New Hampshire Adds IRC to Its Building Code 
Joining with local building code officials and legislators, representatives of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of New Hampshire participated in a May 15 ceremony at which Governor John Lynch signed SB 234, a law that adds the International Residential Code 2000 to the state’s building code. “Overregulation of the housing market, especially by local governments, continues to be a major cost driver for housing in New Hampshire,” said Ed Steward, president of the builders association. “The enactment of a statewide residential building code is a major step in helping reduce overregulation,” he said. “The law encourages greater consumer safety by ensuring that building codes are up-to-date, improves the ease of compliance and enforcement and reduces administrative costs associated with having to comply with a myriad of local building codes.” In hearings on the bill, municipal code officials testified that there were approximately 12 different residential building codes being used in towns across the state. In addition, builders testified that they had to contend with significant variations from town to town in requirements for many aspects of construction projects, such as building stairs. Steward noted that the work of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Bob Clegg and Rep. Will Infantine, “not only has improved safety for consumers, but provides a major step forward in bringing affordability to the state’s housing market.” The new law goes into effect on July 8 and will be administered by the New Hampshire Code Review Board. | 
