CONTENTS
ARTICLE I. BUILDING CODE
§ 5-1. Title.
§ 5-2. Definitions.
§ 5-3. Building code established.
§ 5-4. Office of building inspector created.
§ 5-5. Construction standards.
§ 5-6. Final inspection.
§ 5-7. Right of entry.
§ 5-8. Stop work orders.
§ 5-9. Penalties.
§ 5-10. Building permit required.
§ 5-11. Building permit application.
§ 5-12. Application forms.
§ 5-13. Permit fees.
§ 5-14. Records.
§ 5-15. Expiration of permit
§ 5-16. Street numbers required of property owners on dwelling or structure.
§§ 5-17 to 5-20. Reserved.
ARTICLE II. ELECTRICAL STANDARDS
(Repealed by Ord. 610)
§§ 5-21 to 5-34. Reserved.
ARTICLE III. DEMOLITION OF SUBSTANDARD BUILDINGS
§ 5-35. Definitions.
§ 5-36. Standards for repair. Vacation or demolition.
§ 5-37. Nuisance; dangerous buildings.
§ 5-38. Building inspectors.
§ 5-39. Duties.
§ 5-40. Building commissioner.
§ 5-41. Duties.
§ 5-42. Appeals.
§ 5-43. Emergency cases.
§ 5-44. Owner absent from the city.
§ 5-45. Liability for wrongful action.
§ 5-46. Penalties.
§§ 5-47 to 5-50. Reserved.
ARTICLE IV. MECHANICAL CODE
§ 5-51. Adoption of Mechanical Code.
§ 5-52. Inconsistent ordinances repealed.
§ 5-53. Addition, insertions and changes.
§ 5-54. Saving clause.
§ 5-55. Date of effect.
§§ 5-56 to 5-60. Reserved.
ARTICLE V. SMOKE DETECTORS REQUIRED
IN CERTAIN BUILDINGS AND DWELLINGS
§ 5-61. Definitions
§ 5-62. Installation and maintenance of smoke detectors required.
§ 5-63. Type of detector.
§ 5-64. Enforcement and inspection.
§ 5-65. Penalties..
§§ 5-66 to 5-70. Reserved.
Chapter 5
BUILDINGS
ARTICLE I
BUILDING CODE
Sec. 5-1. Title.
This Ordinance shall be known as, and may be cited as the "Building Code and Permit Ordinance" of the City of St. James, Missouri. (Ord. 374, §1.)
Sec. 5-2. Definitions.
When used in this Ordinance, the following words are defined as follows:
(a) Building inspector - The city building inspector.
(b) City - The City of
(c) City council - The chief legislative body of the city.
(d) Mayor - The chief executive officer of the city.
(e) Official flood hazard map - The map of the special flood hazard areas within the city as indicated on the Flood Hazard Boundary Maps prepared by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Federal Insurance Administration, and supplementary flood profiles, flood insurance rate studies, and similar material pertaining to this map. A copy of this information is on file at the city hall. (Ord. 374, §§2(a) - 2(d).)
Sec. 5-3. Building Code established.
There is hereby established a Building Code for the City of St. James prescribing standards of building construction for the health and safety of residents of the city. (Ord. 374, §3.)
Sec. 5-4. Office of building inspector created.
There is hereby created the position of the City building inspector, to be appointed by the mayor with the approval of the city council at a salary to be established by the council at the time of his appointment. (Ord. 374, §4.)
Sec. 5-5. Construction standards.
