This process of code compliance, though sequential in the steps of assessment, is an iterative process — meaning, after certain portions of the building have been subject to the code, the new conditions spawn other requirements, which may create more requirements, etc. Each requirement may have potentially adverse affects to the cost of the building… though, each effect will be within the acceptable range of the minimum requirements to protect life, health and safety.
Which is another issue to briefly mention… the protection of life, health and safety that the codes require are minimal protections. Additionally, even if a building complies with the code, there is no guarantee that some other condition may arise that was unanticipated when the code was created.
Therefore, the building code requirements are in a state of fluctuation. There may be consistency from year to year, or certain requirements may be escalated or removed completely. It is truly a mixed bag.
At times, though each plan checker tries, to the best of his or her knowledge, implement the purpose of the code, the client should realize that at best, he is dealing with a human being who has limitations. Because they are developed by a democratic and deliberative process that applies improvements incrementally, the building codes also address cost efficiency and investment value.
Building equipment and other components may be replaceable and upgradeable, but many aspects of building performance are "designed in" at the beginning, and are too expensive and difficult to change. Foundations and other parts of the building envelope are typically in place for 50 years or more.
Building codes and design and construction decisions affect us every day. Some requirements such as fire safety codes and structural and seismic standards affect us in obvious ways. Others, such as lighting quality, acoustics and the air we breathe also have major effects on our health and productivity.
We spend nearly 90 percent of our lives inside buildings, according to the U. Environmental Protection Agency, which is why the EPA is concerned about the impact of indoor air quality on public health.
Model codes, a set of minimum requirements for building design, construction and operation to protect public health, safety and the natural resources that sustain us, help us "build it right" at the beginning when it matters most. Building codes can now offer enhanced protection against the threats of natural disasters and terrorism to make our communities more resilient, sustainable and livable for generations to come, which lowers the price of mitigation for building owners.
Model codes provide guidance on how to design, build and operate buildings to achieve these goals. They also provide an insurance industry grappling with the effects of climate change and extreme weather with a baseline for estimating and managing risk. This helps to control or lower the cost of insurance premiums. But model codes are effective only if they are enacted into law and enforced by state and local governments. The U. S code development process is unique in the way it brings together all interested parties to participate and decide what is needed and feasible for the construction of new buildings.
This cost-conscious, triennial look at what a safe building can be and how it should perform provides savvy builders and building suppliers with critical information on what consumers want and where the market is headed.
Model codes allow building suppliers to target a national market. Since markets for building materials and technologies are becoming increasingly international, U. Regularly upgraded building codes ensure new products and practices make their way into buildings when the time is right and are no longer experimental. The code development process assesses the technology landscape and consumer demand, and creates a model code that can apply innovations gradually across the building sector, reducing the risk for individual builders and contractors.
The process of updating model codes every three years is optimal to ensure new technologies, materials and methods, as well as better approaches to health and safety, can be incorporated into the next generation of buildings with sufficient time for proof of performance.
Regular, incremental improvements help us continue to build better, and smarter, buildings as cost effectively as possible. Waiting longer between code updates means many buildings are not current when built, and innovative American building suppliers are without a domestic base to sustain their innovations. The new energy codes are making a major contribution toward solving our energy problems. The average American building wastes far too much energy because it was not designed and constructed with energy efficiency as a priority.
Buildings consume vast amounts of natural resources, accounting for about 40 percent of total U. All that consumption and waste unnecessarily costs home owners and building owners billions of dollars each year, which is both ironic and inexcusable in times of budgetary and economic stress.
Buildings constructed under the IECC will close a significant portion of the gap between how energy efficient the average building is and how efficient it could be. Updated model codes benefit the communities that use them. Ultimately, jurisdictions enforcing current codes demonstrate they are forward thinking and open to change that improves lives. Likewise, jurisdictions choosing to lag behind current safety and energy codes demonstrate stubbornness less attractive to newcomers and those who invest in the most desirable types of economic development opportunities.
Updated codes that produce a more valuable building should benefit builders in addition to owners. On the residential side, the relatively small percentage increase in construction costs for homes built under updated codes is more than offset by improved quality and safety. Likewise, a home costing less to own and operate should produce a higher return at sale and resale. Builders are right to be concerned that U. Outdated housing policies need to be revised if we want the fledgling green building market to take off.
That said, critics who complain about the cost of mandatory building codes and the three-year cycle of keeping them up to date should consider this: If all jurisdictions adopted the most current code as a minimum requirement, there could be no competitive disadvantage for the code-compliant home or building. Model codes ensure consistency among jurisdictions, while permitting states and local authorities to make adjustments based on specific conditions. State and local policymakers should also consider: the cost to public health and safety from design flaws or improper installation; the unnecessary cost to home owners, businesses and taxpayers from buildings wasting energy and water; that training is widely available on design and construction practices for achieving higher quality and better performing buildings meeting or exceeding code requirements at little or no additional cost to builders; the higher sale prices safe, healthy and energy efficient homes and buildings can command; and the savings to homeowners when disaster hits if homes are resilient and meet current flood-protection requirements, seismic design standards and wind-bracing requirements.
