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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

SL Council Adopts New Building Codes

(Spirit Lake)-- Almost as quickly as it got rid of the old ones, the Spirit Lake city council Tuesday adopted a new set of building codes which will go into effect April 15th.

City Administrator Mark Stevens told the council it now puts the state's building codes into effect in the city and identifies a person in the Public Works Department to enforce it.

Stevens says it also contains a schedule of "plan review fees" that are considerably less than those under the former codes. It also carries over requirements for contractors to be bonded and insured.

In addition to voting to adopt the new codes, the council also Tuesday adopted the new plan review fees.

They stopped short, though, of approving fees for electrical permits. They wanted language added that would provide for another level of fees in the event a certified inspector is needed for a project.

The council also adopted a resolution requesting state approval to discontinue electrical inspections. Stevens said it's his understanding the state will be providing that service beginning in 2009.

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