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British Columbia Float Home Standards

Table of Contents

Float Home Committee Members and the Organizations They Represented

Committee Member Organization
Gerry F. Buydens, P.Eng. (Chair) Building Standards Branch
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Robert G. Allen, P.Eng. Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers
Frank Archer, President Float Home Association (Pacific)
Nigel Beattie Office of the Fire Commissioner
Henry Boas Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks
Robert Carson, Past President Float Home Association (Pacific)
John Chace Building Officials' Association of B.C.
David Chesney, Chief Inspector Township of Langley
Barbara Dalrymple, MAIBC Architectural Institute of B.C.
Don Cutler, Manager Permits & Licenses
City of Richmond
. Electrical Safety Branch
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Ivor Killacky, P.Eng. Safety Engineering Services
Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Joanne Moore Float Home Association (Pacific)
Frank Nardi, Regional Inspector Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp.
Phil Oldham Association of Marine Surveyors of B.C.
John Rockingham, P.Eng. Association of Professional Engineers
& Geoscientists of British Columbia
S. Ross Rettie, P.Eng. Alternate Representative, Association of Professional Engineers
& Geoscientists of British Columbia
R.V. (Bob) Switzer, Director Permits & Licenses
City of Richmond
Dan Wittenberg, President International Marine Floatation Systems Inc.

Preface

This Float Home Standard covers the design and construction of float homes as defined within the standard, and the need for fire protection of both the float home and the marina in which the float home is moored.

Some discretion will be necessary when enforcing these requirements for float homes not located in a marina.

This standard does not include a water craft designed or intended for navigation.

Codes and standards referenced in this standard are deemed to be the most recent version available.

Your technical comments and suggestions are welcome. Please address them to the Building and Safety Policy Branch.

Rationale for a Float Home Standard

The former Building Standards Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs was asked to develop a standard or code that would cover the design and construction of floating homes.

Municipalities expressed concern that many float homes had inadequate safety provisions and that access to many sites was inadequate for ambulance crews and fire fighters.

There were two major problems facing the municipalities when they attempted to regulate floating homes or floating home villages. They often did not have jurisdiction over the area in which these floating homes were moored and there were no standards that covered the design and construction of floating homes.

Aquatic lands (land below the low water mark) come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, except for those areas in which there are specific agreements which give the authority over these areas to others, such as the Federal Government or one of its agencies. Although municipalities do not have jurisdiction over the area in which float homes reside, they are still expected to provide emergency services such as fire fighting and ambulance service to these sites. In providing these services under poor site conditions, the municipality becomes concerned with the associated liability.

In order to regulate floating homes, the municipality must obtain the right to do so through an agreement with the Province or Federal Government agency. In the past, governing agencies have been reluctant to give authority to municipalities unless they were aware of the regulations that would be enforced because there were no recognized standards. This standard was developed to satisfy this requirement.

With the publication of this float home standard the municipalities can enter into an agreement with the governing agency which will allow them to enforce the float home standard. Float home occupants should thus be provided a reasonable level of safety.

Part 1 - Scope and Application

This standard applies to the design and construction of float homes.

(See Part 5 for requirements governing existing float homes.)

Part 2 - Definitions and Symbols

The following definitions apply in this standard:
Authority having jurisdiction
means the governmental body responsible for the enforcement of any part of the B.C. Building Code or the official or agency designated by that body to exercise such a function.*
Building
means any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.*
Building official
means the person designated by the authority having jurisdiction responsible for the enforcement of the B.C. Building Code.
Buoyancy
means the ability of the flotation system to support the displacement of the float home.
Damaged stability
means the ability of the floatation system to support the dwelling unit and itself, when its watertight integrity has been breached.
Dead loads
means the static, constant loads comprising the effects of the structure of the dwelling itself and furnishings, etc.
Deadweight (DWT)
means the total weight of all variables aboard; people, personal effects, stores, fuel, water, sewage holding capacity, etc.
Depth (D)
means the vertical dimension of the floatation device from top to bottom.
Displacement (W)
means the sum of lightship weight plus deadweight.
Draft
means the vertical distance from the waterline to the bottom of the floatation device.
Dwelling unit
means a suite operated as a housekeeping unit, used or intended to be used as a domicile by one or more persons and usually containing cooking, eating, living, sleeping, and sanitary facilities.*
Float home
means a structure incorporating a floatation system, intended for use or being used or occupied for residential purposes, containing one dwelling unit only, not primarily intended for, or usable in, navigation and does not include a water craft designed or intended for navigation.
Freeboard
means the vertical distance from the waterline to the top of the floatation device or the lowest opening into the floatation device.
GM
means the vertical distance between the vertical centre of gravity (G) of the structure and the metacentre (M) of the floatation device.
Heel
means the angle of inclination of the floatation device from horizontal, across the breadth.
Intact stability
means the ability of the floatation system to resist overturning under influence of externally applied forces.
Land
includes the surface of water.
Length (L)
means the longest dimension of the floatation device parallel to the waterline.
Lightship weight (LW)
means the total weight of the float home (pontoon and dwelling together), fully furnished but without people, stores, personal effects, fuel or water, etc. on board.
Live loads
means the dynamic, variable loads (basically attributable to deadweight items) used as design criteria for structure.
Local fire authorities
means the fire department of the authority having jurisdiction.
Marina or float home moorage
means a waterfront facility for the moorage of one or more floating homes and the land and water premises on which such facility is located.
Owner
means any person, firm or corporation controlling the property under consideration during the period of application of this standard.
Pier
means a structure extending into navigable water for use as a landing place or promenade or to protect or form a harbor.
Snow load
means the maximum weight of snow which can be accumulated on the float home. The values for snow load shall be in conformance with the values established by the authority having jurisdiction or in the absence of such data, with the climatic values in Appendix C of the B.C. Building Code.
Trim
means the angle of inclination of the floatation device from horizontal, along the length.
Walkway
means a structure extending into navigable water used to accommodate pedestrian traffic other than a pier or wharf.
Waterplane
means the total area of the floatation device in the plane of the water surface.
Wharf
means a structure built along or at an angle from the shore of navigable water so that ships may lie alongside to receive and discharge cargo and passengers.

