Ask Me Anything: Your Questions About the Code Development Process, Answered

Our very own Beth Tubbs, PE, FSFPE, Vice President of Codes, Technical Services, joined us on the Code Council’s online member community to answer member-submitted questions about the Code Council’s code development process. 

From who votes in the code development process, to who can testify at the code hearings, here’s a recap of her answers.  

Listen to Episode 62: How to Participate in the Code Development Process and Episode 63: Tales From the Code Development Process of the ICC Pulse Podcast for more information on the code development process. 

Learn more about the 2025 Committee Action Hearings Group B #2 (CAH #2) and the 2026 Public Comment Hearings Group A and B here.

Q&A: Code Development Process 

Who votes in the code development process? 

There are a couple of times in the process where voting occurs. In the first two Committee Action Hearings (CAH), CAH #1 and CAH #2, only the Code Development Committees vote. The committees are made up of a mixture of users of the codes (owners, design professionals, insurance companies, etc.), general interest (consumer and enforcers) and producers (builders, contractors, material association, standards promulgators, etc.). The committees need a simple majority to have a successful action. During the Public Comment Hearings (PCH), the Code Council‘s governmental members present (as properly verified) have the ability to vote. The last step in the process allows Code Council Governmental Members who were unable to attend the PCH to vote on proposals that were on the Public Comment Agenda. From there, the actions are finalized.  

What happens during a CAH?  

A CAH, in the simplest form, consists of two aspects: public testimony and committee deliberations and actions. The public testimony is where anyone who can attend is able to testify. People are given two minutes to speak for or against and one minute for rebuttal. During that portion of the hearing, modifications may be introduced and discussed. In addition, committee members may ask questions to better understand the issues. Once the floor testimony is complete, the moderator will turn the proposal over to the chair/committee. From there, the committee must make a motion or second the motion and discuss. This could include a modification. Once all discussions are complete, the chair will ask for a vote and ensure a proper amount of justification is provided. The chair will report the vote count and turn the meeting back to the moderator for the next proposal.  

Why do you have Group A and Group B proposals? Is there any significance to that? 

Having Group A (year 1) and Group B (year 2) is simply to manage the volume of proposals received. Currently the first set of hearings (CAH #1) is around ten days long with two tracks. If we were to address all proposals in a single year, that could mean 20 days of hearings. 

What happens when code changes conflict with one another? 

Well, there are many steps in the process of resolving a situation like this. We like to think of each proposal as independent from the start. Naturally, through testimony and committee actions, these conflicts begin to resolve. Staff will sometimes provide a reminder note in the proposal, comment or public comment to prompt the committees and membership to consider as they make their decisions. Ultimately, we have a Code Correlation Committee that can assist us at the end of the process if we have any unresolved conflicts. 

Who can testify at a code hearing? 

Anyone can testify. We do ask that people register only so we know who is there. The hearings are in person and are also webcast live if you want to tune in to watch.

How many proposals do you see in a three-year code cycle? 

We see just over 2,000 proposals in a three-year cycle. 

How do you think the “new” process is working? Is the increased participation of the code development committees making a difference? 

We made it through our first Group A and it worked out well. Having the second committee hearing really helped resolve many of the concerns raised in the first hearing. Many proposals did not require public comments. 

What are you looking forward to most for this spring’s hearings? 

Although the hearings are long and at times intense, they are also fascinating and enlightening. I learn so much just by listening to the debates. There are many topics related to issues in the built environment that are of great concern to society that are discussed at the hearings. 

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