Peak Engineering office is closed from February 1st as Brian is having eye surgery. He will not be able to do any site inspections or design work for a week. So, feel free to email lytton@peakeng.com any design work or inspection notices so he can schedule you in quickly when he is back to work.
Now, as you may have noticed from the previous post, the B.C. Building Code is changing on March 8th, 2024 which means the Letters of Assurance (Schedule B and C submitted with design drawings) will be for NEW BUILDING CODE starting on March 8th.
So there will be a “tight” two weeks when Brian will be available to get the design submittal ready for the 2018 B.C. Building Code.
What is the difference between the 2018 and 2024 Building Code?
You can now have access to 2024 Building Code online to view the changes.
This Press Release was sent out about the upcoming changes.
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The Province has adopted the 2024 edition of the British Columbia Building Code, including Book II Plumbing Systems (BC Codes 2024). A news release announcing adoption is available on BC Gov news.
The BC Codes 2024 will come into effect on March 8, 2024, and will apply to building permits applied for on or after that date. Buildings with permits in place under the BC Codes 2018 will generally not be affected by the adoption of the new BC Codes.
The effective date for the new adaptable dwellings and earthquake design changes will be deferred to March 10, 2025, to allow additional engagement and sufficient training to support innovative and cost-effective design solutions.
To download a free copy of the BC Codes 2024, please visit the Building and Safety Standards’ website. Print publications are anticipated to be available for purchase online later in 2024. The Province will notify code users and industry professionals when the print publications are available.
Although the 2024 BC Building Code includes most of the 2020 National Building Code requirements, some BC-specific code changes include:
- requiring 100% adaptable dwellings in large condominium and apartment buildings and some first-floor dwelling units in new small apartments and condominiums with shared entrances and common corridors to be adaptable (effective March 2025);
- reinforcement of bathroom walls to allow future installation of grab bars (effective March 2025);
- early adoption of the national provisions to improve earthquake design changes for housing and small buildings with high seismic hazard values (effective March 2025);
- more complete and specific language for constructing extended rough ins for radon subfloor depressurization systems (March 2024);
- adopting cooling requirements to provide one living space that does not exceed 26 degrees (March 2024); and
- retaining existing ventilation requirements for systems serving single dwelling units.
New National Code content for large farm buildings and farm building equipment as well as un-sprinklered home-type care occupancies have not been adopted. The Province will be conducting further analysis on these matters. The National Farm Building Code of Canada 1995 continues to apply to farm buildings.
