2010 Florida Building Code Takes Effect March 15, 2012

The 2010 Florida Building Code is scheduled to take effect as of March 15, 2012, as a replacement for the 2007 Florida Building Code. The new Code includes some 450+ changes to the existing Code. Key amendments include the adoption of the 2012 Florida Accessibility Code, adoption of the revamped Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation, and significant changes related to Wind Design, Fire Sprinkler Requirements, Construction in Flood-Prone Areas, and Roof Mitigation.

• Accessibility. The 2012 Florida Accessibility Code was adopted as part of the Florida Building Code by law, s.553.73(1)(a), Florida Statutes, and applies to public facilities and private facilities, places of public accommodation and all commercial facilities. The goal in adoption of the 2012 Florida Accessibility Code is to maintain the US Department of Justice Certification of the Code - as substantially equivalent to the ADA Standards - so compliance with the Code provides presumption of compliance with the ADA Standards.

• Energy. The Commission has moved Energy Provisions into a new volume of the Code – the Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation. Key changes include: (1) changes in duct sizing and the location of ducts and air handlers in single family homes, (2) an increase in efficiency standards by 5 percent, and (3) Code officials may approve alternate materials and methods (where a nationally recognized energy analysis procedure is used to demonstrate that a building or component will use less energy than a Code-compliant building or component).