Council forms building-code review committee to recommend code year; staff flags ISO and cost trade-offs

The council approved forming a 10-member building-code review committee to evaluate which edition of the International Building Codes Marion should adopt and to return with a recommendation.

Staff explained that adopting the 2024 International Existing Building Code (IEBC) could reduce renovation costs for historic or existing structures compared with the 2021 code. Staff estimated a potential savings on new-home construction of roughly $2,200 per dwelling (comparison of 2021 vs 2024 without the energy code) and noted that some 2024 provisions (for example, lower vapor-barrier thickness and relaxed certain retrofit requirements) may reduce costs for remodels.

Council also heard that adoption carries up-front costs (PDF/code sets, publication fees, and training for plan review and inspection). Staff said the community’s Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating can be affected by up-to-date code adoption and demonstrated plan-review and inspection processes; improving ISO rating can reduce property insurance costs for owners. Council voted to approve the committee membership and timeline, with one abstention recorded.

What’s next: The committee will convene, review possible code years and recommended amendments (council asked committee to consider locally amendable provisions such as EV-ready requirements), and return to council with a recommended code year and proposed amendments.