BUILDING REVIEW BOARD AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Provide feedback on significant changes identified through the 2024 Building Code Update.
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Mark Dudash, Chief Building Official
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The BRB is considering this item at the April 16, 2025 meeting.
BACKGROUND:
The following codes establish minimum construction requirements of structures promoting the health, safety and welfare of the people, in addition to establishing minimum requirements of energy conservation and accessibility. The current adopted codes include the following:
• 2018 International Building Code
• 2018 International Residential Code
• 2018 International Property Maintenance Code
• 2018 International Fire Code
• 2018 International Fuel Gas Code
• 2018 International Mechanical Code
• 2018 International Plumbing Code
• 2018 International Existing Building Code
• 2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code
• 2017 National Electric Code (NFPA 70)
• 2006 International Code Council Electrical Administrative Provisions
• 2018 Life Safety Code (NFPA 101)*
• Illinois Energy Conservation Code, Current Edition*
• National Fire Code (NFPA), Current Edition
• Illinois State Plumbing Code, Current Edition*
• Illinois Accessibility Code, Current Edition*
• Local Amendments per Naperville Municipal Code
*Mandated codes
Building codes are ever evolving to keep pace with new technology, materials and trends in the building industry, it is recommended to review and adopt the latest codes on a regular basis to ensure continued quality and safe construction. It should be noted that some codes are mandatory and cannot be amended, unless amendments are stricter than the mandated code. The mandatory codes have been identified with an asterisk (*) above. Since December 2024, committees have been reviewing the new code provisions to identify and discuss significant code changes. The code committees include city staff as well as representatives from the business, building, and residential community, depending upon the code section being evaluated. Input from these groups is integral to the review and eventual adoption of the new code provisions. By establishing teams with members from various sectors, each member can bring expertise to the discussion, with the end goal to reach consensus on codes that meet the needs of the community.
An overview of the 2024 Building Code Update schedule and milestones is provided
below in Table 1. Several of the code committees have identified their significant code changes and are now seeking feedback from the BRB. As noted below, this will be the first of several times in which the BRB will discuss the significant code changes.
Staff’s goal for the April - June BRB meetings is to present significant changes and receive feedback. Feedback from the BRB on all significant code changes will be presented to the City Council at a future meeting. Staff will seek City Council feedback prior to soliciting formal comments from the building community and public. Following this period, staff recommendations will be brought back to the BRB and City Council.
DISCUSSION:
Upon review of the new code provisions, staff developed a matrix which highlights significant and minor changes being proposed. Significant changes are defined as 2024 and 2021 Building Codes and amendments that differ from the existing 2018 International Building Code requirements and local amendments which may impact the builder/developer/owner financially or cause greater effort to comply. While minor changes reflect current policies or practices the building community is already comfortable implementing and therefore will require little or no additional effort during a project.
April 16, 2025 BRB Meeting
City staff will begin presenting significant changes for discussion and feedback at the April 16, 2025 Building Review Board meeting. As provided under “Notes and Upcoming Discussion Items” below, not all of the code topics will be reviewed on April 16th. Additional BRB meetings are scheduled for May and June 2025 for discussion of these topics.
The Significant Changes identified by the Committees to date are listed on Attachment 1, a more condensed list of the top 50 significant changes are listed in Attachment 2, and the committee members involved in review of the codes and changes are listed for reference on Attachment 3.
Notes and Upcoming Discussion Items:
Beyond the significant changes identified and presented on April 16, there are additional
code topics that have either been completed due to advance timelines, have been mandated to the City by the State of Illinois, or will be discussed with the Building Review Board at a later meeting. These topics are outlined below.
International Residential Code (IRC) & International Building Code (IBC)
Due to their size and complexity, the Committee reviews of these codes are still
underway. The Committees for both codes have been moving forward with
preparing their lists of significant changes. In addition, the Accessible Community Task Force (ACTF) is requesting additional amendments to the IRC regarding visitability for single-family homes. A review and analysis of these codes and recommendations will be presented to the Building Review Board for their review at a later meeting.
Residential Fire Suppression
The Naperville Fire Department is not opposed to the existing amendment to the IRC which waives the requirements for automatic fire sprinkler systems in single-family homes. The City currently has several exceptions to the IRC fire sprinkler requirement, and if all exceptions are met, automatic fire sprinklers are not required.
International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
Per state law, the City must follow the 2021 Illinois Energy Code. The 2024 International Energy Conservation Code is published and has yet to be amended and mandated by the state of Illinois. Only code proposals that would make the Illinois Energy Code requirements more restrictive can be considered per State law. There have been discussions with the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST) regarding the 2023 Illinois Stretch Energy Codes and possible amendments to the 2024 IECC. The IECC will be presented to the Building Review Board for review at a later meeting.
Illinois State Plumbing Code (ISPC)
As part of the City’s efforts to review current codes and prepare for the adoption of the
2024 International Council Codes, a committee was formed to review the International
Plumbing Code and the ISPC. The City may locally adopt amendments that are more
restrictive, but not less restrictive than the ISPC.
The Committee has met to discuss both the International Plumbing Code and ISPC, and the adoption of the current ISPC (version 2014) with the same two exceptions that the City previously adopted.
This first amendment prohibits plastic pipe, joints and fittings made from polyethylene
(PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polybutylene (PB) made by either solvent-welded or
fusion-welded connections, compression, or insert fittings, metal clamps and screws, or
threaded joints shall for water service or the domestic water distribution system of any
building except for the distribution and conveyance of distilled or deionized water.
The second amendment requires all new plumbing fixtures and irrigation controllers
installed after the effective date of the approval ordinance shall bear the WaterSense
label (as designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense Program), when such labeled fixtures are available.
The ISPC will be presented to the Building Review Board for review at a later meeting.