
The state agency OFPC (Office of Fire Prevention and Control) was at odds with another state agency DOS (Department of State). DOS was currently in charge of the codes as they were, and OFPC wanted that control for the new codes.
Q: Were there other problems as well?
A: Sure. Being that was 30 to 35 years ago, at the beginning of this career, there was no concern of losing a career that was just starting.
But there were plenty of people who had been employed for years by different municipalities that were scared they would lose their jobs if they could not pass the exams the state was going to require after hundreds of hours of training.
Some were forced out because they flunked the tests. It was a big deal then.
Q: Who won the battle?
A: DOS retained the responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the new Uniform Code.
However, OFPC was, and still is, actively involved in code changes and the ongoing process of revisions.
Q: Do you think the change in 1984 was a good change?
A: Ultimately yes. It set a standard of minimum training for enforcement people along with annual continued education. It required all municipalities enforce the same standards.
Q: Has there been any major changes since 1984?
A: Yes… in 2002, the state scraped the 1984 code and adopted the International Code.
The cost and complexity of having a state code, as compared to working from a standard that was being recognized around the country was huge.
It was also determined that it put the state at a disadvantage concerning the attraction of investment for growth and development against other states.
This was especially so in the re-hab of old, abandoned buildings that can be found in any city, town or village.
Q: Are there any new major developments coming along?
A: It is doubtful any change in administration or what code is used will happen in the near future. Almost every state in the country uses the International Building Code.
However, there may be some significant individual code standards that are revised that would create some controversy.