REGULAR CALLED MEETING BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS Wednesday September 23, 2026 @ 1:30 PM- In Person/Web Ex PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT CENTER/ 1st FLOOR, CONF RM 1401-1402 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR AUSTIN, TEXAS Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, contact rick.arzola@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Oren Mitnzer- Chair; Ben Abzug- Vice Chair; Brasfield, Aubrey; Buys, Ron; Gannon, Chris; McKay, Blair; Juarez, Cecilia Paredes; Rumbo, Jim; Satt, Alison; Schumann, Alan; Wood, William CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- 1. Approve the minutes of the Building and Fire Board of Appeals Regular Called Meeting of July 22, 2026 2. Approve the minutes of the Building and Fire Board of Appeals Regular Called Meeting of August 26, 2026 DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Courtesy Presentation by Austin Code on discussion on the overview of the proposed 2024 International Property Maintenance Code and an amendment to add emergency demolition service. 4. Discussion on single stairs- The allowance to have dwelling unit doors open directly into a stair enclosure versus requiring an interim corridor. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodation no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Rick Arola at Austin Development Services Department, at 512-974-2417 or rick.arzola@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Building and Fire Board of Appeals, please contact Rick Arzola at 512-974-2417 and rick.arzola@austintexas.gov
REGULAR CALLED MEETING BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS Wednesday September 23, 2026 @ 1:30 PM- In Person/Web Ex PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT CENTER/ 1st FLOOR, CONF RM 1401-1402 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR AUSTIN, TEXAS Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, contact rick.arzola@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Oren Mitnzer- Chair; Ben Abzug- Vice Chair; Brasfield, Aubrey; Buys, Ron; Gannon, Chris; McKay, Blair; Juarez, Cecilia Paredes; Rumbo, Jim; Satt, Alison; Schumann, Alan; Wood, William AGENDA REVISED CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- 1. Approve the minutes of the Building and Fire Board of Appeals Regular Called Meeting of July 22, 2026 2. Approve the minutes of the Building and Fire Board of Appeals Regular Called Meeting of August 26, 2026 DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Courtesy Presentation by Austin Code on discussion on the overview of the proposed 2024 International Property Maintenance Code and an amendment to add emergency demolition service. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodation no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Rick Arola at Austin Development Services Department, at 512-974-2417 or rick.arzola@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Building and Fire Board of Appeals, please contact Rick Arzola at 512-974-2417 and rick.arzola@austintexas.gov
Emergency Demolition Service Timeline Policy Development Development Services defined criteria, communication requirements, and documentation standards for emergency demolitions. Roles and responsibilities were clarified. Procedures for determining and executing emergency demolitions were outlined. Memo of Understanding (MOU) Collaboration Development Services met with key City of Austin departments involved in emergency demolition operations. An MOU, with signatures from the Chiefs/Directors of all partner departments, was developed. Roles, protocols, and commitments were defined and outlined to ensure timely, safe, and documented responses. Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals Development Services will present a proposed amendment to the 2024 IPMC to the Building and Fire Code Board of Appeals. Conduct a Public Hearing Council will conduct a public hearing during which members of the public will be able to comment on the proposed amendment to the 2024 IPMC. Completed 3/31/2026 Completed 5/12/2026 Completed 8/13/2026 Projected Completion 9/22/2026 Planned for 9/23/2026 Planned for 9/23/2026 Planned for 10/08/2026 Implementation Development Services will train impacted staff on the new emergency demolition policy and service before implementation and after Council approval. Emergency demolition policy will be published in the department’s internal policy repository. Development Services will begin performing emergency demolitions when necessary to protect public life and safety. Projected 12/07/2026 Needs Assessment and Discovery Development Services identified need for faster response to dangerous structures that pose imminent life and safety concern(s) to improve safety and reduce repeat calls. Research was conducted with Texas peer cities with established emergency demolition services. Stakeholder Engagement On 8/20/26, Development Services informed community members about the proposed emergency demolition service and provided opportunities for them to ask questions and share feedback. On 9/22/2026 Development Services will inform community members about proposed amendment to the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC). Building and Standards Commission (BSC) The Commission will consider and make a recommendation on an ordinance amending the 2024 IPMC by adopting a local amendment to create an emergency demolition process. Set a Public Hearing Council will vote to set a public hearing to amend the 2024 IPMC by adopting a local amendment to create an emergency demolition process. Adoption Council will vote on whether to adopt a local amendment to the 2024 IPMC to create an emergency demolition process. Planned for10/22/2026 Adoption11/05/2026