(a) Footing and foundation - Foundation inspection shall be made after trenches are excavated and formed. Footing for frame building shall be eight inches by eighteen inches (8 X 18) if subsoil is suitable, and reinforced with four (4) and one-half (1/2) inch rerod. Foundation walls shall be eight (8) inches in width and reinforced. The building inspector may require additional foundation to conform with subsoil conditions. Fill material shall be placed within foundation wall, three (3) inches above the outside grade level, or provide three (3) inch drains to carry surface water from inside foundation wall. Except in the case of temporary structures or secondary buildings not over one story in height, and exceeding four hundred (400) square feet in area, all exterior walls and interior bearing walls shall be supported on solid masonry or concrete footings built on natural solid ground footings, shall be designed to support safely the loads imposed and shall extend below the frost line. In no case shall the allowable bearing capacity of the soil in pounds per square foot on which the building is to be placed show a greater bearing than that approved by the building inspector at his foundation inspection. Every building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be located on a lot as herein deferred, and in no case shall there be more than one main building on one lot, unless otherwise provided in this Ordinance.
(b) Framing - Wall studs shall be sixteen (16) inches on center. Joists shall be doubled under all parallel walls. Floor joists shall be spaced sixteen (16) inches on center or according to span or according to width of material. Frame inspection is to be made after the roof, all framing, fire blocking and bracing is in place and all pipes, chimneys and vents are complete.
(c) Sewer - All sewer service lines shall be of cast iron, clay or schedule forty (40) plastic four (4) inch material from the building to the public sewer, and shall slope one-fourth (1/4) inch to one (1) foot.
(d) Water pipes - Copper pipe shall be regular or extra strong class. All soldered joints shall be clean and properly fluxed. These shall be grade K. copper from the main line to the meter, no galvanized pipe underground, no combined building sewer drains and building storm drains. The sanitary and storm draining system of a building shall be entirely separate except where a combined sewer is available.
(e) Water fixtures and pipe size - The minimum standards for water fixtures and pipe sizes shall be as follows:
Automatic dishwashers one-half (1/2) inch
Automatic washing machines one-half (1/2) inch
Laundry tubs one-half (1/2) inch
Hot water heaters one-half (1/2) inch
Lavatories three-eights (3/8) inch
Sinks one-half (1/2) inch
All water systems shall contain a water supply riser and each water supply riser and fixture branch shall terminate with air chambers. All air chambers shall be placed in a vertical position. The recommendations of the National Plumbing Code shall be considered good engineering practice.
(f) Water - The water line from meter to building shall have a stop and waste valve. All hot water heaters shall have a valve on the cold water line and pop-off valve and all gas water heaters shall be vented through the roof and inspected and approved by the building inspector. There shall be no cross connection between the city water supply and any other piping system containing a liquid or gas, regardless of the number of valves in the connection between the two systems. The term cross connection applies to any piping arrangement which would permit any liquid or gas other than the city water to flow or be pumped or siphoned into the system.
(g) Sanitary sewer - Any excavation on the sewer line of any building shall be only by permit obtained from the building inspector and shall be inspected and approved by the building inspector. All sewer taps on the main sewer line shall be cemented with a ninety (90) lb. bag of pre-mix concrete inspected by the building inspector. All new trunk lines shall be not less than eight (8) inch clay, cast, or approved plastic pipe. Grade of new trunk be laid not less than four (4) inches to the hundred feet and any such line over four-hundred (400) feet in length shall have plans and they shall be inspected and approved by the city engineer. All manholes shall be precast. Precast blocks shall be plastered at seams, and shall be plastered inside and outside, shall have concrete bottoms, two (2) foot opening at top, concrete tiller inside of manholes sloped three (3) inches from side to pipe, and inside diameter of manhole shall be forty-two (42) inches at the bottom. Standard type cast iron manhole frames and covers shall be cemented to the manhole and standard cast iron manhole steps shall be five-eights (5/8) inches to three-fourth (3/4) inches thick, and an approximate weight of eleven (11) pounds, and all steps in a manhole shall be at the bottom of the manhole and cemented inside and outside.
(h) Electric - All electrical work shall comply with the National Electrical Code, and the recommendations of that Code shall be considered good engineering practice. (Ord. 374, §§5(a) - 5(h).)
Sec. 5-6. Final inspection.
Final inspection is to be made after the building is completed and ready for occupancy. (Ord. 374, §6.)
Sec. 5-7. Right of entry.
