Brief by Central Staff
Politics – February 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
Last year wasn’t a good one for local tourism, which meant that sales-tax collections were off, which means the City of Salida faces a shrinking budget, and might need some other revenue sources — like requiring $22 building permits for the most minor repairs, and collecting a $1,000 fine for each day of each violation.
That’s one explanation, anyway, for the city’s proposal to adopt the 2000 International Building Code.
Salida has operated under the 1990 Uniform Building Code. But it’s out of print now, and state law sensibly requires that copies of the building code be available for purchase. So Salida doesn’t have much choice but to adopt a newer building code.
There’s another incentive. The city contracts with the county for building inspections (back when the city did its own inspections, it had a part-time inspector who was also a contractor, and he once built a major addition onto a house without bothering to get a building permit). And at a Dec. 16 meeting, the Chaffee County Commissioners said the county would no longer inspect within the city unless the city adopted a new code within 30 days.
The new code, as written, will allow you to change a light bulb or paint a wall without a permit and the associated inspection and possible delay. But that’s about the size of it.
For instance, a permit is required for any plumbing work that involves “the replacement or rearrangement of valves, pipes, or fixtures.” In other words, putting a new ball-cock in your toilet tank is replacing a valve, and would thus require a building permit.
Replace the corroded old metal P-trap under your kitchen sink with a new plastic one? You’ll need a permit, since “if any concealed trap, drainpipe, water, soil, waste or vent pipe becomes defective and it becomes necessary to remove and replace the same with new material such work shall be considered as new work and a permit shall be obtained and inspection made as provided in this code.”
Need to replace the glass or screen in your storm door? A permit is required for the “rearrangement of parts of a structure affecting the egress requirements.” (Egress, like Salida, means exit.)
There’s plenty more, but you should have the idea by now. This code could be interpreted to require a building permit for the most routine aspects of household maintenance and repair.
Granted, the building inspector probably has some discretion, but wouldn’t it be better to adopt a sensible code in the first place? If you want to do some homework, the new building code is in the Salida Regional Library; pay particular attention to the administrative sections at the front of the codes.
We’re not going to argue that Salida should try to get by without a building code. It might make sense not to have a code when there’s only one house on every 640 acres, but in town, where buildings sit close to each other, protecting public health and safety means that the city government has to pay some attention to the quality of construction and repair.
But this much attention? We think not. Several people have suggested that the code be modified so that no permit is required for repairs of less than a certain sum (anything from $500 to $5,000) that do not involve a structural component.
That sounds sensible. Or the city could adopt another code (eg. the 1997 UBC) which is still in print. The Salida City Council held one hearing about the building code on Jan. 15, and will hold another at 5 p.m. on Jan. 29 in council chambers.
We’ll be there, and we hope you will be, too. Otherwise, the next time the toilet starts running, we could be waiting on our $22 building permits — or facing a fine of up to $1,000 for each day of each violation, and perhaps 60 days in jail, as well.