* These definitions are the same as those in the B.C. Building Code.

"NFPA" is the abbreviation for the National Fire Protection Association.

Part 3 - Technical Requirements

Section 3.1 General Requirements
3.1.1. Floatation and Stability
(a) The floatation system shall be designed according to accepted marine engineering and naval architectural principles. The design shall be approved and sealed by a Professional Engineer qualified in such design.
(b) The floatation device shall be durable and protected from deterioration by water, mechanical damage due to floating debris, electrolytic action, water-borne solvents, organic infestation or physical abuse. The design shall be approved and sealed by a Professional Engineer qualified in such design.
(c) Where solid floatation devices are not used, adequate pumps shall be maintained in proper working order, and accessible sounding pipes shall be provided for each compartment.
(d) A float home with a floatation device other than solid floatation shall be equipped with a bilge alarm system with detectors in each compartment with audible and visual alarm indicators in the float home.
(e) The overall buoyancy and stability of the floatation device and superstructure shall be designed to accommodate local wind conditions and water turbulence, moving and launching, wave action, tides, loads imposed by vessels and walkways moored to the structure, live and dead loads and the possibility of water flooding associated with fire fighting.
3.1.2. Safety Equipment

Safety equipment within a float home shall include at least one buoyant throwing aid with at least 7.5 meters of line attached (e.g. a life ring conforming to Coast Guard small craft requirements).

Section 3.2 Design Standards for Flotation Devices for Floating Homes
3.2.1 Reserve Buoyancy Criteria

The floatation device shall have sufficient buoyancy to support the lightship weight of the float home plus the maximum combined weight of deadweight items and design snow load and maintain a minimum freeboard of 200 mm. The floatation device shall maintain a minimum freeboard of 400 mm under normal load conditions (the above noted loads minus design snow load).

3.2.2 Static Stability

The floatation device shall have sufficient stability in both the longitudinal and transverse directions to limit the amount of trim and heel resulting from wind forces to a maximum of one half of the freeboard at rest or 5 degrees, whichever is less. This can be established by application of a wind heel criteria as follows:

GM = PAH W tan (T) where P = 0.028 tonnes/sq meter A = projected area in sq meters of the portion of the float home (floatation system and superstructure) above the waterline H = vertical distance in meters from the centre of "A" to one half the draft T = 5 degrees or the angle of heel at which one half the freeboard is immersed, whichever is less.
3.2.3 Damaged Stability

The floatation device shall be subdivided by watertight bulkheads, have integral floatation material or employ alternate methods of limiting the ingress of water such that in the event of damage to any two adjacent compartments, the minimum freeboard of the floatation device after damage is not less than 100mm at any point. The initial load condition for assessing damaged stability shall represent the maximum normal load of the float home, but excluding snow load.

Section 3.3 Superstructure
3.3.1 Design and Construction

Float home superstructures and interior living areas shall be designed and built in accordance with Part 9, "Housing and Small Buildings," of the B.C. Building Code with the following exemptions:

(a) Stairs providing a required means of egress from an area of not more than 40 sq m shall have a minimum clear width of 760 mm and the angle of inclination above the horizontal shall not exceed 50 degrees.
(b) Guards are not required where open decks, balconies, and walkways do not exceed 1 m in height above the water line.
(c) Fastenings in areas exposed to the elements shall be hot dipped galvanized steel, marine grade bronze, copper, stainless steel, or other corrosion resistant material suitable for marine use.
(d) Additional structural specifications may be required for the design of the floatation system due to local wind and water conditions.

Section 3.4 Utilities
3.4.1 Electrical
(a) Electrical work shall comply with the Electrical Safety Act and pursuant regulations.
(b) Protection systems, such as grounding, shall be based on sound engineering practice and be in compliance with the Electrical Safety Act and pursuant regulations.
(c) Where Quick Disconnect systems are used, they shall be based on sound engineering practice and be in compliance with the Electrical Safety Act and pursuant regulations.
3.4.2 Gas and Flammable Liquids
(a) Lighting, heating and cooking systems utilizing either natural or liquid petroleum gases or flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, kerosene and naphthalene shall not be permitted on float homes unless the design and installation of the entire lighting, heating and cooking systems have been inspected and accepted by the authority having jurisdiction.
(b) The float home shall be fitted with a gas detector for liquid petroleum or natural gas with an audio-visual alarm interconnected with an electrical solenoid shut-off valve to stop the gas flow before it enters the float home.
(c) Gas work shall comply with the Gas Safety Act, and its pursuant regulations.
3.4.3 Plumbing
(a) Float homes shall be supplied with an approved source of potable water.
(b) Float homes shall have a plumbing system which conforms to good engineering practices and is accepted by the authority having jurisdiction. Plumbing systems conforming to the B.C. Building Code are acceptable.
(c) Where a piped water supply is available, each moorage space for float homes shall be provided with a potable water connection.
3.4.4 Sewage Disposal

Float homes shall have, or be connected to, an approved sewage disposal system. Sewage disposal systems shall comply with the Sewage Disposal Regulations made pursuant to the Health Act or the Waste Management Regulations pursuant to the Waste Management Act.

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