Masonry Magazine December 2001 Page. 13
COVER STORY
Every county, city, and state in the United States has some law mandating that a particular building code be used when designing and constructing structures in that jurisdiction.
In the U.S., there exists three model building codes: (1) the National Building Code (NBC); (2) the Standard Building Code (SBC); and (3) the Uniform Building Code (UBC). These model codes, along with a host of local and state building codes and amendments equate to different design and building requirements in different parts of the U.S. They are developed and maintained by the Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), the Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. (SBCCI) and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO).
Although regional code development has been effective and responsive to the country's needs, there has been a push for years for a single set of codes. The nation's three model code groups responded in 1994 by creating the International Code Council and by developing codes without regional limitations. The International Code Council (ICC) was established as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes.
There are substantial advantages in combining the efforts of the existing code organizations to produce a single set of codes. Code enforcement officials, architects, engineers, designers and contractors can now work with a consistent set of requirements throughout the United States. Manufacturers can put their efforts into research and development rather than designing to three different sets of standards, and can focus on being more competitive in worldwide markets. Uniform education and certification programs can be used internationally.
A single set of codes may encourage states and localities that currently write their own codes or amend the model codes to begin adopting the International Codes without technical amendments. This uniform adoption would lead to consistent code enforcement and ultimately, higher quality construction.
INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE AND INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE
In early 2000, the ICC released its International Codes series. More specifically, they released the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC). Since their release, only Alaska, Maryland, Michigan, South Carolina, and South Dakota have adopted and enacted the IBC and Alaska, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio the IRC. As seen in the following maps, and in the table on the following page, a few states have adopted these codes, but not (more on next page)
IRC Adoption by State
Adopted by Local Governments
Adopted Statewide but Not in Effect
Effective Statewide
IBC Adoption by State
Adopted by Local Governments
Adopted Statewide but Not in Effect
Effective Statewide
Maps courtesy of NCMA.
MASONRY DECEMBER, 2001 13