California
Mechanical Code | California Plumbing
Code
ORDINANCE
NO:
AN
ORDINANCE ADDING SECTIONS 15.20.O8O TO
Article II OF CHAPTER15.20 OF TITLE 15
OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY GENERAL ORDINANCECODE
REGULATING NEW CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN
THEUNINCORPORATED AREA OF THE COUNTY FOR
the PURPOSE OFINSTALLING EXCESS FLOW GAS
SHUT-OFF DEVICES
The
Board of Supervisors or the County of Alameda
ordains as follows:
SECTION
1
Pursuant
to California Health and Safety Code Sections
17958.5 and 17958.7 the Board of Supervisors
of Alameda County hereby finds that it is
reasonably necessary to modify the requirements
of the California Building Standards Code
due to local climatic, geographical, or topographical
conditions. It is generally accepted that
Alameda County will experience moderate and
severe earthquakes in the foreseeable future.
These earthquakes will pose a serious threat
to life and property. In order to mitigate
the potential hazard of fire resulting from
gas piping damaged by seismic movement, the
instal1ation of Excess Flow Devices (non-motion
sensitive) shall be required in all new construction
and in certain remodeling in accordance with
Alameda County ordinance. The full text of
the express legislative findings of the County
of Alameda in support of requiring the installation
of Excess Flow Devices is on file and available
for review in the office of the Building
Official for the County of Alameda and with
the California Building Standards Commission.
Based
on the foregoing, the Board of Supervisors
of the County of Alameda hereby ordain that
Article II of Chapter 15.16, Title 15 of
the General Ordinance Code of the County
of Alameda shall be amended by adding Section
15.16.135 as Follows:
CHAPTER
15.16
EXCESS
FLOW GAS SHUT-OFF DEVICES
Section
15.16.135 §1211.13 - Excess Flow Gas Shut-Off
Device Required
Section
1211.13 of the 1998 California Plumbing Code
shall be amended to read as follows:
Section
1211.13 Valves
Valves
used in connection with gas piping shall
be approved types and shall be accessible. The
installation of Excess Flow Gas Shut-Off
Valves (non-motion sensitive) shall be required
in all new construction and in certain remodeling.
Section
1211.13.1 Definitions:
a) "Downstream
of the gas utility" shall refer to all
customer owned piping.
b) "Excessive
Flow Gas Shut-Off Device" shall mean'
those valves or devices that are not actuated
by motion, but are activated by the rupture
of pipes inside a structure thereby
increasing fuel demand and causing a pressure
surge.
i)
The design of these devices shall include
a proven method to automatically provide
for expedient and safe gas shutoff in an
emergency.
ii)
The design of the device shall provide a
capability for ease of consumer or owner
resetting.
iii)
The operational and functional design of
the device shall be certified by one of the
following: the Independent Laboratory or
the International Approval Services (lAS),
Underwriter's Laboratory (UL), International
Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials
(IAPMO), American Gas Association or any
other recognized listing and testing agency.
c) "Gas
shut-off Device" "shall refer to
an Excess Flow Gas Shutoff Device.
d) "Major
remodeling" shall mean any re-modeling.
alteration or addition to a structure that:
i)
involves fuel gas piping in the alteration
and exceeds $5,000.00 in valuation or
ii)
does not involve fuel gas piping and exceeds
$50.000.00 in valuation.
e) "Residential
building" shall mean any single-family
dwelling duplexes, apartment building, condominium,
townhouse, lodging house, congregate residence,
hotel or motel.
f) "Upstream
of Gas Utility' Meter" shall refer
to all gas piping installed by the utility
up to and including the meter and the utility's
bypass toe at the connection to the customer's
own piping.
