HomeMy WebLinkAbout09052024 BSC Agenda Item 3 FIRE
CODE
International Fire Code 2021 —Current Regulations
503.1.1 Buildings and facilities.
Approved fire apparatus access roads shall be provided for every facility, building or portion of a
building hereafter constructed or moved into or within the jurisdiction.The fire apparatus access
road shall comply with the requirements of this section and shall extend to within 150 feet (45 720
mm) of all portions of the facility and all portions of the exterior walls of the first story of the building
as measured by an approved route around the exterior of the building or facility.
Exceptions:
• 1.The fire code official is authorized to increase the dimension of 150 feet(45 720 mm)
where any of the following conditions occur:
0 1.1.The building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler
system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1,903.3.1.2 or 903.3.1.3.
0 1.2.Fire apparatus access roads cannot be installed because of location on
property,topography,waterways, nonnegotiable grades or other similar conditions,
and an approved alternative means of fire protection is provided.
1.3.There are not more than two Group R-3 or Group U occupancies
IRR GAT ON
How Cross Connection and Backflow Can Lead to Contaminated Water
It really happened in Texas:
• While mixing a batch of pesticide, a worker pushed a garden hose into the tank until it
touched the bottom.
• Nearby, city utility workers opened a flush valve, releasing a large flow of water from a water
main.
• Where the worker was mixing the pesticide,the water pressure dropped, and the flow in the
hose reversed.Water and pesticides flowed from the pesticide tank back through the hose
and into the water lines of the residence.
Luckily,this is where it stopped:The worker mixing the pesticide realized the danger and alerted the
utility workers,who closed the flush valve before the contamination reached the city's distribution
line.Still,good water and time were wasted:
• To remove the pesticide from the water lines of the customer, utility workers flushed those
lines.
• In case the water main had been contaminated,the utility workers had to flush the city's
distribution line,too.
• Until testing showed authorities that the city's water was safe,they warned customers in
the area not to drink it.
As shown by the case histories of backflow incidents maintained by the backflow-prevention
education program of the University of Florida's TREEO Center, not all cases of cross connection
and backflow end so smoothly.
Definitions
cross connection
a physical connection between drinkable water and a liquid or gas that could make the water
unsafe to drink(wherever there is a cross connection,there is a potential threat to public health
from the liquid or gas contaminants)
backflow
water flowing opposite to its intended direction, either from a loss of pressure in the supply lines or
an increase in pressure on the customer's side (in either of these situations, if any affected
customer's pipes include a cross connection, contaminants could be drawn through the cross
connection into that customer's pipes—and, if the backflow continues, perhaps even into the water
mains)
Your Role as a Water Customer
By taking steps to control cross connections and prevent the possibility of backflow at your home,
you will help to protect the public water supply and ensure that your family continues to enjoy safe
drinking water. Garden hoses and irrigation systems are common concerns, but there are other
common residential sources of cross connections,too.
Garden Hoses and Backflow
The garden hose is the most common cross connection. Each of these common uses of a garden
hose sets up a cross connection:
• forcing it into a clogged gutter, downspout, or sewer pipe to flush out the clog
• connecting it directly to a hose-end sprayer to apply pesticide or fertilizer to your yard
• connecting it to a soap-and-brush attachment to wash your car, boat, or siding
• letting the end of the hose lie in a puddle or pool of water on the ground
No doubt you can think of other examples. In each of these cases, if backflow happens,your
household's water lines could be contaminated. Depending on how long the backflow event lasts,
the contamination could spread to the public drinking water system. Fortunately,there are two
inexpensive ways to solve this problem:
• Make sure that the end of your garden hose is never submerged in or connected to a
nonpotable substance.This solution is free, but not highly reliable. Can you always be this
careful?
• Install a hose bibb vacuum breaker on each of your outside faucets.These inexpensive
devices are designed to allow water to flow in only one direction.You can find them at most
home supply stores and through plumbing suppliers. Before you use a hose-end sprayer,
you should first install a hose bibb vacuum breaker at the faucet.
