About 25-30 local contractors and design professionals were briefed on changes to the 2009 Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code at an informational meeting held Feb. 24 in Gloucester’s colonial courthouse, according to county building official Paul Koll.

The building code is periodically updated, Koll said. The code is a detailed series of building guidelines applicable to all Virginia construction; there are 11 volumes to the code.

Koll said that one amendment affecting new construction is that new buildings with fossil fuel applications are now required to have carbon monoxide detectors. But industry officials recommend carbon monoxide detectors be placed in all residential buildings, Koll said.

Although the standard in many other areas is to require fire suppression systems in all new construction, Koll said, Virginia has opted not to require fire suppression systems in one- or two-family housing units. Again, many industry officials recommend contractors consider installing such systems in all new residential housing, he said.

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