Roofing in Lexington, Nebraska

Required

Lexington adopts its building codes in two steps. City Code Sec. 103-19 ("Building, mechanical and housing codes adopted by reference") provides: "The state building code promulgated pursuant to R.R.S. 1943, ch. 71, art. 64 (R.R.S. 1943, Section 74-6401 et seq.) is adopted by reference. Enforcement of a new edition of the state building code shall commence upon adoption of a resolution so stating." The resolution the City has passed under that section is RESOLUTION NO. 2017-18, "A Resolution of the City of Lexington, Nebraska Adopting the 2015 Editions of Building Codes With Certain Exceptions," passed and approved May 23, 2017: "That the 2015 Edition of the International Building Code, the 2015 Edition of the International Residential Code, 2015 Edition International Existing Building Code, 2015 International Fuel Gas Code, 2015 International Mechanical Code and 2015 International Plumbing Code are hereby adopted and shall replace the previous editions." Its only amendment is the deletion of two residential sprinkler sections: "Section R313 and Section R309.5 of the newly adopted 2015 International Residential Code are hereby deleted in their entirety." No later edition has been adopted by resolution, and the Development Services Department publishes the same editions today, telling roofers on its own Roof Permit Steps handout: "Remember your permit requires you to meet the 2015 International Residential Code." Property maintenance runs separately on the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code (City Code Sec. 103-82, adopted by Resolution No. 2012-29 of December 11, 2012). Electrical work is NOT on a city edition and NOT a city permit: City Code Sec. 103-45 adopts whichever edition of the National Electrical Code the State promulgates, and the City directs applicants to the State Electrical Division for electrical permits and to the Nebraska State Fire Marshal for plan approval. STATE FRAMEWORK, for context: the Nebraska State Building Code at Neb. Rev. Stat. 71-6403 adopts the 2018 International Building Code and the 2018 International Residential Code (the latter except section R313 and chapters 25 through 33), and 71-6406 governs when and how a city may run a local code of its own. A roofer should work to the editions the City enforces and confirm the current edition with the Development Services Department before bidding.

Apply in person at Development Services, 406 E 7th Street (PO Box 70), Lexington, NE 68850, (308) 324-2341; the Roofing Permit application is published on the City's Building Permits page as its own form. The City's instruction is to "Complete and bring Roof Permit Application and permit fee to the Development Services Department before you start construction." The form asks for owner, contractor and job-site details and lists the items required for submittal as the physical address and the number of EXISTING LAYERS, so the layer count is declared at application. The fee is a flat $50.00. Two things a roofer should not assume: electrical permits are issued by the Nebraska State Electrical Division and not by the City, and plan approval where it is needed comes from the Nebraska State Fire Marshal. The City publishes no roofing inspection schedule, so ask Development Services what inspections it will want and when before scheduling the tear-off.