Irrigation Systems and Backflow
As a homeowner,you may install and maintain your own irrigation system, but it's still important to
have a suitable backflow prevention assembly(BPA) in place and to be sure that it works properly.
Here are a few ways you can do just that:
• Hire a licensed irrigator.You can find one from our online licensing database.
• If you install your own system, have a licensed BPA tester confirm that the BPA is installed
and operating properly. Licensed BPA testers are also listed in our online licensing
database.
• TCEQ requires you to have a licensed BPA tester check the BPA when it is installed on your
irrigation system.Your water provider may have adopted additional codes or regulations
which require an annual test of the BPA on your irrigation system.
For more information see TCEQ's regulations for irrigation systems, or contact TCEQ's Landscape
Irrigation Program at 512-239-LAWN.
Your Water System's Role
Your water system's role begins with good system maintenance and sound operations. By replacing
pipes before they break,taking steps to ensure that system pressures do not fall during periods of
high demand, and asking for the cooperation of customers when there is a risk that system
pressures could fall below safe levels,your public water system operator reduces the risk of
backflow.
Many public water systems also operate rigorous cross-connection control(CCC) programs of their
own.They identify locations where the risk of cross connection is high and ensure that the proper
measures are taken to minimize that risk. For example,these and other businesses would be
required to install high-grade backflow prevention assemblies and have them tested by a certified
tester annually:
• mortuaries
• minor surgery centers
• hospitals
• chemical plants
Another aspect of an effective CCC program is the customer service inspection (CSI).Your public
water system must require a CSI to be performed under the following circumstances:
• All new construction.
• Existing customers that have had substantial plumbing modifications.
• Existing customers whenever there is a reason to suspect that a hazard or a source of
contamination may be present.
Water providers notify their customers that a CSI is required. Some public water systems have
licensed staff who perform the CSIs and then bill the customer for the inspection. Other public
water systems require the customer to hire a licensed person to conduct the CSI. The following
individuals are authorized to perform CSIs:
• A TCEQ-licensed Customer Service Inspector.
• A Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners(TSBPE) licensed Plumbing Inspector.
• A TSBPE-licensed plumber with a Water Supply Protection Specialist endorsement.
Our Occupational Licensing Section licenses Customer Service Inspectors and maintains
a database of licensed Customer Service Inspectors.
To learn more, read Introduction to Cross-Connection Control or the technical guidance.
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/drinkingwater/cross-connection
MAJOR
REMODELS
Sec. 1-3. Specific words and phrases.
As used in this Code,certain terms have the meanings set out below, unless the context clearly indicates that
another meaning is intended:
(1) Applicable regulations mean and include all ordinances and regulations of the city and all laws, rules
and regulations of the State of Texas and the federal government of the United States,to the extent
they may apply.
(2) BSC means the Building&Standards Commission of the city.
(3) Building official means the official appointed as such under chapter 18 of this Code.
(4) City means the City of West University Place, in the County of Harris and State of Texas.
(5) Control means, with respect to property,to control the use and condition of the property. It is
presumed that a person controls a site and all structures thereon if the person arranges for, or pays
for, any utility service for the site, but only for the time period during which such utility service is
provided to the site. Proof of such arrangements or payments may consist of excerpts from the
customer billing records of the company or entity(e.g.,the city) providing the service.
(6) County means Harris County,Texas.
(7) Development means either the construction of a new structure or the expansion of the external
dimensions of an existing structure.
(8) Holiday means a holiday officially recognized by the city on which most city offices are closed.
(9) Major development means the construction of a new principal building or additions to an existing
principal building which increase its gross floor area to 150 percent or more of its gross floor area on
April 9, 1990(or the date it was completed, if completion occurred after April 9, 1990).
(10) Major remodeling means any one or more alterations of or additions to a building for which a permit or
permits are required and which have a fair market value of$5,000.00 or more(collective value of all
alterations and additions done at or about the same time).
(11) Month means a calendar month.
(12) Or may be read "and," and "and" may be read "or," if the sense requires it.
