Fire changes made to N.C. residential building code

Listen to this article

RALEIGH – The distance that non-fire-resistant walls can be from property lines has been decreased under a state residential building code chance that replaces a 2012 rule.

The 2012 N.C. Residential Code increased from 3 feet to 5 feet the minimum distance a non-fire-rated exterior wall must be from a property line. That meant any residential plan that would previously have been legal had to be changed to accommodate the rule switch, said Joe Padilla, the executive public policy director of the Charlotte-based Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition.

Under the 2012 law, if the exterior wall of a house was less than 5 feet from the property line, it had to be fire-rated, so to ensure it wouldn’t burn as quickly as a standard wall and risks spreading to other structures. The new law returns to the old rule of at least three feet between the property line and non-fire-rated walls.

The North Carolina Home Builders Association last month was successful in lobbying for a reversal of the 5-foot rule, which was approved by the state Rules Review Commission on May 16. The 3-foot minimum for fire-resistant walls went back into effect on June 1.

Padilla said the biggest issue builders had with the 5-foot separation was the requirements for fire-resistant walls. He said fire-rated walls can’t have windows or any duct work, such as dryer vents. That meant builders often had to rearrange their entire floor plans, even if the plans were approved before the setback was increased.

“This was something that people didn’t realize would be an issue until it hit the ground,” Padilla said. “When you’ve laid out a neighborhood and you have to change your whole plan, it can be expensive. It’s more than just adding more material to the walls.”