Local governments in St. Louis County, Mo. have outdated and redundant building codes that frustrate commercial and residential developers, according to a report by St. Louis REALTORS.
The report focused on commercial and residential codes and electrical, mechanical, and property maintenance. It found that no single list compiled building codes for the county.
The report examined 42 codebooks from 89 communities totaling nearly 17,000 pages. The St. Louis region’s combined codes are nearly double the length of the Internal Revenue Service Code, dwarfing the optimal length of a consistent countywide code, which should total around 3,000 pages, the report says.
The report outlined several potential solutions. One option would be for a countywide vote to approve a consistent standard, but the authors noted a similar proposal was rejected by voters 50 years ago.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | May 24, 2019
AIA updates Interiors Contract Documents
Six revised documents available for interior construction projects.
Codes and Standards | May 23, 2019
Northern California casino offers a template for resilient microgrids
Solar power with batteries and backup generators provide weeks of self-reliance.
Codes and Standards | May 23, 2019
Austin creates innovative plan to boost affordable housing
Approach includes loosened zoning, incentives for higher density in lower-cost and mixed-income developments.
Codes and Standards | May 20, 2019
Effort launched to develop better process for zero-carbon retrofits in multifamily sector
Rocky Mountain Institute, Dept. of Energy, California Energy Commission join forces.
Codes and Standards | May 20, 2019
Property lenders shouldn’t invest for 30 years in most of Florida, expert warns
Climate ignorance driving some ‘insane’ deals.
Codes and Standards | May 17, 2019
NIMBYism is the biggest multifamily construction barrier
National Apartment Assn. report assesses reasons for difficulty in creating more apartments.
Codes and Standards | May 17, 2019
Dept. of Energy to award up to $33.5 million for advanced construction R&D
Focus is on techniques to reduce energy bills.
Codes and Standards | May 16, 2019
Mixed reviews on targeted tax break for San Francisco neighborhood
“Twitter tax break” may have worsened some of the area’s problems.
Codes and Standards | May 15, 2019
OSHA inspections to increase, says Secretary of Labor
Newly hired inspectors getting up to speed.
Codes and Standards | May 14, 2019
Database records more than 1,360 K-12 school shooting incidents since 1970
Naval Postgraduate School program maps locations nationwide.