Home builders pressure officials to ease up on new building codes in Illinois

Home builders in Tazewell County, Ill., have been complaining to county officials about the county’s new building codes, saying the codes have prohibitively increased costs. The Tazewell County Board adopted the 2012 International Residential Code in November and hired a building inspector to enforce the code for homes built in unincorporated parts of the county.  County Land Use Committee Chairman Terry Hillegonds, a contractor himself, says he believes cost increase estimates are inflated. Having a building code and enforcing it, Hillegonds adds, makes the bidding process fairer for contractors, rather than having contractors cut corners to outbid one another for projects.

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