Reconstruction of fire damaged building

[jfdaia]

One of my clients recently had a fire that substantially damaged his 20,000 sq. ft. commercial building. Is there a requirement in the 2006 IBC that requires complete reconstruction of a damaged building? If so, please direct me to the appropriate section of the code.

Thanks!

 

[woodman88]

Chapter 34 addresses Existing Structures. Below is a link to a article on this chapter for the 2006 IBC that may be useful.

Garth Dreger PE
AZ Phoenix area

 

[JAE]

I don't believe there is a simple requirement that would force you to reconstruct an entire building if only a portion of it is damaged.

The concerns in any reconstruction would be to verify the full extent of the fire damage and ensure that the remaining structure, along with the portions of replacement structure, still work together to meet the required code loads and serviceability requirements.

Also, smoke damage may require a lot of relatively undamaged finishes to be replaced.

 

[msquared48]

What about exceeding the 20% of valuation rule a lot of municipalities have enforced in the past?

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask

 

[JAE]

Mike, the 20% rule is not to require complete re-construction - it would require only that the new structure/building meet all current code provisions. If the older structure still met code, then it wouldn't have to be reconstructed.

 

[stookeyfpe]

Woodman is correct. This is driven by IBC Chapter 34, unless the jurisdiction adopts the International Existing Building Code. In this case, both codes would mandate the required level of rehabilitation, which is what this is under the I-codes.