For
further information, contact:
Greg West
Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations
(800) 284-4406, ext. 3267
E-mail: West@icbo.org
Building safety groups vote to approve ICC consolidation
History was made
at the joint annual conference and business meetings of the nation's three
leading building safety organizations. Meeting in Fort Worth, members
voted to consolidate services, products and operations of BOCA (Building
Officials and Code Administrators), ICBO (International Conference of
Building Officials) and SBCCI (Southern Building Code Congress International)
into one member service organization—the International Code Council
(ICC). The new ICC is expected to begin operations in January.
"The consolidation
unites our nation's leading building safety experts under one common goal—to
serve public health and safety," said ICC Chief Executive Officer
Bob Heinrich. "This will ensure that our members and the public receive
quality technical and educational services that support the ICC International
Codes [I-Codes]. The ICC will continue to service BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI
with regional code products as municipalities and states transition to
I-Codes that have no geographic boundaries."
More than 97% of
U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt model codes choose building
and fire codes created by the three building safety groups that make up
the ICC. Since 1994, that expertise has been focused on creating I-Codes.
The development of I-Codes also responds to the needs of the construction
industry and has strong backing from code enforcement officials, architects,
engineers, builders, developers, and building owners and managers.
"Action on the
consolidation resolutions approved by members of BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI
reaffirms the construction industry's desire for a single model code system
in the United States," said BOCA Chief Executive Officer Paul Heilstedt.
"ICC utilizes the strengths and resources of the three building safety
groups. It is positioned to enhance the prominence of the International
Codes that set the standard for building safety."
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 11 construction codes
was available. The ICC Performance Code for Buildings and Facilities
joined the I-Code family in 2001. The ICC also introduced I-Code Commentaries
and a host of other products and services to strengthen its position as
the leader in building and fire codes.
"The members'
support to consolidate makes a new era for the public's safety and will
represent a strong voice for code officials," said SBCCI Chief Executive
Officer Dominic Sims.
As ICC, the association
will expand the wide range of technical and educational services, extensive
inventory of codes, standards and publications, and other code-related
support services and products currently offered by BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI.
"Our members
have spoken. We will follow their direction. We will continue to work
together for the good of all to create an International Code Council that
will provide world-class services to our members, the construction industry
and the public," Heinrich said.
The ICC was founded
in 1994 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set
of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes. The
founders of the ICC are Building Officials and Code Administrators International,
Inc. (BOCA), International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), and
Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. (SBCCI). Since the
early part of the last century, these nonprofit organizations have developed
the three sets of model codes used throughout the United States.