The building inspector shall enforce the provisions of this Code, and he or his duly authorized representative may enter any building, structure or premises to perform any duty imposed upon him by this Code. (Ord. 374, §7.)
Sec. 5-8. Stop work orders.
Upon notice from the building inspector, work on any building or structure that is being done contrary to the provisions of this Code, shall immediately cease. Such notice shall be in writing and shall be given to the owner of the property or to his agent or to the person doing the work and shall state the conditions under which work may be resumed. (Ord. 374, §8.)
Sec. 5-9. Penalties.
If any person commences any work on a building or structure before obtaining the necessary permit from the building inspector or other officer as may be designated by the city, the permit fee shall be doubled. (Ord. 374, §9.)
Sec. 5-10. Building permit required.
It shall be unlawful to commence or to proceed with the erection, construction, reconstruction, conversion, alteration, enlargement, extension, raising or moving of any building or structures, to include but not limited to fences, signs, outdoor bulletin boards, billboards, outdoor advertising structures, advertising signs, backstops for tennis courts, and pergolas, or of any portion thereof, without first having applied in writing to the City Engineer for a building permit to do so and a building permit has been granted therefore. (Ord. 277, §14; Ord. 894)
Sec. 5-11. Building permit application.
Every application for a building permit shall be in writing and delivered to the city engineer and shall be accompanied by a detailed set of plans, in duplicate, showing the size of the proposed building or structure, its location on the lot, the basic materials of which it is to be constructed and the details and type of construction to be used. On the issuance of a permit, one set of said plans shall be retained by the city engineer as a permanent record and one set shall be returned to the applicant. In cases of any building or structure to be located outside the fire districts, the city engineer may, at his own discretion, permit the substitution of a written statement covering the essential information required in place of said plans. (Ord. 277, § 14.)
Sec. 5-12. Application forms.
Blank forms shall be provided by the city engineer for the use of those applying for permits as provided for in this ordinance. Any permits issued by the city engineer shall be on standard forms for such purpose and furnished by the city. (Ord. 277, §14.)
Sec. 5-13. Permit fees.
The fees to be charged for building permits from and after the passage of this Ordinance shall be as follows:
For work costing
Construction Cost (Residential)
Cal by
Multiplier (Res)
Multiplier (Com)
Total Cost
0
- $2500
Flat
Fee
$
15.00
$2501
- $10,000
Flat
Fee
$
25.00
$10,001
- $50,000
Flat
Fee
$
50.00
$50,001
- $100,000
Flat
Fee
$
75.00
$100,001
and up
Act
Cost x .00075 (.075%)
Res
- 1 Family
Act
Cost x .00075 (.075%)
Res
- 2 Family
Act
Cost x .00075 (.075%)
Construction Cost (Commercial)
0
- $2500
Flat
Fee
$
25.00
$2501
- $10,000
Flat
Fee
$
50.00
$10,001
- $50,000
Flat
Fee
$
75.00
$50,001
- $100,000
Flat
Fee
$100.00
$100,001
and up to $500k
Act
Cost x
.001
(.1%)
(*1)
$500k
and up to $1m
Act
Cost x
.001 (.1%)
(*2)
$1m
and up to $5m
Act
Cost x
.0015 (.15%)
(*3)
$5m
and up
Act
Cost x
.002 (.2%)
(*4)
Res-Multi
Family (3-4 plex etc.)
See
above
Condo/Townhouse See
above
Commercial
Bldg/Hotel/Motel/Business See
above
Factory/Industry/Manuf.
See
above
(*1) Non-refundable $100 Review Fee credited to Building Permit Fee.
(*2) Nonrefundable $250 Review Fee credited to Building Permit Fee.
(*3) Nonrefundable $1000 Review Fee credited to Building Permit Fee.
(*4) Nonrefundable $2000 Review Fee credited to Building Permit Fee.
