STANDARD

OCTOBER 2004
the electronic
THE BUILDING CODES & STANDARDS DIVISION WEBSITE NEWSLETTER
Training Opportunities Abound
Annual Institute
Information is now available for the 49th
Annual Institute for Building Officials:
www.cce.umn.edu/buildingofficials
Building Codes and Standards staff
are involved as both presenters and
participants. The classes are eligible for
continuing education units applicable
toward recertification.
“This year, management classes have
been added and classes are in a track
format of Basic, Intermediate, and
Advanced code information.” explains Don
Sivigny, who along with Tom Joachim and
Tom Anderson from Building Codes and
Standards, are members of the Annual
School Planning Building Committee.
IN THIS ISSUE:
TEXT IN RED is a LINK.
u Seminars
u Surcharge
u
u
FAQ: CEUs
Survey Results
Fall Seminar u Building Officials
u Email Signup & Survey
This BCSD Fall Seminar series features
the construction of an R-2 Apartment BCSD staff provide code training at a
Building with an S-2 underground parking wide variety of events including BCSD
garage. The seminar objective is to seminars, industry organizations, and
establish the effective use of the 2000 educational events.
edition of the International Building Code
for type of construction, allowable building
area, allowable height, fire-resistive
construction, and penetrations of rated
assemblies.
This seminar is offered into December
and there are still some classes that
are not filled. Registration information is
posted on our website:
www.buildingcodes.admin.state.mn.us
Education and Technical Opinions

SESSIONS: Special Mechanical Code Seminar

January 5-6 Electrical
January 6-7 Minnesota Building Permit On September 30, 2004 an e-mail notice
Technicians Association was sent out announcing a 2004 Special
January 10-14 Building Mechanical Seminar.
January 10-12 Mechanical The new mechanical code is comprised of
January 10-12 Plumbing the 2000 International Mechanical Code
January 13-14 Fire
(IMC) and the 2000 International Fuel
January 13-14 Housing
Gas Code (IFGC) with amendments. A
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: comparison between the 1991 Uniform
December 23, 2004 Mechanical Code (UMC) and the new
code is provided and covers the air
LOCATION:
distribution, ducts, fuel gas distribution
Unversity of Minnesota - St Paul Campus
Earle Brown Continuing Education & and the fuel gas appliances venting,
Conference Center, 1890 Buford Avenue, with an emphasis on residential
St. Paul. construction. The goal of the Department
continued on page 2

