There is hereby incorporated by reference that certain code known as the International Residential Code, 2012 Edition, prepared and published in book form by the International Code Council, as amended by Resolution Number 106-2015 of the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners, Sedgwick County, Kansas. No fewer than three (3) copies of said International Building Code, 2012 Edition, and Sedgwick County Resolution Number 106-2015 shall be marked “Official Copy as adopted by Ordinance No. 776, to which shall be attached a copy of said ordinance or this code section, and filed with the City Clerk to be open to inspection and available to the public at all reasonable hours.

(Ord. 575, Sec. 1;Ord. 662, Sec. 1; Code 2012; Ord. 776)

All references to the terms “unincorporated areas of Sedgwick County” or “unincorporated areas” in the Sedgwick County Resolution adopted and incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to mean and also include the areas within the corporate limits of the City of Goddard, Kansas.

(Ord. 575, Sec. 2; Ord. 662, Sec. 2; Code 2012; Ord. 776)

(a)      Scope.

This section applies to all new (i) Two-Family Dwellings, (ii) attached Single-Family Dwellings (commonly referred to as “twin homes”), and (iii) Multiple-Family Dwellings containing not more than four (4) dwelling units, as those terms are defined in the City’s Zoning and Subdivision Regulations, for which a building permit application is submitted on or after the effective date of this ordinance. This section also applies to any addition, reconstruction, or alteration of any such dwelling that creates a new common wall separating dwelling units or that removes, replaces, or substantially modifies more than fifty percent (50%) of an existing common wall separating dwelling units.

(b)     Sound Transmission Class.

Any common wall separating two adjacent dwelling units in a dwelling subject to this section shall achieve a minimum Sound Transmission Class (“STC”) rating of 50, or a field-tested STC rating of not less than 50, when tested in accordance with ASTM E90 (laboratory measurement) or ASTM E336 (field measurement), respectively.

(c)      Approved Assemblies.

The following common wall assemblies, when properly designed, constructed, and detailed, shall be deemed to satisfy the standard in subsection (b): (1) a double-stud wall assembly consisting of two separate stud-framed walls with a minimum one-inch (1”) air gap between the walls, sound-attenuating insulation in each wall cavity, or approved sound board; (2) masonry or concrete walls of sufficient mass and thickness to achieve the rating required under subsection (b). The standard wall assembly cannot be a single stud or single staggered stud wall.

(d)     Documentation.

The applicant shall identify each proposed common wall assembly on the construction plans submitted with the building permit application and shall include the manufacturer’s specifications or other published source establishing the assembly’s STC rating. For an assembly proposed under subsection (c)(3), the applicant shall submit, with the building permit application, published laboratory test results or a sealed report from a licensed design professional demonstrating compliance with subsection (b). Compliance shall be determined based on the documentation submitted. Field acoustic testing shall not be required as a condition of approval.

(e)      Inspection.

The Building Official shall inspect each common wall assembly after framing and insulation are in place and before any wall finish or other covering is applied to either side of the assembly. No authorization to enclose a common wall shall be issued unless the Building Official determines that the assembly conforms to the approved plans.

(f)      Penetrations and Flanking Paths.

Penetrations of a common wall for electrical, plumbing, or mechanical components shall be sealed with sound-rated firestop or acoustical sealant. Electrical outlet boxes located in a common wall shall not be installed in a back-to-back configuration. Continuous floor sheathing, top plates, and other elements that may transmit sound around the common wall shall be detailed in a manner consistent with the rated performance of the assembly.

(g)      Conflict with Adopted Codes.

Where this section imposes a more stringent requirement than the construction codes otherwise adopted by the City, this section shall control. Nothing in this section shall be construed to relieve any person from compliance with any other provision of the construction codes otherwise adopted by the City.

(Ord. 1048; Ord. 1050)