I like how I have to explain why building codes exist. Are they all perfect? No. But people who live in and buy buildings are the ones who asked for them. No I do not trust some slovenly obese redneck nigger-rigging up the electrical panel because "how hard can it be" and he was too cheap for proper Romex so all the wiring is small gauge than it should be and gets insanely hot whenever I run a vacuum cleaner. I ain't buying the home you roofed yourself without city inspection... You didn't get it inspected *probably for a reason*.
It's not regulations killing small businesses, it's simply judeo-inflation.