BUILDING CODES & Visit us at booth 552

STANDARDS DIVISION 2004 AIA Convention
408 METRO SQUARE BUILDING 121 7TH PLACE EAST • ST. PAUL MN 55101
Minneapolis Convention Center
651.296.4639 • FAX: 651.297.1973 • TTY: (1-800) 627.3529
WWW.BUILDINGCODES.ADMIIN.STATE.MN.US
November 2 - 4 1
Special Mechanical Code Seminar continued from p 1
of Administration, Building Codes and Standards Division,
is to achieve uniform application of building codes by
providing education throughout the State of Minnesota.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Building Officials, inspectors, designers, design
professionals, contractors, installers, skilled trade persons
and other interested parties.
CREDITS
- Building Official Continuing Education - 2.5 CEUs of
instruction. In order to receive credit, you must attend from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Other professional continuing education units or credits
must be applied for on an individual basis with the
respective college or professional organization.
Additional classes are added as our staff resources allow.
The most currrent information regarding classes that are
still open is posted on our website:
www.buildingcodes.admin.state.mn.us
Education & Technical Opinions
FAQ
If you have a question, send it to
bcsd.response@state.mn.us.
Q: How do I find out what courses I can take for CEUs
(continuing education units) that Building Codes
and Standards will accept for certification or
recertfication?
A: Section 1301.1000 of the State Building Code lists 14
different items that are approved for continuing education
credit. Also, please read the Certification information which
is posted on the website. If you want to attend a seminar
or class that is not listed, call Greg Karow 651-205-4562
or Don Sivigny, 651-297-3600. They are familiar with most
education offerings and will usually be able to give you
a quick confirmation. However, if a seminar is not being
offered by a Minnesota building industry organization,
we advise you to fax a cover letter and copies of the
course description to us for review, fax: 651-297-1973.
Please allow a minimum of 10 days for our research and
confirmation.
Be sure to check out our
website at least once a week.
www.buildingcodes.admin.state.mn.us
Congrats Congratulations to the state’s
recently designated municipal
Building Officials:
• Lyle Nesvold – Pelican Rapids
• Kevin White – Hilltop
• Mick Kaehler – Ramsey
• Jim Taylor – Deerwood
Thank You for Your Feedback!
Thank you to the 140 customers who took time to respond
to our 2-question Customer Service E-mail Survey in
October. The first question asked which BCSD unit the
customer interacted with and the second question asked:
The person you spoke with was
Courteous 100%
Knowledgeable 100%
Understandable 100%
Helpful 99.49%
Response Time Satisfactory 99.49%
According to both the survey responses and the additional
comments received, customers are very satisfied with our
customer service. Special thanks to those individuals who
took the extra time to provide comments.
This was the first time we have sent this survey by e-mail.
We will continue to send surveys out via e-mail in the
furture, however, we will split up our mailing list to limit the
number of surveys our customers receive every year.
NOTE: The survey form is on the website and customers
are invited to mail or fax one at any time.
Surcharge Reports Reminder
Last December the Building Codes and Standards Division
sent new state surcharge forms on CD-ROM with a cover
letter to each municipality that administers the Minnesota
State Building Code. The new forms are also available
on our web site: www.buildingcodes.admin.state.mn.us
-- Business and Accounting. Use of the new forms was
required beginning with July, 2004.
The new forms incorporate some minor adjustments to
the old forms and provide for valuation based permits
for mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The forms also
incorporate an automatic calculator which eliminates
math errors and automatically calculates total surcharges
collected, retention and total payment. A special feature
will not allow an entry that is outside of the range of the
entry category. These features insure the accuracy of your
report. As a note, we use the same program to record your
report in our system.
If you have any questions please call Mike Godfrey,
651-296-2922, michael.godfrey@state.mn.us or
Doug Biemborn, 651-215-6306,
doug.beimborn@state.mn.us. 2
 Request for Email Notification
Email is an efficient and effective method for Check your most recent contact with us:
distributing information and announcements. q Accessibility Staff q Office Staff
However, we respect your time and promise: q Accounting Staff q Plan Review Staff
- To keep emails very brief. q Certification Staff q Reception Staff
- To limit the frequency of email distribution. q Code Administration Staff q Regional Services Staff
q Director’s Office q Rules Staff
- To not include attachments. Any documents
q Education Staff q Structural Engineering Staff
referenced in emails are posted on our q Elevator Safety Staff q Website Staff
website unless otherwise noted. q Manufactured Structures q Other: ____________________
q Yes! I would like to receive a brief email notice q Mechanical Bond Staff __________________________
from Building Codes and Standards. __________________________
Topics I am interested in include: Was the person you
q Anything related to the Minnesota State spoke with . . .
Building Code Yes Somewhat No
...courteous? q q q
q Educational Opportunities or Information: ...knowledgeable? q q q
q For certification purposes. ...understandable? q q q
q For technical/informational purposes. ...helpful? q q q
My areas of interest include:
Was the response
q Accessibility
time satisfactory? q q q
q Building Plan Preparation
q Building Safety and Security
q Code Administration and Reports We appreciate your feedback!
q Construction Materials: _____________________
q Elevator Safety
q Electricity*
If you have comments or suggestions you
q Energy* would like to share, we would like to hear
q Fire Safety* from you.
q Industry Standards and Models*
q Legal Issues:______________________________ Either use this form or you the Feedback form
q Manufactured Homes on our website. Emails we receive through the
q IBC Modular/Prefabricated Structures website Feedback form are processed through
q Mechanical Systems (ventilation) a remote server. We are not told who sent the
q Occupancy Codes email, unless you specifically include that
q Plan Review
information in your email.
q Professional Responsibility
q Plumbing*
q Problems: flooding, mold, ___________________ P.S. Be sure to include any feedback
q Roof/Ceiling Design and Construction regarding our website:
q Rulemaking www.buildingcodes.admin.state.mn.us
q Structural Engineering ? samples instead ___________________________________
q Windows and Doors* ___________________________________
Other:_______________________________ ___________________________________
* Some training is provided with other agencies .
___________________________________
CONTACT INFORMATION PLEASE PRINT CAREFULLY
___________________________________
NAME:
___________________________________
COMPANY/ORG
___________________________________
JOB TITLE ___________________________________
EMAIL ADDRESS ___________________________________
SECOND EMAIL ADDRESS ___________________________________
BUSINESS PHONE
___________________________________
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SECOND PHONE

Building Codes and Standards Division www.buildingcodes.admin.state.mn.us Fax: 651-297-1973

408 Metro Square Building, 121 East 7th Place, St. Paul, MN 55101-2181 Direct: 651-296-4639 TTY: 800-627-3529