An appeal of the local building official's decision to refuse to grant a modification to the USBC must be made to which body?

An appeal of the local building official's decision to refuse to grant a modification to the USBC must be made to which body?

• A. Local Building Board
• B. State Building Commission
• C. City Council
• D. Civil Court

Answer: (A)

When a local building official rejects a request to modify the USBC, the first place to seek review is the local Building Code Appeals Board. This board is set up to hear appeals and requests for deviations from the code, and it serves as the quasi-judicial body that can grant, deny, or modify the modification. The board considers the specific facts, safety, and practical implications of the request and provides the local, practical decision on the matter. This isn’t the State Building Commission, which handles statewide code adoption and policy, nor is it the City Council, which passes laws rather than ruling on individual code-modification cases. Judicial review in civil court is possible if the administrative path is exhausted and a legal challenge is pursued, but the formal appeal itself goes to the local Building Code Appeals Board.

When a local building official rejects a request to modify the USBC, the first place to seek review is the local Building Code Appeals Board. This board is set up to hear appeals and requests for deviations from the code, and it serves as the quasi-judicial body that can grant, deny, or modify the modification. The board considers the specific facts, safety, and practical implications of the request and provides the local, practical decision on the matter.

This isn’t the State Building Commission, which handles statewide code adoption and policy, nor is it the City Council, which passes laws rather than ruling on individual code-modification cases. Judicial review in civil court is possible if the administrative path is exhausted and a legal challenge is pursued, but the formal appeal itself goes to the local Building Code Appeals Board.