January 24, 2003—Directors of the International Code Council (ICC) recently signed documents to create a unified ICC made up of what is Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA), International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) and Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI).
Effective February 1, 2003, more than 190 years of combined building and fire safety code development and 30 years of anticipation for one organization to produce codes for use across the country and around the globe will be a reality.
Prior to the ICC, building safety codes were regional. BOCA National Codes were used mostly in Eastern and Great Lakes states; ICBO Uniform Codes in Western and Midwest states; and SBCCI Standard Codes in Southern states. As a result, the construction industry often faced the challenge, and cost, of building to different codes in different areas of the country.
A single set of codes has strong support from government, code enforcement officials, fire officials, architects, engineers, builders, developers, and building owners and managers.
In 1994, BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI created the ICC to develop a single set of comprehensive, coordinated model construction codes that could be used throughout the United States and around the world. The first I-Code published was the 1995 International Plumbing Code.
By 2000, a complete family of I-Codes was available including the International Building, Fire, Residential, Private Sewage Disposal, Mechanical, Fuel Gas, Property Maintenance, Energy Conservation, Zoning and ICC Electrical Codes.
The ICC Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities joined the I-Code family in 2001. Two new codes debut in 2003: The International Existing Building Code and International Urban-Wildland Interface Code. ICC also publishes I-Code Commentaries and a host of products and services that strengthen its position as the leader in building and fire safety codes.
To ensure public safety always comes first, only building code and fire officials are eligible to vote on the final code requirements. ICC provides technical and educational services to support the I-Codes and I-Code users.
For more information, contact the ICC.
