NC - Unstamped lumber for residential use

[Don P]

I hope that's the way it turns out, that language is a mess.

A short course is not going to get you accredited by an independent 3rd party agency of the ALSC. ALSC requires audit by their agency inspectors. You are unaudited, that is a never ever, cannot be situation through those agencies and that path. Like i said, the language is a mess if what you are saying is their actual intent.

[Magicman]

I have sawn over 2 million bf of framing lumber and not the first house has fallen down yet.  Finished sawing one two weeks ago and will start on another next week that will be ~12Mbf. 

[just_sawing]

Tenn has passed (§ 43-28-313. Tennessee Native Species Lumber Act. :: 2016 Tennessee Code :: US Codes and Statutes :: US Law :: Justia) which allows this. Problem is I have called everyone I can think of and no one can tell me how to be certified by getting the Class needed. 

[Don P]

It was supposed to be offered by ag extension through the land grant universities. Dropped ball, light up your extension agents and the U.

Compare the wording, this is similar to native lumber laws elsewhere, this is far better than the NC bill.

[Danmcc]

Hello, 
A quick update on this. I had an opportunity to attend the agricultural committee meeting yesterday. Myself and 2 other sawyers spoke on behalf of the bill. Brian Newman answered a lot of questions they had. 

The committee asked a good number of questions, mostly looking for assurance that our grading standards would be at least equal to the standards that the mega producers use and in the end we felt that we swayed the committee positively on the bills merits. The senator who is moving the bill forward felt good enough to have the committee vote on it next week and then take it to a floor vote the following week. 

My understanding is that the bill will allow us to grade stamp the lumber that we produce and sell/use that lumber for building projects. We would need to take a course to grade and get certified. That program isn't quite worked out yet but it will be modeled after similar programs in Wisc and NH. 

[Magicman]

Please update your profile so that we will at least know which state that you are in.

[Danmcc]

Charlotte NC, updated

[scsmith42]

Hello,
A quick update on this. I had an opportunity to attend the agricultural committee meeting yesterday. Myself and 2 other sawyers spoke on behalf of the bill. Brian Newman answered a lot of questions they had.

The committee asked a good number of questions, mostly looking for assurance that our grading standards would be at least equal to the standards that the mega producers use and in the end we felt that we swayed the committee positively on the bills merits. The senator who is moving the bill forward felt good enough to have the committee vote on it next week and then take it to a floor vote the following week.

My understanding is that the bill will allow us to grade stamp the lumber that we produce and sell/use that lumber for building projects. We would need to take a course to grade and get certified. That program isn't quite worked out yet but it will be modeled after similar programs in Wisc and NH.

Dan, thank you for the update but I must confessed that I'm confused. 
Under present regulations anyone can attend class and get certified by the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau and get their stamp. 
What is better about the new proposed regulations for the small Sawyer? Especially when compared with the other states regs that Don referred to as being much better for us than what is being proposed for NC?
Thx.
Scott

[SawyerTed]

Scott, that's the biggest question I have. What will the lumber grading training look like?  Will it be SPIB or as has been discussed, will the training be a "short course" offered through NC State?  My understanding from months ago was the short course was the intent but the language in the bill (as I last read it) didn't define the grading training. 

[Don P]

If it isn't crystal clear I can tell you how an inspector is charged with interpreting it, conservatively. You lose.

Don't speak in favor of something you don't understand, that's how grandma loses her savings to a smooth salesman. Your savings is the existing exemption. If a new more restrictive law, perhaps written by a smooth industry lawyer replaces what you have, you've just slammed the door on what you have. I would not wait for some benevolent well informed person in Raleigh to clear this up.

[rusticretreater]

The code enforcement official shall not be liable or subject to disciplinary action for willful misconduct, gross negligence, or gross incompetence under Article 9C of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes for any structural failure that occurs as a result of the use of dimension lumber rather than grade-stamped lumber.

Yikes.  So the code enforcement official is not liable, even if incompetent, if a person builds with dimension lumber.  Sounds like a government job alrighty.

A letter from the NC Dept. of Insurance Feb 2019 outlining the use of rough sawn lumber for houses.

https://www.iredellcountync.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15864/06021---Building-with-Ungraded-Rough-Sawn-Lumber

[Don P]

Understand who is responsible for wood you provide to a job. This is quite correct.
The law referenced is the one that has been in place. What I'm urging is, don't mess that up while going for something "better". Make sure better is really better.

As for who is drafting this stuff, they are not really familiar with what they are talking about. The language and terms keep getting muddled, it happened again in the quote above... graded lumber is also dimension lumber, its mud at the legalese level

[moodnacreek]

Hard to believe N.C. would be worse than N.Y.      Here we can sell unstamped structural for most small buildings.  It is to be sold by the sawyer to the user whose is to supply no. 2 or better lumber even though he is not a lumber grader.