Shawnee council adopts 2024 building and fire codes; commercial energy rules deferred

The Shawnee City Council on Nov. 24 approved seven ordinances to update the city's building and fire codes to align with the 2024 International Building Codes and Fire Codes. Council action to adopt the ordinances was reported as unanimous; the meeting record did not specify a numerical tally for that vote.

City staff from the Community Development Department and the Fire Department presented an overview of the proposed changes, saying the package includes new design provisions addressing lithium-ion batteries and updates to residential electrical requirements intended to increase energy efficiency. Staff reported that commercial energy codes were not included in this adoption "at this time," citing the high cost and added requirements those codes would impose on businesses.

The fire code updates include multiple provisions aimed at mitigating fires caused by lithium-ion batteries and adding features that staff said would help fire departments respond to such incidents. The residential code changes focus on electrical updates and measures intended to improve energy efficiency in homes. The communications director summarized these points for the public in the meeting wrap-up.

The ordinances take effect under the city's normal code-adoption processes; effective dates and implementation timelines were not specified in the meeting recording. Any future consideration of commercial energy code adoption was described by staff as a separate decision and was not acted on at this meeting.