ICC News Release
ICC consolidation benefits building safety and public
With the stroke of a pen, 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 became
a reality.
The International Code Council (ICC) became one consolidated organization
effective Feb. 1. Directors 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).
"The new ICC will continue to be dedicated to public safety,"
said ICC CEO Bob D. Heinrich. "The ICC will represent and support
those rarely recognized champions who make sure the buildings we and our
loved ones live in, go to school in and work in are constructed safely."
Services, products and staff operations of BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI will
be consolidated and phased in during the next few months, Heinrich said.
"The Board is dedicated to providing quality services to our members,"
said ICC Board President Paul E. Myers. "In fact, the consolidation
should be seamless to members. The goal is to build upon the high level
of service and products offered by the three organizations to best serve
ICC members."
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.
The ICC International Codes (I-Codes) combine the strengths of
the regional codes without regional limitations. I-Codes respond to the
needs of the construction industry and public safety. 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.
The ICC code development process allows input from all interested individuals
and parties. To ensure public safety always comes first, only government
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.
Today's building codes can be traced back to the Code of Hammurabi,
circa 2200-1800 B.C. The Code of Hammurabi provided for the death of a
builder if the construction of a dwelling collapsed and caused the death
of the owner.
The first building codes in the United States, established in 1625,
addressed fire safety and specified materials for roof coverings. In 1630,
Boston outlawed chimneys made with wood and thatch roof coverings. In
the late 1770s George Washington recommended that height and area limitations
be imposed on wood frame buildings in his plans for the District of Columbia.
In 1788, the first known formal building code was written in the United
States (in German) in Old Salem, (now Winston-Salem) North Carolina.
Larger U.S. cities began establishing building codes in the early 1800s.
In 1865, New Orleans was the first city to enact a law requiring inspections
of public places. The National Board of Fire Underwriters published its
Recommended National Building Code in 1905. In 1915, the world's first
model code organization was established to provide a forum for exchange
of ideas regarding building safety and construction regulations. In 1973,
the American Institute of Architects called for one code to be used throughout
the United States.
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EDITORS NOTE: Photos are available at www.iccsafe.org
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