Enforcing current building codes keeps more dollars within local economies. Complementary policies such as demand-side management also can reduce the need to build additional power plants. During the period of a , or year mortgage, these savings go to homeowners instead of power companies, thus stimulating local economic development. The European experience shows buyers who understand these benefits are willing to pay a premium for better construction.
They also may have the help of innovative financing products, which, as noted above, are only starting to be used in the United States. Updated codes also mean updated standards. Because codes incorporate by reference many voluntary consensus standards, the American public gets a double dose of protection: a code framework that is widely accepted and based on sound engineering.
Undated codes replace both dated code sections and dated standards references. Just as the model building codes are developed by considering the views of all stakeholders, the embedded standards that are the technical underpinnings of the code are developed using a similar consensus process drawing on a wide universe of knowledgeable and committed scientists and engineers.
It is no accident the participatory democratic processes resulting in model codes and technical standards improve not only the lives of those who use buildings, but the nation as a whole. Our interconnected and technologically advanced global society presents us with more challenges, opportunities and information every day. We are looking for ways to cope as individuals, as communities and as a country.
The quest to secure and provide necessities, such as shelter and the desire for good jobs and satisfying lives, is compounded by greatly increased access to information and a rapidly shifting mix of products and technologies. Perhaps some of the technology we have created has gotten somewhat "ahead of ourselves" in terms of our ability to keep up with, and properly assess, what is available.
At the same time, we welcome new knowledge and new capabilities to improve our lives and to prevent and respond to threats to our safety and security, health, finances and to the planet that sustains us. In such complicated and stressful times, it is useful to pause and thoughtfully consider the tools and resources that can guide our way.
Building codes are among these essential tools. Residential and commercial building codes provide a comprehensive set of minimum health, safety and energy standards for the design, construction and maintenance of new houses and buildings, and major renovations.
They set an understandable and reliable floor for construction practices that reduce our vulnerability to a wide range of hazards.
After the planning and design process, the first step to building a new home, school, hospital or other structure, or doing a major renovation or addition to an existing building, is getting a permit from the local building department. Model codes are developed in an open, transparent, democratic, national process that welcomes input and participation from all interested stakeholders.
While most states or localities have adopted some model code version, not all have adopted the most current version, which results in a patchwork of codes. If all communities used and enforced the most current model codes, building professionals, consumers and public officials could expect consistency across state lines and multiple code jurisdictions, even when states adapt the model code to suit local conditions, such as climate and historic or cultural preferences.
To a large extent, state and local building codes and standards and their level of enforcement reflect expectations for safety, health and well-being….. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "consensus" as a "general agreement" or "the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned".
The wide participation in model code development ensures both deep and broad expertise is involved and the inclusion only of provisions with broad support.
They provide consistent specifications and requirements for product manufacturers and suppliers. State and local governments that adopt and enforce model codes when they are updated every three years help assure the most current knowledge is a fundamental part of new buildings in their jurisdictions. Current codes, and the process to develop model codes, also stimulate the market for product innovation and improved building performance.
They are an important driver for U. For building owners, occupants, investors, insurance providers, elected officials and citizens, enforced, updated codes establish a baseline for acceptable and cost-effective quality and performance. Conversely, when state and local authorities do not adopt and enforce current codes, they are allowing construction of buildings that do not meet the current consensus on minimum public health and safety.
Sadly, most people will never know their buildings are measured against out-of-date codes and standards. Despite uneven adoption and enforcement, our process for developing model building codes and standards in the United States is a true expression of the federalist system our founding fathers envisioned. It is a national framework for state implementation. While it may not be perfect i. The availability of model codes permits local elected officials to make technologically sound decisions as they weigh the needs of their communities.
Think of the process as a continuing conversation, spanning decades, among all experts involved in the built environment. Every three years, the code development process brings forward the newest challenges, the best ideas, the most reasonable solutions and the most practical vision for state and local jurisdictions using model codes. Each new model code is refined to reflect a new consensus of our changing priorities, technology advancements, improved construction practices and marks a new chapter in a great and shared heritage of evolving and shaping a better future.
In the United States, building codes usually refer to model codes, which, as noted, are developed in a national forum, taking the views of all interested parties — as well as state and local codes -- into consideration.
Codes are designed to protect buildings and the people and property inside them from fire, earthquakes, windstorms and other extreme events.
They also ensure structural integrity; electrical, plumbing and mechanical system safety, as well as accessibility and practical and achievable levels of energy efficiency. Building codes underpin the work of architects, engineers, builders and developers. Architects and engineers must ensure their building designs meet or exceed the minimum, legally-mandated code requirement for a particular jurisdiction.
