White Paper #7
November 15, 2002
Proposal:

To improve the Oklahoma Architectural Act; Provide Oklahoma citizens and businesses with a uniform standard for the protection of public health, safety and welfare as it relates to the built environment; Raise that standard to a level that matches the laws in adjacent states. This is one of several White Papers to generally explain the need and proposals to be presented to the Oklahoma Legislature's 2003 session.

Original Law:

Strike the following 1947 language in the Oklahoma Architectural Act:

A "building means a structure consisting of a foundation, walls, all floors, and roof; with or without other parts. ; provided, however, nothing in The State Architectural Act shall be held or construed to have any application to any building, or to the repairing or remodeling of any building, to be used for one-family residential purposes, duplexes, or apartment houses not exceeding two stories in height, to any warehouse, maintenance building, garage or storage building not exceeding two stories in height, or to a hotel, lodge or fraternal building not exceeding two stories in height, or to any farm improvements, or industrial or commercial buildings not exceeding two stories in heights, nor to any school building where the reasonably estimated total cost for the construction, where structural changes are being made in remodeling or repairing of such school building does not exceed the sum of Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00). A basement is not to be counted as a story for the purpose of counting stories of a building for height regulations. Provided, however, it shall be unlawful for any person other than an architect duly licensed as provided in The State Architectural Act to engage in the planning, designing and preparation of drawings and specifications for the alteration or construction of any building to be used as an armory, auditorium, assembly hall, convention hall, church, educational building, convent, dormitory, gymnasium, hospital, library, bonded warehouse, passenger station, power house, municipal building, county building, state building, federal building, radio or television station, stadium or theater where the reasonably estimated total cost for construction, remodeling or repairing of such building exceeds the sum of Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00).

Proposed New Law:

The following sections are to be added to the Oklahoma Architectural Act:

E. A "building" means a structure consisting of a foundation, walls, all floors, and roof; with or without other parts.

F. The construction, addition, alteration, or repair of a building, no more than two (2) stories in height, no more than thirty five (35) feet tall and with an occupancy no more than 30 persons for each of the following Code Use Groups as defined by the applicable building code of the jurisdiction is exempt from the provisions of The State Architectural Act:

1. Code Use Group B-Business,

2. Code Use Group F-Factory and Industrial,

3. Code Use Group M-Mercantile,

4. Code Use Group R-1 Residential (Hotel, Motel, etc.),

5. Code Use Group S-Storage,

G. The construction, addition, alteration, or repair of a building, no more than two (2) stories in height and no more than thirty five (35) feet tall, in the following Code Use Groups as defined by the applicable building code of the jurisdiction is exempt from the provisions of The State Architectural Act:

1. Code Use Group U-Utility, all buildings,

2. Code Use Group R-2 Residential (Apartments, Dormitories, etc.), a building containing no more than 16 dwelling units or 16 guest units,

3. Code Use Group R-3 Residential (Townhouses, etc.), a building containing no more than 16 multi-family dwelling units,

4. Code Use Group R-4 Residential (Single Family, Duplex Homes, etc.), all buildings,

5. Incidental buildings or appurtenances associated with the four above categories,

6. All uninhabitable, privately owned agricultural buildings.

H. The construction, addition, alteration, or repair of a building in the following Code Use Groups, of any size or occupancy, is not exempt from the provisions of the State Architectural Act:

1. Code Use Group A-Assembly

2. Code Use Group E-Education

3. Code Use Group H-High Hazard

4. Code Use Group I-Institutional

5. All municipal, county, state, federal and public trust, owned or financed buildings

6. Buildings for which the designated Use Group changes categories.

I. A basement, as defined by the applicable building code of the jurisdiction, is not to be counted as a story for the purpose of counting stories of a building for height regulations.

J. Buildings where the planned addition, alteration or reconstruction, as determined by the applicable building official, does not affect the structural, mechanical, electrical, or life safety systems or the means of egress is exempt, except for projects listed in paragraph H above;

K. "Board" means The Board of Governors of the Licensed Architects and Landscape Architects of Oklahoma.

Information:

Other topics dealing with the proposed changes to the Architectural Act are addressed in additional issues of this series of eight White Papers. For more information on any topic in this series of papers, please call the Eastern Oklahoma Chapter/AIA at 981/583-0013 or the Central Oklahoma Chapter/AIA at 405/948-7174.