PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

The Department of Labor & industry (L&I) has issued the final rules for the training & certification requirements for Pa. Code Administrators as required by the Uniform Construction Code, Act 45. L&I incorporated many of the comments from PACO and other interested parties. The major changes are; a clarification that current code administrator applies to any person currently performing code administration; Certified Building Code Officials (CBO) will not have to take the examinations for building inspector, residential building inspector and building plans examiner; the number of certifications required has been reduced. Building inspectors will be able to perform the duties of the residential building inspector. This also applies to the electrical, plumbing, mechanical and energy inspector certifications; current registered code administrators will be able to change employers without losing their status as a current code administrator; the three different terms used for inspectors have been clarified so they are consistent and clear; the registration fee shall be a single fee per application. Multiple certifications can be included in a single application; the 3 to 5 year grace period for current code administrators to obtain the required certifications begins at the effective date of the administrative and enforcement provisions rather then the effective date of the certification provisions. This could provide approximately six additional months to obtain the required certifications.

The proposed final draft of these regulations can be found on the L&I web site at www.dli.stste.pa.us or you may link from the PACO web site at www.paco-71.org. In addition to the final draft of the certification standards, there is a narrative that provides a description of the individuals and groups that responded to the first draft and L&I’s response to each of the changes recommended by these individuals. The Independent Regulatory Review Committee (IRRC) has scheduled a meeting on March 7th at 10:30 am at 333 Market Street, 14th floor, Harrisburg to review the final rules.
Robert Duncan, President
 

CHECK OUT THE NEC 1999 EDITION
If your municipality adopted and enforces the National Electric Code/1999 you need to know about Section 210-12, Arc-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection. Effective January 1, 2002, the NEC 1999 requires that all branch circuits 15- and 20- ampere receptacles installed in dwelling unit bedrooms be protected with AFCI’s. An AFCI is not the same as a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) in that an AFCI provides protection from any arcing by de-energizing the circuit when arcing is detected.

POSITIONS ARE AVAILABLE…..
for anyone who is looking to fill positions on the PACO executive board for the 2002 – 2003 terms. Any individuals who are interested in serving as a Board of Director, or an Officer should contact the PACO nomination committee chairman, Todd Meltsch at 45 Railroad Street, Kutztown PA 19530, Fax 610-683-3537. A Board of Director serves a one-year term, and no more than three consecutive one-year terms.

MEETING NOTICE
The Pennsylvania Association of Code Officials will hold its quarterly business meeting on Tuesday March 26, 2002. This will be the Annual Meeting for PACO. Election of Officers and Board of Directors will take place, starting at 9:00 A.M. at the ASTM Building, 100 Bar Harbor Drive in West Conshohocken, PA. The educational program will be on the updates to the National Electrical Code/1999 edition, which will immediately follow after the meeting. The instructor will be Mr. Stan Altzman from Code Inspections. The presentation will include an explanation of the function and requirements for Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupters. For more information or to obtain a registration form, please contact Jeff Gentile at 610-734-7613. There is no fee for current PACO members to attend this meeting. The fee for non-members to attend any quarterly meeting is $35.00, which includes the annual PACO membership.