Commercial vs residential

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Greg1707

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Location
Alexandria, VA
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Business owner Electrical contractor
I had an inspection at a townhouse R2 Construction IIIA. In addition to electrical the inspection included plumbing and building. The GC and inspector had a heated back and forth with the inspector insisting this was a commercial project and the GC insisting it was residential.
The electrical permit was issued under the 2018 VA IRC. I do not understand the difference. If this is a dwelling unit does it make a difference whether it is IRC or UBC?
Both are based on NEC?
 
You have to wire the dwelling units per the NEC regardless.
If I remember correctly, the IRC is used for single family and two family homes/duplexes. A building with more than 2 dwelling units would be under the IBC.
And then, things can get quite convoluted if there are property lines involved.

Ron
 
Greg1707 said:
I had an inspection at a townhouse R2 Construction IIIA. In addition to electrical the inspection included plumbing and building. The GC and inspector had a heated back and forth with the inspector insisting this was a commercial project and the GC insisting it was residential.
The electrical permit was issued under the 2018 VA IRC. I do not understand the difference. If this is a dwelling unit does it make a difference whether it is IRC or UBC?
Both are based on NEC?
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You need to know if this is really a townhouse or actually a multi family building masquerading as a townhouse as there are massive differences in how the NEC relates. There are very big differences between a townhouse as opposed to a multi family.
A true townhouse sits on its own land and the owner owns the land and everything to the roof. As such a true townhouse is just a single family home that just happens to be attached to another home seperated by a fire wall. There will be no common things such as water, electric service, etc.
 
texie said:
You need to know if this is really a townhouse or actually a multi family building masquerading as a townhouse as there are massive differences in how the NEC relates. There are very big differences between a townhouse as opposed to a multi family.
A true townhouse sits on its own land and the owner owns the land and everything to the roof. As such a true townhouse is just a single family home that just happens to be attached to another home seperated by a fire wall. There will be no common things such as water, electric service, etc.
Click to expand...
Ok but are there really "massive " differences from an NEC perspective? If they are separate buildings that happen to be contiguous, then each could have its own service. One building with multiple units would have one service, and may use 230.40 exception number one or two..... What else?
 
electrofelon said:
Ok but are there really "massive " differences from an NEC perspective? If they are separate buildings that happen to be contiguous, then each could have its own service. One building with multiple units would have one service, and may use 230.40 exception number one or two..... What else?
Click to expand...
No, there would not be a single service. If these are legally townhomes then each has the utilities supplied directly to them. There can be no circuits going between them, a common meter bank, etc. They are each essentially each a single family home. To me that is pretty massive if you wire it as if it is a multi family building.
 
My mom's townhome has an HOA, has its own meter and underground feed, but the roof is HOA-maintained.
 
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