Calaveras Codes

Man, when things get tight, bring on the fight. The Stockton Record, is reporting that suddenly someone wants to enforce the California Uniform Building Code. I wonder how many things were overlooked over the last few years in order to facilitate the "boom".

Living up to the Calaveras codes

The slowdown in home sales couldn't come at a worse time for builders and contractors in Calaveras County.

It roughly coincided with the arrival of Stephanie Moreno as community development director. She took over May 15 and has been enforcing the California Uniform Building Code.

In December, she ordered an outside audit.

It revealed "that minimum fire- and life-safety requirements had been overruled or waived" for some approved plans.

The appropriate enforcement of regulations has compounded the difficulty for those in the building trades.

Plan checks take longer and require a higher threshold for approval. Combined with a stagnant housing market, it's no wonder building contractors showed up to protest the stricter rules at last Tuesday's Calaveras County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Still, the minimum standards - set for good reasons - are the law.