NORWICH ― At the recent meeting, county officials stressed concerns over a state required changes to codes and government requirements that could impact local contractors and property owners.

The Chenango County Board of Supervisors will hold a Public Hearing for proposed “Local Law No. 1 of 2026: A Local Law Providing for the Administration and Enforcement of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code; The Uniform Code and the State Energy Construction Code; The Energy Code.”

The extensive proposal is filled with streamlined building codes, extra project sign offs, mandated installation of residential sprinkler systems, and more. All buildings, structures, and premises, regardless of occupancy, will be subject to the provisions of this local law.

The Public Hearing will be held at 10:40 a.m., Monday, March 9, in the Supervisors’ Chambers, in the County Office Building, located at 5 Court Street in Norwich.

At the recent county board meeting, county officials stressed concerns over small contractors already struggling to meet codes and government requirements, along with additional obstacles of homeownership.

Chenango County Board Chairman Jeffrey Blanchard said the strict codes could thwart future projects and believes requirements for specific engineers should be on an individual basis.

Blanchard feels the codes are too stringent, but said they are already written, adding, "There just needs to be a balance."

"There are certain buildings that may not need an engineer to sign off on some things," Blanchard said. "If we get codes so strict, it could impede building projects, and that's not a good thing."