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June 24th, 2009
New fire safety regulations affect most of Novato
Remodelers need fire-safe windows, decks
By Tim Omarzu
Managing Editor
Wednesday, July 2, 2008 1:02 PM PDT
If you own a home in Novato, there’s a good chance that the cost of replacing a window just doubled, thanks to new fire-safety regulations.
Homeowners who live in the so-called wildland urban interface area—some 11,000 parcels, more than half of all of Novato’s properties—need to install tempered glass or other fire-resistant glass if they replace so much as one window.
“If you change one window… they’re making you do it,” said Tom Matthews, one of the owners of Novato Glass.
Requiring fire-resistant glass is just one item on a list of new fire-safety guidelines enacted this year that appear to be taking by surprise many people who are remodeling their homes.
“A lot of contractors don’t know about this law,” Matthews said.
The new rules also require that:
• Exterior doors be replaced with solid-core wood or non-combustible material.
• Replacement decks be constructed of fire-resistant materials. This goes into effect if more than 50 percent of a deck is replaced.
• New roofs must be fire-resistant.
• Replacement gutters must have covers or other means to prevent the accumulation of leaves.
• Fire-resistant attic vents have to be installed in some cases when roofs or gutters are redone. The fire-safe vents shut closed when they reach a certain temperature during a blaze, keeping sparks out of the home’s attic.
Statewide, new homes in the wildland urban interface require the fire-resistant features listed above, according to Capt. Bill Tyler, Deputy Fire Marshal for the Novato Fire Protection District.
But Marin County is going one step further by requiring that fire-resistant features be installed when homes are remodeled, too, he said.
“What’s different is Marin County has said, ‘We want to be even more proactive in protecting people’s lives and property,” Tyler said.
The rules requiring fire-resistant remodeling were approved by the Novato Fire Protection District’s board, the Novato City Council and the Marin County Board of Supervisors. They went into effect on Jan. 1.
The city of Novato on June 2 clarified its policy for what fire-safe materials need to be used when remodeling and altering existing buildings. Homeowners and contractors can get a handout detailing the new rules at city hall.
“We’re trying to get the word out,” said Ron Averiette, Chief Building Official for the city of Novato. Some contractors hadn’t heard of the new rules, so the city is letting them install glass that isn’t fire-resistant, if they can show the glass was ordered prior to June 2.
That way, contractors don’t have to try to return windows they’ve already purchased.
“We’re trying to be fair,” Averiette said.
Matthews said that the owner of another glass business that he knows of lost three jobs to replace windows in Novato homes because the homeowners didn’t want to pay the extra expense of installing tempered glass.
Matthews also has been surprised by which homes are classified as being inside the wildland urban interface. For example, one of Matthews’ relatives lives in a home on Sutro Avenue between Center Road and Stasia Drive that is surrounded by other homes—yet is classified as being in the wildland urban interface.
“He’s got homes on both sides, he’s got homes behind him,” Matthews said.
The fire district’s Web site has a map that shows which homes are inside the wildland urban interface. Homeowners also can enter their address or parcel number to find out if they’re affected by the regulations, Tyler said.
Tyler compared the rules requiring fire-resistant remodels to Marin County’s decision in the 1980s to require that fire sprinklers be installed during remodels of rural homes.
“Change for people sometimes is… a frightening process. But I think as time goes on, people will see the merits of it,” Tyler said of the fire-resistant remodeling rules. “What we’re trying to do is help (people) help themselves.”
Are you affected?
To see a map of which Novato properties are inside the wildland urban interface, get on the Novato Fire Protection District’s Web site at novatofire.org. To learn even more, check Cal Fire’s Web site at www.fire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/fire_prevention_wildland.php
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Steve Beck wrote on Jul 7, 2008 9:03 AM: