USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Chelmsford > Town annual report of Chelmsford 1950 > Part 6
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Page 17. Under the title Floor Joists-next to the last sentence to read,
Size of strip shall be (2x3) two by three inches.
Page 18. Under the head of Studding, add to the first paragraph the following-or the equivalent of the same, so that the first para- graph will read-All outside and carrying partitions must be (2x4) two by four studding set on sixteen inch centers, or the equivalent of the same.
Also on Page 18-Under the subject of lintels or headers, the last sentence to read as follows :- Trussed construction may be used in place of lintel, or other approved construction affording adequate strength may be used.
Page 20. Last paragraph on the page to read as follows :- Masonry fireproofing must be installed in all walls of stairways in apartment buildings.
Page 21. Add the following at end of Section 4-Basement and internal garages shall be wire lathed and plastered on ceiling and partitions with fire door for opening from building, or they shall be enclosed with masonry walls with fire door from the building.
Page 22. Table 1 in appendix-the heading to read- MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE SPANS FOR FLOOR JOISTS IN DWELLINGS.
Thirty two voted in the affirmative
Nineteen voted in the negative.
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REPORT OF THE TOWN CLERK
THE NEW BUILDING CODE WITH THE CHANGES AND AMENDMENTS TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
ARTICLE I
This regulation shall constitute and be known as the BUILDING CODE of the TOWN OF CHELMSFORD and may be cited as such, and shall apply to buildings erected or altered in Chelmsford after the adoption of this code. For the enforcement of this code and to insure conformity therewith, there shall be a Building Inspector, appointed annually by the Selectmen, during the month of March, for a term of one year, or until his successor has been appointed and qualified. To be eligible for appointment as Inspector of Buildings, the individual must have had at least five years experience as an architect, structur- al or civil engineer, superintendent of construction, or other experience satisfactory to the Selectmen. His salary shall be determined by the Selectmen.
ARTICLE II Right To Enter
Section 1. The Building Inspector may, so far as is necessary for the performance of his duties, enter any building or premises within the Town of Chlemsford at any reasonable hour.
Section 2. The Building Inspector shall keep a record of all busi- ness of his department, which record and all other papers and books relating to the transaction of the duties of his department. shall be open at all times to the inspection of the Selectmen, and he shall submit to them a yearly report on such business, and such other reports as they may require.
The Building Inspector shall give written notice to the Assessors of permits granted by him, which notice shall state the name of the person to whom the permit was granted, the name of the owner of the building or structure, the location of the building or structure, and the estimated total value as given on the application.
He shall receive applications and issue permits for the erection and alteration of buildings as hereinafter described, and shall keep de- tailed and sufficient records of such applications and permits. He shall not give a permit for the erection or alteration of any building until he shall have carefully inspected the plans, specifications and premises, and ascertained that the building as proposed will conform to the Building Code, to the Zoning Laws and the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
He shall make all inspections as hereinafter called for and such other inspections in the course of construction or alteration as may be necessary to assure compliance with the Building Code and Zoning Laws.
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He shall make a record of all violations, with the name of the owner, occupant, architect or builder, also what action he took in re- gard to the violation.
He shall examine all buildings reported dangerous or damaged by accident or fire, and if it appears to him that such structures would be unsafe or dangerous to life and limb in case of fire or otherwise, it shall be deemed dangerous within the meaning thereof, and the In- spector may affix in a conspicuous place upon its exterior walls a notice of its dangerous condition which shall not be removed or defaced with- out authority from him.
It shall be the duty of the Inspector to approve or reject any plans filed with him within ten days, but the Selectmen may, in special cases, extend this time as seems to them to be demanded by the public interest. No work of any description, including excavation for cellar or basement, or for foundations shall be commenced until a permit is issued.
No oversight or neglect of duty on the part of the building in- spector or his subordinates shall legalize the erection, construction or alteration of any building or structure in a manner not in conformity with the provisions of this code.
Relief From Personal Responsibility
The Building Inspector, or an employee charged with the enforce- ment of this code shall not be personally liable while acting for the town, and he is hereby relieved from all personal liability for any damage that may accrue to persons or property as a result of any acts required or permitted in the discharge of his official duties.
Appeal
Section 3. The Board of Appeals shall act as a Board of Appeals under this Code. The procedure of the Board and the process of appeal shall conform, so far as may be, to that specified in Section 10 of the Zoning By-Laws.
If the owner of any building or other structure, or an applicant for a permit to erect or alter a building or other structure, is aggrieved by any order or decision of the Building Inspector, he may file with the Board of Appeals an objection in writing. The Board of Appeals shall within a reasonable time, hear the parties, and after taking such expert opinion as may seem to the Board to be necessary, give their decision. In case the decision of the Building Inspector be affirmed, the expense of such expert opinion taken by the Board of Appeals shall be paid to the Town on demand by the appellant; otherwise such expense shall be borne by the Town.
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Section 4. No building shall be erected, added to or altered except in conformity with the provisions of this code, but nothing in this code shall be construed to apply to buildings or structures owned by the United States Government, or by the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts, or to bridges, garden walls, fences, gates or gateways, or to build- ings with a total value of less than $50.00.
Ordinary repairs, additions or alterations may be made up to the value of $50.00 after notice to the Building Inspector, without permit or fee, but such repairs, additions or alterations, shall not be construed to include the cutting away of any stone, concrete or brick wall, or any portion thereof, the removal or cutting of any beam or support, or the removal, change or closing of any staircase, or exit.
Section 5. Whoever performs, or causes to be performed, any work, or maintains, alters or erects any structure in violation of this Building Code, or any part thereof, or continues work on the same after having received written notice to cease, shall be subject to a fine of not more than ($100.) one hundred dollars for each violation. The Building Inspector shall make complaint to a court having jurisdiction thereof, or apply to the Superior Court for an injunction or order re- straining the further use of the premises, or both, and shall do all fur- ther acts and take any and all action necessary to enforce the provisions of this Building Code.
ARTICLE III Filing Applications
Section 1. Before work is commenced upon the construction or al- teration of any building, structure or part thereof, or work incidental thereto, including excavation for cellar or basement, a foundation, or the plumbing or drainage system, the owner, lessee or representative of either, shall submit to the Building Inspector a detailed description of the location, purpose and construction of the proposed work together with a plat plan showing location of the building on the lot, and such copies of the plans, detailed drawings and calculations as the Building Inspector may require. If, in the opinion of the Building Inspector, such information is in conformity with the Building Code and Zoning Laws, he shall issue a permit. The fee for such permit shall be estab- lished by the Board of Selectmen.
The Building Inspector shall make at least two inspections of each industrial, commercial, and residential building, including attached accessory buildings. One of these inspections shall be made after the foundation, the first or grade floor framing and its rough floor have been completed. Until after this inspection has been made and the approval of the Building Inspector given of the work done to this point, the excavation shall not be backfilled. Another inspection shall be made
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after the building is structurally completed or enclosed, but before any wall or ceiling interior covering has been applied over the studs or joists. Such inspections shall be made within 48 hours after notice is received, Sundays and holidays excepted.
The permit shall contain, in writing, any variances to the Building Code or Zoning Laws which may have been granted by the Building Inspector or Board of Appeals.
The erection, construction or alteration of any building shall, when proceeded with, be executed in accordance with such detailed descriptions, plans and drawings as were furnished the Building In- spector when application for permit was filed, unless amended plans are submitted to, and approved by, the Inspector.
Any permit which may be issued by the Inspector, but under which work is not commenced within six months from date of issuance, or is abandoned before completion, shall expire by limitation.
A permit card, issued by the Inspector, must be displayed in a conspicuous place on the street side of the premises, and must not be removed until all work in the building shall have been approved.
The Building Inspector is hereby given authority to order and compel the suspension of any work being done in violation of any of the provisions of this Code, and no person shall continue the con- struction or alteration of any building after being directed by the Building Inspector to suspend work. Such notice shall be in writing and be given to the owner, his agent or the person doing the work. Such notice shall state the conditions under which work may be resumed. When suspension of work is ordered by the Inspector, the permit and permit card shall be surrendered to the Building Inspector and shall not be returned until after the violation has been corrected.
ARTICLE IV
Definitions and Terms
Section 1. In this Code the following terms shall have the meaning respectively assigned to them.
Definitions
Accessory Building.
A structure or building customarily incident to use of land or building to which it is accessory.
Alteration.
Any change or addition which requires no foundation, nor in- creases the floor area by more than 25%.
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Apartment.
Apartment means a room or suite of two or more rooms, in a residence building occupied as the home or residence of an individual, family or household.
Apartment House.
Any building which is intended or designed for, or used as the home of three or more families or households living independently of each other.
Basement.
That part of a building partly underground but having more than one-half of its entire wall area above the level of the adjoining ground.
Bearing Wall.
A bearing wall means a wall which supports any vertical load in addition to its own weight.
Building.
Any structure comprising the assembly of materials to form a construction for the support, shelter, or enclosure of persons, animals, chattels or other property. Portions mutually separated by an approved firewall shall be considered as separate buildings.
Building Line.
A line between which and a way or place no building can be erected or placed.
Building Official.
The Building Inspector, or his regularly authorized representative charged with the administration and enforcement of this Code.
Cellar.
The lower portion of a building wholly or partly below ground such that more than half the clear height from floor to ceiling is below the adjoining established grade.
Dwelling.
Aj residence building for a family and not more than six lodgers or boarders, or occupied by not more than two families living sep- arately.
Fire Wall.
Fire wall means a wall constructed for the purpose of subdividing a building or separate buildings to restrict the spread of fire and this wall starts at the foundation and extends continuously through all the stories to and above the roof, except where the roof is fireproof or semifireproof and the wall is carried up tightly against the underside of the roof slab.
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Footing.
An enlargement at the lower end of a wall, pier, column, or chimney so arranged as to distribute the supported load to the earth.
Foundation.
That portion of a wall below the level of the mean grade next to the wall, but may be construed by the Building Inspector to mean that portion below the basement or cellar floor, and may be construed as including slab construction.
Garage.
An accessory building in which motor vehicles are kept, housed, or repaired. The term motor vehicle as used here applies to automobiles, trucks and buses, but does not include motorized farm machinery, such as tractors, cultivators, etc.
Grade.
The average level of that part of the ground within four feet of the foundation wall.
Habitable Room.
A habitable room means a room occupied by one or more persons for living, eating or sleeping, and includes kitchens, serving apart- ments, or individual households, but does not include bathrooms, toilets, compartments, laundries, serving and storage pantries, corri- dors, basement and other spaces that are not used frequently or during extended periods.
Height.
In feet, is the vertical distance from grade to the mean or average height of the roof or gable; in stories, does not include cellars, base- ments, or attics not occupied for habitable living quarters.
Mutifamily House.
A multifamily house means a building occupied as the home or residence of individuals, families or households living independently of each other, of which three or more are doing cooking within their apartments; including tenement house, apartment house, flat.
Outbuilding.
Shed, henhouse, etc.
Prefabricated.
Prefabricated means composed of sections or panels fabricated prior to erection on the building foundation.
Reinforced Concrete.
A uniformly mixed composition or screened gravel, stone, or other aggregate with sand, Portland cement and water, in approved propor- tions and reinforced with embedded steel for increased strength.
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REPORT OF THE TOWN CLERK
Repairs.
Replacement or removal of any part of a building or change therein which does not affect the construction or involve the erection of bearing or exterior walls, roof, chimneys or stairways, does not re- move or cut any supporting beams or support thereof and does not violate any requirement of these building laws.
Solid Masonry.
Solid masonry means masonry consisting of solid masonry units laid contiguously with the joints between units filled with mortar, or consisting of plain concrete.
Story of a Building.
The section of a building between the floor (or top of the floor beams) and the floor (or top of the floor or roof beams) next above. A mezzanine between stories shall count as a story when it exceeds 25% of the area of the floor immediately below.
Street.
A street as the term is used in these building laws shall include all public ways and all private ways commonly used by the public.
Wall, Veneered.
A veneered wall means a wall having masonry facing which is attached to the backing but not so bonded as to exert common action under load.
Wood Frame Building.
A building or structure, the exterior walls of which are constructed of wood, or wood covered with metal, or veneered with brick, stone, or cement.
ARTICLE V Classification of Construction
Section 1. Types designated. For the purpose of this code, con- struction as used in buildings shall be classified as follows:
(a) Fireproof Construction.
(b) Semifireproof Construction.
(c) Heavy Timber Construction.
(d) Ordinary Construction.
(e) Noncombustible Construction.
(f) Wood Frame Construction.
(g) Unprotected Metal Construction.
Fireproof, Semifireproof and Heavy Timber Construction
Section 2. Fireproof, semifireproof and heavy timber construction shall conform to generally accepted good practice.
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Ordinary Construction
Definition.
Ordinary construction, as applied to buildings, means that in which exterior walls and bearing walls are of masonry or of rein- forced concrete, and in which the structural members, including columns, floors and roof construction, are wholly or partly of wood of smaller dimensions than required for heavy timber construction, or of steel or iron not protected as required for semifireproof construction.
Noncombustible Construction
Definition.
Noncombustible construction, as applied to buildings, means that in which all structural members, including floors, roofs and their sup- ports, are of steel, iron, concrete, or of other noncombustible materials, and in which the exterior walls are of noncombustible construction having a fire resistance rating of not less than two hours.
Wood Frame Construction
Definition.
Wood frame construction, as applied to buildings, means that in which walls and interior construction are wholly or partly of wood.
Unprotected Metal Construction
Definition.
Unprotected metal construction, as applied to buildings, means that in which the structural supports are unprotected metal and in which floors and roofs are of noncombustible construction, and the exterior walls are of noncombustible construction having a fire resistance rating of not less than 2 hours.
ARTICLE VI Windows and Ventilation
Section 1. All habitable roonis shall have one or more outside windows, and the aggregate glass area shall not be less than 4% of the floor area of the room served by them.
NOTE: See definition of Habitable Room on page 80, under the heading of definitions.
Section 2. All rooms, other than habitable rooms, (except storage rooms, corridors, basement and other spaces not used frequently or for extended periods), shall be provided with one or more windows or ventilating skylights opening directly to the outside air and light, or such rooms shall be provided with an approved means of mechanical ventilation.
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Bathrooms and toilets shall have an outside window of not less than three square feet of glass area, or shall be provided with an approved means of mechanical ventilation.
Section 3. Every dwelling shall have at least two means of egress.
ARTICLE VII
Use of New Materials and New Methods of Construction
Section 1. New materials, methods of construction, devices and equipment may be approved by the Building Inspector for use in buildings, if they are proved to be the equivalent of those required by this code, or he may adopt the recommendations of the Board of Stan- dards in the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety. '
An equivalent material, appliance, method of construction or maintenance, having once been approved by the Building Inspector, may thereafter be permitted without further specific approval.
The Building Inspector may accept duly authenticated reports from recognized sources in respect to the use of new materials or methods of construction and the applicable specifications and standards of accepted engineering practice insofar as they conform to the re- quirements of this code. Recognized sources of such duly authenticated reports in respect to the use of new materials or methods of construc- tion shall be those listed in Appendix A and Appendix B of the Basic Principles of Building Construction by the Board of Standards, Depart- ment of Public Safety, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. New materials and new methods of construction as referred to above shall include prefabricated assemblies.
ARTICLE VIII Footings and Foundations
Section 1. All buildings and structures shall have foundation walls, piers, piles, continuous slabs or other approved foundations which shall be designed to resist frost action or shall be founded on bed rock. All footings shall be designed to distribute the load as nearly uniformly as practicable.
Satisfactory bearing material for footings and foundations are as follows, --
Undisturbed ledge rock, natural deposits of coarse or medium sand, gravel or dry clay, or a combination of such materials, if the layers below are not of objectionable material of little bearing value.
All foundation walls shall have a footing which shall bear on undisturbed soil and be designed to distribute sufficiently the super-
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imposed load to the particular type of soil upon which they bear. Where soil conditions prevent sharp cut trenches for footings, side forms shall be used. All footings shall be of poured portland cement concrete 1-3-5 (one-three-five) mixture, or better.
(a) Under all foundation walls of all wood frame buildings not exceeding two stories, and also one story masonry buildings; thickness (8) eight inches; projection (4) four inches on each side of the wall.
(b) Under foundation walls of masonry buildings more than one story in height; thickness (12) twelve inches; projection (6) six inches on each side of the wall, or the footing may be the same as required in paragraph (a) above, if reinforced with not less than two 5/8 inch bars continuous in footing and spaced not to exceed (8) eight inches.
(c) Under masonry piers; thickness (12) twelve inches, pro jection each side (6) six inches minimum, area four square feet.
(d) Under posts and columns; thickness (12) twelve inchies minimum, area four square feet.
(e) Under chimneys for one story buildings; thickness (8) eight inches, projection on all sides (4) four inches.
(f) Under chimneys for buildings of more than one story; thick- ness (12) twelve inches; projection on all sides (6) six inches.
All footings shall be adequately reinforced where they cross and bear on filled trenches or other similar disturbed soil conditions. Modi- fication of footing requirements may be made if approved by the Build- ing Inspector.
Foundation Walls
Section 2. All dwellings must have a foundation wall which ex- tends (42) forty-two inches below the finished grade. Foundation walls if of poured concrete shall not be less than (16) sixteen inches in thick- ness for fireproof, semifireproof, and heavy timber buildings, and not less than (12) twelve inches for masonry, or masonry veneered build- ings, and not less than (8) eight inches in thickness for ordinary, or wood frame buildings, not exceeding two stories, and also for one story masonry buildings.
Foundation walls if of stone shall be not less than (16) sixteen inches in thickness.
Hollow, or Solid Masonry, and Plain Concrete
When not more than (6) six feet deep, masonry walls shall be not less than (8) eight inches thick; and when more than (6) six feet below grade, not less than (12) twelve inches thick. Foundation walls of approved hollow masonry units shall be provided with not less than
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(4) four inches of solid masonry at girder bearings, or shall be strengthened with buttresses.
In no case shall the foundation wall be less in thickness than the wall supported.
Foundation walls supporting wood frame construction shall extend not less than (8) eight inches above the outside finished grade.
ARTICLE IX Chimneys and Chimney Flues
Section 1. No chimney flues shall be less than 64 square inches in area for heating plants, nor less than 96 square inches for fireplaces. Circular flues of same effective area may be used.
All chimney flues shall have walls of brick, stone, or solid cast concrete, or concrete blocks not less than (4) four inches in thickness and shall be lined throughout with fireclay linings or (8) eight inch walls plastered inside and outside in place of flue linings. All chimneys must have concrete foundations not less than (8) eight inches in thickness. Chimneys of other than masonry construction shall not be constructed except by special written permission of the Building Inspector. Every chimney shall be equipped with a cleanout door near the base of the chimney.
Not more than two flues (2) shall be enclosed in a single chimney unless separated by not less than (4) four inches of masonry or re- inforced concrete bonded into the chimney walls. When not so separated the bed joints of the flue linings shall be staggered not less than (7) seven inches.
Chimneys shall be capped with concrete, terra cotta tile or other approved incombustible and weatherproof materials.
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