Letters to the Editor

Letter: Yes to statewide building codes

As president of the Alaska State Home Building Association, I’d like to thank Mr. Colin Maynard for his recent opinion article, “Alaska’s patchwork of codes and enforcement are a liability when an earthquake comes.”

Home builders wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Maynard’s article and have been actively advocating for a statewide residential building code for years. We support House Bill 76, sponsored by Rep. Sara Rasmussen, to try to establish a building code statewide for home construction. A statewide residential building code helps consumers know any home built in the state meets a minimum standard for construction. All Alaskans benefit by reducing insurance costs through improved ISO ratings. And individual local communities can avoid time and expense of each doing their own separate full code review, code amendments and adoption processes.

We also learned after November’s earthquake that a statewide code makes homeowners dealing with damages to be eligible for more grant funding and more disaster assistance than states without a statewide code.

Mr. Maynard correctly points out that a consistent set of statewide building codes can lead to more consistent application across the state. Alaska needs a statewide residential building code. HB 76 is a necessary and excellent start.

— Richard Carr

President, Alaska State Home Building Association

Wasilla

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