2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) Amendment: Emergency Demolition Service Austin Development Services September 22, 2026 Purpose To provide an overview of the proposed 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) amendment for Emergency Demolitions Background The City of Austin adopted the International Code Council (ICC)’s 2024 IPMC with local amendments. Austin Development Services established an internal amendment committee to draft an additional local amendment to the IPMC for an Emergency Demolition Service. The City will be expanding procedures for emergency demolitions involving buildings that sustain catastrophic damage and pose an imminent danger to the community. Primary Goal The proposed amendment aims to protect public life and safety when unsafe structures pose an imminent threat or danger: ▪ Chapter 12 – Emergency Demolition 4 Proposed Change to the 2024 IPMC: The following will be addressed in Chapter 12 - Emergency Demolition • This chapter does not apply to Occupied Structures. • The building official will implement, administer and enforce this chapter. • The process will include placarding and internal review prior to any emergency demolition. • Emergency demolition will begin no later than 96 hours after the order to demolish is issued. 5 6 Questions? Austin Development Services is available to respond to your questions. Email us: codecommunications@austintexas.gov.
REGULAR CALLED MEETING BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS Wednesday August 26, 2026 @ 1:30 PM- In Person/Web Ex PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT CENTER/ 1st FLOOR, CONF RM 1401-1402 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR AUSTIN, TEXAS Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, contact rick.arzola@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Oren Mitnzer- Chair; Ben Abzug- Vice Chair; Brasfield, Aubrey; Buys, Ron; Gannon, Chris; McKay, Blair; Juarez, Cecilia Paredes; Rumbo, Jim; Satt, Alison; Schumann, Alan; Wood, William CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- 1. Approve the minutes of the Building and Fire Board of Appeals Regular Called Meeting of October 22, 2025 DISCUSSION 2. Discussion on a proposed House-plex code amendment. Adopting local amendments to expand the scope of the IRC to regulate construction of house-plex’s of up to and including 4 attached dwelling units. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodation no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Rick Arola at Austin Development Services Department, at 512-974-2417 or rick.arzola@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Building and Fire Board of Appeals, please contact Rick Arzola at 512-974-2417 and rick.arzola@austintexas.gov
RESOLUTION NO. 20260723-086 WHEREAS , on April 10 , 2025 , Council amended City Code Title 25 ( Land Development Code) by adopting the 2024 International Residential Code (IRC) and local amendments and the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) and local amendments; and WHEREAS , the IRC was specifically developed to ensure that safety , constructability, and affordability remain in balance for everyone; and WHEREAS , the IRC regulates construction of single - family houses , duplexes, and buildings consisting oftownhouse units up to three stories; and WHEREAS , the IBC applies to all occupancies , including residential projects that are outside the scope of the IRC. and includes regulatory requirements designed for industrial hazards, commercial buildings, and large multifamily buildings that add cost and complexity when applied to smaller residential projects; and WHEREAS , the assignment of small - scale multi - unit buildings to the IBC has contributed to the high cost of small-scale multi-unit housing development, limited the production of historic American housing types, and has acted as a barrier to the production of affordable middle housing in Austin and throughout the United States; and WHEREAS , small multi - unit buildings (- Houseplexes ") can be safely constructed using residential construction means and methods, and a residential workforce without the need for additional engineering. permitting, and specialty subcontracting standards typically associated with IBC projects; and Page I o f 6 