Miscellaneous
Small
Sign (less than 30sq/ft)
Flat
Fee
$
25.00
Large
Sign (more than 30sq/ft)
Flat
Fee
$ 50.00
Fence
(Residential)
Flat
Fee
$
15.00
Fence
(Commercial)
Flat
Fee
$
25.00
Demolition
of Building
Flat
Fee
$
25.00
(Ord. 374, §10.; Ord. 905)
Sec. 5-14. Records.
(a) The building inspector shall keep a permanent accounting of all permit fees and other monies collected, and shall show the name of all persons upon whose account the same was paid, the date and amount thereof. All monies received shall be deposited in the City General Fund Building Permit Account by the end of each month. (Ord. 374, §11; Ord. 905)
(b) A careful record of all such applications, plans, and permits shall be kept in the office of the city engineer. (Ord. 277, §14.)
Sec. 5-15. Expiration of permit.
Any building permit, under which no construction work has been commenced within six months after the date of issue of said permit or under which the proposed construction has not been completed within two years of the date of issue shall expire by limitation; and no work or operation shall take place under such permit after such expiration. Upon payment of ten cents (10¢) per month for each one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) of the construction cost on which the original permit was issued, but not less than one dollar ($1.00) per month in any case, a building permit may be once extended for a period not exceeding six months by the city engineer. (Ord. 277, §14.)
Sec. 5-16. Street numbers required of property owners on dwelling or structure.
(a) Dwellings: The owner of each single family, multi-family or other dwelling at which people reside shall display, in a conspicuous place on that portion of such dwelling which faces a public street the street number of such dwelling in Arabic numerals at least four inches in height and in colors that contrast with the color of the dwelling upon which such numbers are placed. Such numbers shall be displayed regardless of whether the dwelling is vacant or occupied by tenants.
(b) Business or commercial buildings: The owner of each business or commercial building, including warehouses, factories, service stations, motels, hotels, shops, shopping centers, garages, office buildings, and all other properties in which commercial or business enterprises are doing business and all government and scholastic buildings, dorms, residences, classroom buildings and structures appurtenant thereto, and all church buildings and structures, shall display, in a conspicuous place on that portion of such structure that faces a public street, the street number of said structure in Arabic numerals at least six inches in height and in color that contrast with the color of the structure upon which such numbers are displayed. Such numbers shall be displayed regardless of whether such structures are vacant or occupied by tenants.
(c) Specific numbers: The numbers to be displayed under the provisions of this Section shall be those numbers that are determined by the Director of Planning and Development.
(d) Applicability: The provision of this Section shall be applicable to private and non-dedicated streets situated within developments that require plat approval under the ordinance of the City of St. James, Missouri. (Ord. 706)
Secs. 5-17 to 5-20. Reserved.
ARTICLE II
ELECTRICAL STANDARDS
(Repealed by Ord. 610)
Secs. 5-21 to 5-34. Reserved.
ARTICLE III
DEMOLITION OF
SUBSTANDARD BUILDINGS
Sec. 5-35. Definitions.
(a) Dangerous buildings - All buildings or structures which have any or all of the following defects shall be deemed "dangerous buildings":
(1) Those whose interior walls or other vertical structural members list, lean or buckle to such an extent that a plumb line passing through the center of gravity falls outside of the middle third of its base.
(2) Those which, exclusive of the foundation, show thirty-three (33) percent or more, of damage or deterioration of the supporting member or members, or fifty (50) percent of damage or deterioration of the non-supporting enclosing or outside walls or covering.
(3) Those which have improperly distributed loads upon the floors or roofs or in which the same are overloaded, or which have insufficient strength to be reasonably safe for the purpose used.
(4) Those which have been damaged by fire, wind or other causes so as to have become dangerous to life, safety, or the general health and welfare of the occupants or the people of this city.
(5) Those which have become or are so dilapidated, decayed, unsafe, unsanitary or which so utterly fail to provide the amenities essential to decent living that they are unfit for human habitation, or are likely to cause sickness or disease, so as to work injury to the health, safety, or general welfare of those living therein.
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