China codes officer alerts residents about change in insulation rules

by Mary Grow

At the China Planning Board’s Feb. 11 meeting, Codes Enforcement Officer Nicholas French issued a warning to residents planning to build this spring: get your building permit before April 7, unless you want to pay a few thousand dollars more for insulation.

New state standards taking effect April 7 require more insulation than is currently required, French said. For permits issued before April 7, current standards remain in effect.

The second announcement at the Feb. 11 meeting was from District 1 representative Michael Brown, who said he is resigning from the board because he has too many other obligations (see the Feb. 13 issue of The Town Line, p. 1).

Upcoming changes to energy code

by Nick French
Town of China CEO/LPI

I want to draw everyone’s attention to the upcoming changes to the Energy Code that Maine will implement starting Monday, April 7. In this time of elevated costs of construction materials, labor, and housing in general, the state has elected to adopt a more stringent prescriptive path for insulation in wood-framed walls than is required by the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code.

The 2021 IECC itself only had one change in the prescriptive path for Energy Efficiency in Climate Zone 6, going from an R-49 in the ceiling up to an R-60. Maine will, as of April 7, require wood-framed walls to be insulated by one of 4 methods:

⁃ R-30 in the wall cavity between the studs (10” thick exterior wall)
⁃ R-20 cavity (6” wall) with R-10 continuous insulation (2” of foam board insulation)
⁃ R-13 cavity (4” wall) with R-15 continuous insulation (3” of foam board insulation)
⁃ R-20 continuous insulation (typically achieved through spray foam)

I want to be perfectly clear; this is state-wide. Many communities in the surrounding area fall below the 4,000 resident threshold to enforce these provisions, but builders are still required to comply with these rules unless they go with a performance-based outcome. For more information on that approach, head to: energycodes.gov/rescheck

This only applies to permits taken out starting April 7, and while I’m not looking forward to a sudden influx of permits, I urge everyone to get those applications in as soon as possible.

The select board is responsible for appointing Brown’s successor, who may live anywhere in town. Since voters amended China’s Planning Board Ordinance in June 2024, board members are appointed, not elected, and districts have been abolished.

The bulk of the Feb. 11 meeting was spent reviewing and approving board chairman Toni Wall’s recommended ordinance amendments that will delete references to timber harvesting, as requested by state Forest Service officials. In November 2024, voters approved another amendment transferring authority to regulate timber harvesting in shoreland, stream protection and resource protection districts to the state.

Wall intends to send the recommended deletions to the select board for approval and to hold a public hearing before changes are presented to voters at the June 10 annual town business meeting.

Board members briefly discussed future amendments, including revising the subdivision ordinance and adding provisions allowing cluster housing in China. Wall’s goal is to have wording ready to submit to voters in November.

The next regular China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Feb. 25.