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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 12/14/2021 - Memorandum From Russell Hovland Re: Gender-Neutral Restrooms In The 2021 Building Code UpdatePlanning, Development & Transportation Services CommunityDevelopment & Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 970.416.2740 970.224.6134- fax fcgov.com Date: December 8, 2021 To: Mayor Arndt and City Councilmembers Thru: Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager Caryn Champine, Director of Planning, Development and Transportation Paul Sizemore, Community Development and Neighborhoods Service Director From: Russell Hovland, Interim Chief Building Official Re: Gender-neutral Restrooms in the 2021 Building Code Update The purpose of this memo is to respond to a Council request for information following public comment at the November 16th Regular Council meeting regarding gender-neutral restroom provisions in the Building Code. This intent of this memo is to: 1. Inform Council of the current (2018) Building Code requirements for restrooms in public spaces (including private businesses open to the public). 2. Provide Council the new restroom changes included in the upcoming 2021 Building Code coming to Council for adoption in early 2022. 3. Gauge Council interest in amending the code language to further address gender- neutral restrooms. Background and Analysis: The current adopted 2018 International Building Code (IBC) regulates restroom requirements in all new buildings, additions, renovations that change the occupant load or restrooms, and changes to the approved occupancy. The Building Code does not require existing buildings (that are not changing) to retroactively meet new code requirements because of the extensive cost impact to owners and enforcement challenges to the City. Occupied spaces must provide restroom facilities for everyone using that space including employees and customers. This includes the number of fixtures (toilets) required to meet the need of the intended occupant load so that adequate facilities are provided. The 2018 IBC requires separate facilities be provided for each sex but does allow some exceptions to this. A small occupant load of 25 (100 for retail) or less can provide a single-user uni-sex restroom. -equivalent to gender-neutral. We also have a local amendment that allows multiple single-user restrooms to meet the fixture count, but they could be designated/signed for men/women or uni-sex. Compliance with single-user restrooms can be achieved with either separate sex facilities or uni-sex. Planning, Development & Transportation Services CommunityDevelopment & Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 970.416.2740 970.224.6134- fax fcgov.com In addition to the above code requirements, the new 2021 IBC has an additional option to allow a multi-user uni-sex restroom with privacy (partitions & doors) for all fixtures including urinals. This new code allows compliance with either separate sex facilities or uni-sex and does not require restrooms be gender neutral. If Council desires the development of more gender-neutral restrooms, a change to the new 2021 code could be made to require all new single-user restrooms to be gender-neutral and signed as such. This change would not have an additional impact on complexity of construction or cost to builders. Staff would not recommend requiring all new multi-user restrooms to be gender-neutral at this time because of the extensive revisions that would be required to the 2021 code language. Requiring new single-user restrooms to be gender-neutral would capture a majority of new small and medium buildings and businesses obtaining building permits because most of them use single-user restrooms to meet fixture requirements. This change would not be retroactive to existing restrooms unless they are renovated, or the occupancy of the building is changed. Next Steps If Council would like to include provisions to require that all new single-user public restrooms be designated and signed as gender-neutral or uni-sex, staff can incorporate this change into the package of 2021 International Codes coming to Council for adoption in February of 2022.