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official of their choice and set the <br />appropriate level of service —even if the <br />state fully funds code enforcement <br />activities. <br />Cities that enforce the State Building <br />Code endeavor to provide quality code <br />administration and enforcement. The <br />League supports the development of <br />coordinated construction codes and <br />additional enforcement tools that help <br />local officials efficiently administer and <br />enforce construction regulations to <br />protect the health and safety of citizens in <br />their jurisdictions. These education <br />efforts should include training to assist <br />local building officials gain the requisite <br />experience to qualify for delegation of <br />state -licensed facilities and public <br />buildings. <br />The League urges the state to make <br />surplus revenue from the building permit <br />surcharge available to local governments <br />to help defray the cost of complying with <br />code official training and education <br />requirements. <br />Finally, the state should collaborate with <br />local governments, construction industry <br />representatives, and other stakeholders to <br />review the building and energy codes and <br />consider modifications to encourage <br />sustainable building design, construction, <br />and operation. Specifically: <br />a) For purposes of federal conformity, <br />the state should adopt the <br />International Energy Conservation <br />Code as part of the State Building <br />Code. <br />b) The state should include the <br />International Green Construction <br />Code as an optional appendix to the <br />State Building Code to allow cities to <br />utilize appropriate parts of those <br />guidelines in their communities. <br />c) The state should develop components <br />in the building inspector training <br />program to ensure inspectors are <br />familiar with these practices and <br />technologies. <br />d) The Legislature should authorize <br />cities to experiment with more <br />aggressive local standards for <br />sustainable development and <br />conservation that will help inform the <br />state code development process. <br />SD-28. Residential Sprinkler <br />Requirements <br />Issue: The International Code Council <br />(ICC) voted to add a fire sprinkler provision <br />to its 2009 International Residential Code <br />(IRC). The Department of Labor and <br />Industry (DLI) considered this provision as <br />part of the adoption of the 2012 IRC. After <br />nearly two years of debate, the Department <br />approved a final version of the 2012 IRC <br />requiring the installation of fire sprinklers in <br />new two-family homes and townhouses and <br />in new one -family homes greater than 4,500 <br />square feet. The 2012 IRC is scheduled to <br />become effective in January 2015. During <br />debate over the fire sprinkler issue, the <br />Legislature passed two bills that would have <br />prohibited the IRC from requiring fire <br />sprinklers in any residential homes, although <br />both bills were vetoed by Governor Dayton. <br />Response: Although the residential fire <br />sprinkler requirement remains <br />controversial, the issue was thoroughly <br />and appropriately discussed through the <br />code adoption process. The League does <br />not believe that the Legislature should <br />mandate or prohibit the inclusion of <br />specific provisions of the State Building <br />Code. If the residential fire sprinkler <br />requirement becomes effective as <br />planned, DLI must educate citizens, <br />builders, and building officials about the <br />provision to ensure it is implemented <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2015 City Policies Page 19 <br />