Mississippi Building Codes Council Adopts
2003 IBC and IRC for the State
In a first step towards statewide rules on how homes and
businesses are built in the state of Mississippi, the 26-member
Mississippi Building Codes Council adopted the 2003 International
Building Code (IBC)/International Residential Code
(IRC) body of regulations for the state. While the action
does not require local governments in Mississippi to adopt
building codes, it does ensure that when they choose to adopt
construction rules, they have to adopt IBC/IRC or stronger
regulations depending on region.
Created by legislation earlier this year, the new council
had until July 1, 2007, to adopt standardized construction
rules for the state. The Council now has a year to study issues
and decide whether to make any amendments to the IBC/IRC rules.
By July 2007, the Council might upgrade the state to the 2006
version of the IBC and IRC. The 2006 version was not selected
as it's so new that few building inspectors or contractors
are familiar with it, and training is not yet widely available.
