Title
A legislative public hearing requested by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners and Chatham County Fire Marshal to consider amendments to the Chatham County Subdivision Regulations; specifically, section 7, Requirements and Minimum Standards For Improvements, Reservations, and Design adopting all standards of the North Carolina State Fire Code and Appendix D by reference
Abstract
Introduction & Background:
In response to recent discussions regarding fire safety and prevention within the Riverbend subdivision, the Planning Department, in collaboration with Central Permitting and the Fire Marshal's Office, has prepared proposed amendments to the subdivision regulations. Under the State Fire Code, any major subdivision consisting of one- or two-family dwellings with 100 or more lots must provide two access roads to accommodate fire apparatus.
Appendix D, while required by our Fire Marshal, is not mandatory unless specifically referenced in the regulations. Currently, the Fire Marshal's Office communicates these requirements to developers during the first plat and construction plan phases. The proposed amendments will incorporate these fire apparatus access standards directly into the ordinance, ensuring greater clarity, consistency, and efficiency in the development review process.
Discussion & Analysis:
To maintain alignment between the Chatham County subdivision regulations and state standards, language will be added to incorporate Appendix D of the 2018 State Fire Code by reference. This approach ensures that any future amendments to state building and fire codes related to Appendix D will automatically apply, as outlined in Section 7 of the ordinance.
The proposed amendments will be in Section 7: Requirements and Minimum Standards for Improvements, Reservations, and Design. These changes address roadway width requirements and clarify when regulations apply based on subdivision size. Specifically, Appendix D of the 2018 State Fire Code mandates a...
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