On Friday, March 6, 2026, at 1:04 p.m., the Anchorage Assembly held a work session to review and discuss AO2026-33, a comprehensive ordinance to update Title 23 of the Anchorage Municipal Code by adopting the 2024 editions of multiple international building codes and making local amendments. This undertaking occurs every six years. The session included presentations from Community Economic Development Director Bob Dole, Development Services Director Greg Soule, Engineering Services Manager Daniel King, and Fire Marshal Brian Dean, along with discussion by assembly members. The primary focus was on significant changes from the current 2018 code cycle, including administrative updates, new fire safety provisions for single-exit buildings, and other technical amendments.
Good afternoon, everybody. We'll go ahead and get started. Welcome. This is a work session of the Anchorage Assembly. Today is Friday, March 6th. It's 104 p.m. We're on the record till two. We're here to discuss AO2026-33 and ordinance repealing anchorage municipal code, chapter 1075, inspection fees repealing and reenacting anchorage municipal code chapters 2305 building regulations 2310 Anchorage Administrative Code 2315 International Building Code 2320, International Mechanical Code, 2325, Uniform Plumbing Code 2330, National Electrical Code 2345, International Fire Code 2360, International Energy Conservation Code 2365, International Existing Building Code 2375, Asmi A17.1 Safety Code for Elevator and Escalators, 23.76, ASMI A18.1 safety standard for platform lifts and stairway chairlifts 23.85 International Residential Code and 23.110 International Fuel Gas Code. We'll start with introductions to Ms. Baldon Day. Aaron Baldwin Day. Chair Kirker. And Daniel Bulland. Anna Brawley. Christopher Constant on the phone. We also have Member Silvers. Yara Silvers. Thank you, Mr. Martinez. President, thank you. Thank you, Mr. McCormick. Here, thank you. Thank you. Any other member on the phone? I don't hear anyone. We also joined by Bob Dole. Bob Dole, Director of Community Economic Development. Greg Soule, Director of Development Services. Daniel King, Engineering Services Manager for Development Services. All right. So the undertaking that we have before us, this proposal is a once every six year endeavor, which is to review and incorporate updates to the various building codes that are international into our code. And then the assembly's role is to hear from the departments and consider any alterations from the national standards. And this is what we have before us a pretty comprehensive 250 some page document. I hope it's posted on the website for work sessions. And this work session may be enough for us to get through the conversation, but it also could be just the beginning of the conversation that we need to have. I also understand that this item was heard yesterday at the CEDC committee meeting. And so this is not the first time it comes before the body. That's the predicate. Mr. Dole, you have the floor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Bob Dole, Director of Community Economic Development. As you know, every six years we return here. It's kind of like the locust coming back to uh revisit this. We have the benefit as we sit here today with you of lessons learned from the earthquake and also the process of the national code development in uh getting to this point uh in the 2021 and now the 2024 codes uh since the last time this body visited the building codes for this entity. As we talk about 10,000 homes in 10 years, to us the key points it's 10,000 responsibly built and safe homes. We also proved after the earthquake that a home that does not hold together is not an affordable home. We painfully proved that for many families with foreclosures and uh excessive or very high uh special assessments by condominium owner associations.