Florida Extends Deadline for Building Code Implementation

As a result of a conference call held June 9, the Florida Building Commission has decided to extend the 2007 Florida Building Code implementation date to December 31, 2008, rather than October 1, 2008, as previously announced. The commission cited two reasons for this change:

• There are a large number of glitch amendments that they need to address; and
• The Energy Code changes were originally scheduled for implementation on December 31, 2008, so now the Building Code changes implementation will coincide with that date.

Additionally, the commission announced that the Glitch Amendment submittal deadline has been extended to July 15, 2008.

"The glitch amendments deal mostly with typos or mistakes in the table that were unintentionally overlooked and are corrections of items in the development cycle," explains Chuck Anderson, Southeast region director of the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA). AAMA had provided this information to its Southeast Region members within hours of the conclusion of the Building Commission conference call.

Anderson adds, "The major effect that the date change has is to allow AAMA members more time to get their product(s) listed in the Building Code Information System (BCIS) as complying to the 2007 Florida Building Code. With the recent changes to rule 9B-72 that now mandates installation instructions and a review of an administrative checklist by the certifying agency, some manufacturers may not have been prepared by October 1. While many jurisdictions would probably have given the industry a grace period, this will mean that all jurisdictions will allow 2004 Florida Building Code listings through year-end.

"Additionally, the 2007 Florida Building Code brings with it a permanent label requirement, which should be no issue for manufacturers who have been using a reputable certification program, but it limits the number of rated products to one per label, which will affect some manufacturers. A temporary label with specific information on product performance and installation information is also required. The extra three months will benefit those who are not yet ready to comply with these provisions."

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