Why did the board double the square footage requirement for single-family through 4-plex dwellings?
Previously, a detached single-family through four-family dwelling of less than 5,000 s.f. of above-grade finished space was exempted from the E & A Act. The formula for determining above-grade finished space was very complicated. Negotiated rulemaking clarified this by including all potentially-habitable space (thus including basements) in the total area, but doubled the area. The exemption matrix now reads that residential structures less than 10,000 s.f. are exempt.