Section
1211.13.2 Scope:
An
approved Excess Flow Gas Shutoff Device (non
motion-sensitive) shall be installed downstream
of the gas utility meter on each fuel gas
line where the gas line serves the following
building or structures:
a) Any
building or structure (commercial, industrial,
or residential) containing fuel gas piping
for which a building permit is first issued
on or after sixty (60) days from the passage
of the ordinance; or
b) Any
existing residential, commercial or
industrial building or structure which is
altered or added to; and
c) Such
a building or structure 'lets fuel gas piping
supplying the existing building or structure
or the addition to the building or structure
and
(1) In
the event fuel gas piping is involved in
the alteration or addition, the value of
such alteration/addition is more than $5,000;
(2) In
the event fuel gas piping is not involved
in the alteration or addition, the value
of such alteration/addition is more than
$50,000.00 and a building permit for the
work is first issued on or after sixty days
from the effective date of this section.
d) With
respect to residential building, alterations
or additions to an individual condominium
or apartment unit shall not require a Gas
shut-off Device to be installed for all gas
piping serving that building.
e) With
respect to commercial or industrial building alterations
or additions to individual units or tenant
spaces shall require a Gas Shutoff device
to be installed for all gas piping serving
that commercial or industrial building.
Section
1211.13.3 Exception:
a) A
Gas Shut-Off Device is not required to be
installed downstream of the gas utility meter
where:
i) A
Gas Shut-Off Device has been installed by
the gas utility or a contractor authorized
by the gas utility, and
ii) Such,
installation is upstream of the gas utility
meter and downstream of the gas utility meter
service regulator, and
iii) Such
installation is in accordance with this section
and with the manufacturer's specifications.
b) Gas
Shut-Off Devices installed on a building
or structure prior to sixty days from the
effective date of this section are exempt
from the requirements of this section provided
they remain installed on the building or
structure and are maintained for the life
of the building of structure.
c) Gas
Shut-Off Devices installed on a gas distribution
system owned or operated by a public utility
shall not be subject to the requirements
of this section.
d) A
Gas Shut-Off valve shall not be required
where the gas piping system contained in
the building
or structure is designed to withstand seismic
effects or earthquakes.
A Gas-Shut-Off
valve shall not be required for mechanical
or process equipment used in manufacturing.
Section
1211.13.4 General Requirements:
Gas
Shut-Off Devices installed shall comply with
the following requirements:
a) Be
installed by a contractor licensed in the
appropriate classification by the State of
California and in accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions.
b) Be
listed by an approved listing and testing
agency such as IAS, IAMPO, UL, AGA or the
office of the State Architect.
C) have
a thirty (30) year warranty, which warrants
that the valve or device is free from defects,
and will continue to properly operate for
thirty (30) years from the date of installation.
C) Where
Gas-Shut-Off Devices are installed as required
by this Section, they shall be maintained
for the life of the building or structure
or be replaced with a valve or device complying
with the requirements of this section
Section
1211.13.5 List of Approved Valves
and Devices:
The
Building Inspection Department of the County
of Alameda shall maintain a list of all Excess
Flow Gas Shut-Off devices (non-motion sensitive),
which are approved (by a nationally recognized
testing and listing agency) for installation
in the State of California.
Section
1211.13.6 Approval of Devices:
As
testing and other data become available,
the Building Official may approve or reject
any type of device proposed for installation
in a specific project.
SECTION
II
This
ordinance shall take effect and be in force
the later of the following: a) the filing
with the California Building Standards Commission
by the County of Alameda Of its express findings
of local conditions necessitating the adoption
of the within ordinance or b) thirty (30)
days from and after the date of passage and
before the expiration of fifteen (15) days
alter its passage it shall be published once
with the names of the members voting for
and against the same in the Inter-City Express,
a newspaper published in the County of Alameda.
Adopted
by the board of Supervisors of the County
of AIameda, State of California, on the day
of May 2001, by the following called Vote:
AYES
NOES
EXCUSED
Approved
as to form:
RICHARD
IS. WINNIE
County
Counsel
By:
Deputy
County Counsel
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