Geneva to update building and fire codes

Geneva officials are considering revising the city's building and fire codes to eliminate outdated provisions and take advantage of new technology.

"We want to be state of the art," said Scott Fintzen, one of the city's attorneys and a former alderman, who reviewed the process for the city council at a recent committee of the whole meeting.

Staff members have been working on the update since early last year, according to communications coordinator Kevin Stahr.

"From time to time the city updates the building and fire codes as needed to meet the ever-changing construction methods, energy efficiencies, use of new materials and new construction technologies," he said.

The commercial code was last updated in 2011 and the building code applying to residences was revised in 2018, Stahr said.

Some codes that apply to structures in downtown Geneva, such as the requirement to have sprinklers, are sometimes thought to be too restrictive, Fintzen said. But those codes represent minimum standards.

"It's not the best, it's the least," he said. "It's doing what is minimally necessary to keep the city safe."

Fire Marshall Dustin Schultze said officials enforce the codes equally across the board for downtown buildings, regardless, of whether they are historic structures or new construction.

"The concern is always safety," he said.

However, while working with historic buildings, Schultze said officials try to repurpose properties with an eye toward retaining their historic integrity, while also trying to find a path to make them safer.

Fintzen said the plan is to clean out codes that cause confusion and, as a result, frustrate homeowners and building owners. The decisions are not arbitrary and there will be a necessary reason for any updates.

"We'll do it with good intent and good rationale," he said.

The city hopes to have the updates ready for the council to review by late spring, Stahr said.