The local building department reviews plans submitted to them before construction and issues permits before the project can proceed. Inspectors verify the project, as constructed, complies with the code.
Building industry stakeholders affected by building codes include contractors and subcontractors, manufacturers of building products and materials, insurance companies, facility managers, building owners and tenants, and building inspectors. Code changes enable innovation in the building sector and permit more innovative products and processes to gain market share. As new building requirements are reviewed through the model code revision process every three years, innovative stakeholders make their cases for inclusion.
These innovations add value to buildings and improve their impact on health and safety. The purpose was to streamline the building regulatory system through a single family of codes offering consistency and compatibility to multiple layers of requirements existing at the federal, state and local level.
The final consolidation of ICC occurred in , culminating in one organization with a combined history offering more than a century of experience in developing model construction codes. The edition of the I-Codes contains provisions consistent with the minimum flood-resistant design and construction requirements for buildings and structures of the National Flood Insurance Program NFIP.
The IgCC offers a streamlined administrative process that is coordinated with other commonly adopted I-Codes and provides a baseline for regulating sustainable construction. NFPA develops, publishes and disseminates more than consensus codes and standards designed to help prevent and minimize the effects of fire and other hazards.
The great fires of history including Rome 64 AD , Boston , London , Chicago , Baltimore and Cleveland Clinic , led to soul-searching and new regulations. Tragic fires at the MGM Grand in and the Station Nightclub in led to more recent requirements for fire protection, including sprinkler systems, exit lighting and limits on explosives and pyrotechnics. Natural disasters also lead to code improvements.
Hurricane Andrew in resulted in the development of more stringent construction standards. Seismic code provisions appeared first in Italy and Japan in the early 20th Century and in the United States as an appendix to the Uniform Building Code in Research programs have increased our understanding of earthquakes over the years, and serious research programs beginning in the s led to code upgrades following the Northridge Earthquake in California in These seismic provisions represent the best available guidance on how structures should be designed and constructed to limit seismic risk.
FEMA officials, however, say some jurisdictions have been slow to adopt the latest code editions with seismic safety provisions. They warn new structures in these communities will "probably not provide the current minimum level of protection from earthquake hazards. But new construction has continued, and the U.
As most of this energy comes from fossil fuel combustion, the building sector is a major contributor to U. There is now scientific evidence that these and other greenhouse gases are contributing to higher global temperatures and a growing concern about the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and more erratic weather. Energy codes help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from buildings that affect our health and ecosystems.
Energy efficiency simply means that our buildings can do more with less energy. This reduces the need for fossil fuel-generated power. Attained through energy code adoption, enforcement and compliance, energy efficiency is the easiest, quickest and cheapest way to reduce our dependence on fossil energy and sustain our environment. It also saves us money. In , the U. Buildings constructed under the code reduce energy usage by more than a third compared with the code.
Unlike the top-down, government-driven standards development process practiced in many parts of the world, American codes and standards are developed from the grassroots up, with fairness, openness, inclusiveness, transparency, balance of interest and due process. This model code development process is structured to result in consensus on both public health and safety issues, and on achieving economic value.
Codes are developed taking into account established scientific and engineering principles, and the experience of leading technical experts, construction professionals, enforcement personnel and the product manufacturers. ICC, for instance, draws heavily on the expertise of its more than 50, members, mostly local code officials, builders, designers, manufacturers, labor and industry representatives.
However, anyone can participate in the model code revision process at no cost; consumer interests and preferences are well represented. Meetings are held with proper notice. Documents are publicly available. Anyone can propose changes or testify. All views are heard and considered before voting. The building codes and standards are greatly strengthened through this exacting process of reaching informed decisions only after considering each suggestion and criticism from all stakeholders.
This process may take a little longer than the more autocratic alternatives, but it protects the integrity of the code development process and results in codes and standards that are the envy of the world for their accuracy, completeness and adherence to public health and safety. For example, most communities in the hard hit counties of Boulder, Larimer, and Weld had amended their codes to include a freeboard requirement — and many include a two foot freeboard.
The biggest challenge for a community considering adoption of a building code for the first time or adding additional requirements to address hazards like wildfire is gaining public support—especially for communities with a lower risk to hazards or a short history of hazard events.
Another challenge includes proper administration and enforcement of the building code, which requires someone with training, preferably ICC certification. Download PDF. Counties C. Staff time, generally offset by building permit fees. Boulder County Building Department. Larimer County Building Department. Colorado Energy Code. International Construction Code.
Colorado Chapter of the International Code Council. International Fire Code. International Green Construction Code. Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Skip to main content. How it Works. Where It's Been Done. Advantages and Key Talking Points. Benefits of implementing a building code include: Protecting the public health and safety and the safety, protection, and sanitation of new and existing buildings and structures.
Protecting financial investments and property values. If construction does not comply with current recommended codes the structure may be at greater risk for damage and loss.
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