(13) Owner,when applied to property, includes any part owner,joint owner,tenant in common,tenant in
partnership,joint tenant or tenant by the entirety of the property.A person is presumed to own a
parcel or item of property if:
a. The person is shown on the current tax or appraisal roll as the owner of the property; or
b. The property was conveyed (or purportedly conveyed)to the person by deed, bill of sale or other
document,and a search has revealed no similar document conveying(or purporting to convey)
the property to someone else subsequently.
(14) Person includes natural persons and all other legal entities, including all those mentioned in chapter
311,Texas Government Code.
(15) Preceding,following mean next before and next after, respectively.
(16) Pre-development activity means demolition, moving of buildings, site clearing or grubbing,grading, and
any other activity which disturbs the surface of land and is actually undertaken, or customarily
undertaken, as preparation of development.
(17) Premises includes both:
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a. A separately occupied or used land area;and
b. A building(or a distinct,separately occupied and controlled part of a building) and all
appurtenant grounds,structures and areas.
(18) Residential quiet hours means those hours when many people are sleeping or engaged in quiet
activities at home.They are hereby designated as follows:
Any weekday(Monday through Friday, except the Before 7:00 a.m.or after 7:00 p.m.
holidays mentioned below):
Any Saturday(except the holidays mentioned below): Before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m.
Any Sunday, New Year's Day,Thanksgiving Day, Before 12:00 noon or after 5:00 p.m.
Christmas Day, Independence Day,and any city
holiday on which there is no curbside trash collection:
(19) Roadway means that portion of a street area improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic
(excluding private driveways).
(20) Sidewalk means any portion of the street area intended for the use of pedestrians between the curb
(or the lateral line of the roadway)and the adjacent property line.
(21) State, "the state,"or"this state"means the State of Texas.
(22) Street area means any highway,alley,street, avenue or public place or square, bridge,viaduct,
underpass,overpass,tunnel or causeway in the city,dedicated or devoted to public use, and includes
all of the area between the right-of-way lines.
(23) ZBA means the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the city.
(24) Z&PC means the Zoning& Planning Commission of the city.
(25) Zoning ordinance means the city's comprehensive zoning ordinance.
(Code 2003, § 1.003; Ord. No. 1779, § 1(1.003), 1-24-2005; Ord. No. 2098, § 1(App.A), 7-27-2020)
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Sec. 18-9. Certificates of occupancy.
(a) Generally.A certificate of occupancy is a type of permit.All of the provisions of this chapter pertaining to
permits apply with respect to certificates of occupancy, including,without limitation,the provisions relating
to temporary or conditional permits and appeals to the BSC.
(b) When required. Unless a certificate of occupancy authorizing the conduct in question is in effect(and not
revoked,canceled or suspended), it shall be unlawful for any person to:
(1) Occupy any new structure;
(2) Change the occupancy of any structure,whether by changing ownership, changing tenancy or
otherwise(Exception:this paragraph does not apply to single-family detached dwellings);
(3) Change the use of any structure;or
(4) Otherwise change any place or activity in such a way that there would be a change in the number of
off-street parking spaces required by the zoning ordinance.
(c) Application;contents.To obtain a certificate of occupancy, a person must apply to the building official.A
certificate of occupancy,to be valid, must name a specific person as the holder of the certificate.The
certificate shall only authorize that person and that person's spouse,dependents, invitees and licensees to
use or occupy the property described.
(d) Conditions for issuance.The building official shall not issue a certificate of occupancy unless it appears that
there has been substantial compliance with:
(1) Permit requirements and conditions(e.g., installation of trees,sidewalks,or other equipment or
facilities);
(2) Requirements for site clean-up;and
(3) All other applicable regulations.
(e) Supporting certificates.The building official may require the filing of sworn supporting certificates touching
upon the matters in this section as a condition of issuing a certificate.The supporting certificates may be
required of the proposed certificate holder as well as architects,engineers,contractors and others involved
in the work(any or all).
(f) Posting.A certificate of occupancy for any nonresidential building shall be continuously posted at a place to
which the public has free access (during normal business hours) and such that it is visible from the principal
entrance to such building.
(Code 2003, §6.109)
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