BUILDING CODE CHANGES IMPACT SOUTHERN YELLOW PINE

The North Carolina Code making process is an ongoing process regardless of the adoption dates of the current NC Codes. The NC Building Code Council continually adopts changes to the Codes between code cycles that are not in the printed volumes of the various codes. As part of the Rulemaking process, the Council assigns effective dates for each code amendment which is the date that makes the change mandatory, and is enforceable by the code enforcement official. There are several changes to the NC Residential Code that will become effective January 1, 2015. Almost all of these changes will be beneficial to contractors, though the new span tables for Southern Yellow Pine will present some challenges.

On June 1, 2013 new design values for Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) went into effect for all visually graded dimension lumber. These new values represent the findings of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau’s (SPIB) recent destructive testing of full size specimens. The new values are anywhere between a 20 to 30 percent reduction in four design values. The new design values apply to all visually graded SYP lumber. The values affected are bending, tension parallel to grain, compression parallel to grain, and the modulus of elasticity. The NC Building Code Council has incorporated the new design values into span tables in the 2012 NC Residential Code effective January 1, 2015.

To review, download and/or print the amendments effective prior to or effective January 1, 2015 go to this link.

A list of Residential Code Changes with brief explanation of the changes can be reviewed here.