New York City adopts International Codes to save lives and protect property

New York City joins Dallas, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and other major metropolitan areas that have adopted the International Codes to help save lives and protect property. The updated New York City Construction Codes, unanimously approved by the City Council and signed into law by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, include the safest provisions of the current New York City building code, the I-Codes and national referenced standards.

“The new code will help to ensure the highest level of building safety for New Yorkers, bring uniformity to the city’s construction projects and make New York City’s buildings more environmentally friendly,” said Code Council CEO Rick Weiland. “I applaud the commitment of the more than 400 volunteers who spent countless hours over the last few years to overhaul New York’s building code.”

The city adopted the 2003 International Building, Mechanical, Plumbing and Fuel Gas codes into its city building codes to guide construction in America’s largest city. The New York City Construction Codes take effect July 1, 2008.

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council.