WHEREAS , the IRC contains robust life - safety provisions . including fire - resistance-rated assemblies, sprinkler systems, penetration protections, and draft- stopping; and WHEREAS , comparisons between residential - scale NFPA - 13D sprinkler systems and the NFPA-13R sprinkler systems typically found in large multifamily construction indicate similar life-safety performance at a fraction ofthe cost; and WHEREAS , other local jurisdictions , states , and code - writing authorities have already adopted or are actively considering code revisions to allow construction of small multifamily buildings under the IRC's regulatory scope- including adopted codes in Shelby County, Tennessee (up to six units) and Dallas, Texas (up to eight units) demonstrating feasibility; and WHEREAS , Shelby County , Tennessee adopted a local amendment , Appendix M (Middle-Scale Housing IBC Amendment), to their IBC to provide an alternative compliance path for small-scale, low rise multifamily buildings of up to 24 dwelling units; and WHEREAS , Austin Development Services issued Policy Memo PM2024 - 0002, Modification Criteria for Review …
BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS REGULAR CALLED MEETING APPROVED MINUTES 26, August 2026 The BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS convened in a REGULAR CALLED meeting on August 26 2026, at 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR. in Austin, Texas. Chair Mitzner called the Building and Fire Board Meeting to order at 1:32 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Chairman: Mitzner, Oren; V.Chair Abzug, Ben; Brasfield, Aubrey; Buys, Ron; Gannon, Chris and Rumbo, Jim Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: McKay, Blair, Satt, Alison and William Wood PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL No Public speakers were registered APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1 City Staff requested to postpone this agenda item as that approval of minutes reflected the incorrect date. Staff will provide 2 draft minutes of July 22, and August 26, 2026 at the next regular scheduled meeting. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Discussion on a proposed house plex code amendment. Adopting local amendments to expand the scope of the IRC to regulate construction of house-plex’s of up to and including 4 attached dwellings. Overview A discussion was requested regarding a resolution passed by City Council (Version 2) proposing amendments to expand the IRC to allow construction of house plexes up to four attached dwelling units. Background (Presented by Board member Gannon) • The resolution originated through collaboration between District 6, with the assistance of the Austin chapter of American Institute of Architects (AIA). • Memphis and Dallas have adopted similar expansions. 1 • Austin currently allows single-family, duplexes, and townhouses in IRC; anything more than that requires IBC. • Proposed amendment would allow up to 4 units in total in one building under the IRC. • The proposal avoids shared interior common spaces and shared utilities to maintain compatibility with NFPA 13D sprinkler provisions. • Each unit must have independent egress, like townhouses. Clarifications & Additional Details • Maximum building height remains 3 stories under the IRC. • Units may be arranged in various configurations if they comply with IRC limits. • Shared external stairways are allowed; internal shared egress is not. • Discussion Points Raised by Board Members & Fire Department • Terminology concerns: Members requested clearer definitions (e.g., “house plex”). • Process concerns: Members noted Interconnected smoke alarms are already required in stacked units under the IRC. inadequate communication about the resolution's development, requesting earlier involvement in future code proposals. • Safety & code considerations: o Fire access and parking impacts in dense residential areas. …
REGULAR CALLED MEETING BUILDING AND FIRE BOARD OF APPEALS Wednesday April 22, 2026 @ 1:30 PM- In Person/Web Ex PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT CENTER/ 1st FLOOR, CONF RM 1401-1402 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR AUSTIN, TEXAS Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register, contact rick.arzola@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Aubrey Brasfield- Chair; Alan Schumann- Vice Chair; Abzug, Ben; Buys, Ron; Gannon, Chris; McKay, Blair; Mitzner, Oren; Juarez, Cecilia Paredes; Rumbo, Jim; Satt, Alison; Wood, William CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- 1. Approve the minutes of the Building and Fire Board of Appeals Regular Called Meeting of October 22, 2025 DISCUSSION AND ACTION 2. Conduct officer elections for the Chair and V. Chair FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Rick Arola at Austin Development Services Department, at 512-974-2417 or rick.arzola@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Building and Fire Board of Appeals, please contact Rick Arzola at 512-974-2417 and rick.arzola@austintexas.gov
