The Cumberland County Environmental Commission continues to seek the ability to opt out of certain parts of the building code requirements, specifically crawl space insulation on residential properties. However, further action on setting up an appeals panel or establishing its own inspection office will be put on hold until February.
Crossville Codes inspector Danny Thurman has filed a proposed motion to create an appeals committee. Thurman’s office conducts surveys of residential and commercial properties throughout the county. However, city rules do not allow county residents to challenge the inspector’s decision.
The debate follows an October meeting when some commissioners were critical of Thurman and his department and questioned the need to inspect crawl space insulation.
At the Nov. 22 meeting, District 9 Commissioner Colleen Mall said:
Mohr said he met with a number of builders last month, from the largest builders to small businesses that complete a few homes each year.
District 4 Commissioner Charles Seiber asked what powers the Appeals Committee has.
Thurman said the commission will determine whether inspectors misinterpreted parts of the building code. Thurman serves on the non-voting board of directors.
Seiber asked whether inspectors have the discretion to apply building codes. Thurman said inspectors can approve different materials if they meet the intent of the code.
But Thurman said the board cannot change the code or decide that some of the adopted code is not upheld.
District 5 Commissioner Terry Lowe said the only complaint he heard was about underfloor insulation in crawl spaces, a requirement under the 2009 Building Code related to energy conservation. . The county adopted the 2018 building code last year, but when it comes to energy, he kept the 2009 standard.
“A lot of people have problems with it,” Rowe said. “I would love to see something done about it.”
Thurman says builders can either insulate the crawl space underfloor or encapsulate the crawl space. This is more expensive, but it improves the home, he said.
“It insulates the foundation walls and provides ventilation to keep the air circulating and dehumidifying. It works very well,” says Thurman. “There are actually options in the code. It’s a matter of whether the builder wants to pay for it.”
There are several builders in our community who use crawl space encapsulation in all their homes.
County Attorney Philip Barnett is investigating whether the county can opt out of parts of the building code.
“We’re trying to figure out how to do that,” said Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster. is.”
Saber said he couldn’t understand why the city’s ordinance office would enforce something he knew was not enforced in other counties. He declined to name specific counties, noting that counties named at previous meetings have since been contacted by the state.
“The code isn’t just the Tennessee code, it’s the national code,” says Seiber. “But this is luxury. It’s not structural.”
Lowe said the builders he spoke to believed the insulation would not provide any benefit. It is said that it is in the winter when it is the largest.
“One in three Tennesseans can’t afford their utility bills right now,” Thurman said. “Going back to the energy side, one of the things he’s always looking at is putting insulation in the subfloor.”
But waiting until the house is built adds costs to the project, he said.
“That’s the people we really want to hurt,” he said.
Saber said commercial builders should follow all rules, but said people building the homes they plan to live in need some consideration.
Cumberland County has adopted minimum building codes. Thurman said the county could pass a resolution waiving the insulation requirement and see if the state approves it.
“I disagree with that path,” said Thurman. “I think you’re fooling people buying these homes because there are other options besides insulation that save people money.”
The Panel agreed to hold further discussions until February.
Among other projects, the Commission approved the 2023 Cumberland County Road List with the following changes:
There are 1,751 roads on the county road list. A road must be included on the county’s road list before taxes can be used to maintain it.
