Condo Media - April 2024 - 34

The Region MAINE
Building codes in Maine have been
evolving from the very beginning. Until 2010,
Maine's construction industry was run under
a patchwork of building codes too numerous
to mention here. Every town and city had
its own codes or none at all. This means
most buildings in Maine today have that
background in their construction history.
In 2010, Maine decided to follow the national
trend to develop a state-wide uniform code
to be known as the Maine Uniform Building
and Energy Code (MUBEC). By 2015, it was
paired with the International Code covering
residential, building, existing building,
energy conservation, and mechanical codes,
including American Society of Heating,
Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) standards. With this
background in building code history, the following
four code myths should be understood:
The Nature of
Maine Building
Codes
Common Myths
[By Jack Carr, P.E., LEED-AP]
Spring is not far away. For your condo or homeowner association (HOA)
community, this may mean absent snowbirds will be returning to fill vacant
units and parking spaces. It is also the time when Maine's construction season
is about to begin. Should your community have an upcoming renovation project
and you are in a leadership position, your life is about to become complicated.
Your most essential job is to have a clear understanding of the responsibilities
and roles of all the participants and elements of the project. One of the most
misunderstood renovation issues is the nature of building codes.
Of course, it is understood the project is to be " built to code. " The proposed
project documents include the drawings and specifications calling out building
code requirements. The general contractor to be hired will be properly
vetted and their references verified. Yet with all these good intentions, it
is very possible the project will not meet " code " nor is it a guarantee the
building(s) will be safe. This is due to the myth of building codes.
34 CONDOMEDIA April 2024
CODE MYTH 1: All municipalities have
building codes. This building code system is
administered by the offices of the State Fire
Marshall. It sounds like this code system provides
the public with the protection needed.
However, the building code only covers
communities who have taken local action to
accept it and have populations greater than
4,000. Adding to the uncertainty of adequate
coverage is that Maine still does not license
its general contractors engaged in residential
construction. The joke around the office is the
project's general contractor is not licensed
by the state, but her hairdresser is required
to have a license. The project's plumbers,
electricians, and HVAC technicians must
be licensed but not the general contractor.
The latest attempt to change this in the 2023
legislature was LD 1929, " An Act to Protect
Consumers by Licensing Home Contractors. "
LD 1929 was tabled this past January.
CODE MYTH 2: All new buildings are in
compliance with the code. Be suspicious
of any builder who says his buildings are
always in compliance with the local codes.
Try to find a " code " book on a construction
site. Building codes are thousands of
pages long and normally only viewed on a
computer. The codes are very specialized by
profession, so the plumbing code is not well
known by the electrician, and the general
contractor depends on the various subcon
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