By Parker Leavitt | The Arizona Republic
In the face of stiff opposition from local conservatives, the Gilbert Town Council on Thursday declined to adopt updated standardized building codes and instead will create a new town commission for further study.
A three-year update to building codes that establish minimum standards for safety and quality is making its way through Phoenix-area municipalities, and most have adopted the regulations without major incident.
The standards come from the International Code Commission and include regulations for residential and commercial buildings, plumbing, electrical work, fire safety, energy conservation and green construction. They are largely supported by the homebuilding and business communities, including Gilbert’s two major business organizations.
In Gilbert, a hotbed of tea-party political activism, the codes have been the subject of controversy for months as local residents and contractors rally against what they see as government regulation run amok.
