Page 96 - Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook

2.2 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES

CODES AND STANDARDS IN THE UNITED STATES

The development of laws, rules, and regulations to provide for the safety and serviceabil-
ity of buildings and structures in the United States is somewhat unique. In most countries,
the national government oversees the regulatory development and enforcement process,
which results in a single national code. In the United States, however, the development of
building codes and standards has become a private-sector enterprise involving federal,
state, and local government participation but with only minimal influence or control from
these groups except as “users” in local enforcement.
Until 1997, local building codes in the United States were patterned after the model build-
ing codes, which included the National Building Code by the Building Officials and Code
Administrators (BOCA), the Uniform Building Code by the International Conference of
Building Officials (ICBO), and the Southern Standard Building Code by the Southern
Building Code Congress (SBCC). 1–3 A study conducted by the Council of American Building
Officials (CABO) in 1987 indicated that approximately 85 percent of all state and local gov-
ernments have either directly adopted one of the three model codes or have patterned their
regulations on the provisions of these documents. 4
In 2000, the International Code Council (ICC) published the first edition of the
5
International Building Code. This code was the culmination of an effort initiated in 1997
by the ICC that included five drafting subcommittees appointed by the ICC and consisted of
representatives of BOCA, ICBO, and SBCC. The intent was to draft a comprehensive set of
regulations for building systems consistent with the existing model codes. The technical
content of the latest model codes promulgated by BOCA, ICBO, and SBCC was utilized as
the basis for the development. The 2006 edition presents the code as originally issued, with
changes approved through 2005. A new edition of the code is produced every three years.
With the development and publication of the International Building Code in 2000, the
continued development and maintenance of the model codes individually promulgated by
BOCA, ICBO, and SBCC was discontinued. The 2000 International Building Code, and
subsequent editions of the code, was intended to be the successor building code to those
codes previously developed by BOCA, ICBO, and SBCC.
The promulgation of codes is generally based on a consensus process. Any individual
or industry organization may participate in the development of these codes and related
deliberations. Industry tends to be heavily involved as code provisions have an obvious
impact on the marketplace. The oft-stated challenge is to develop provisions that provide
an acceptable level of risk with respect to potential hazards and at the same time safeguard
the economy. The provisions set forth in the model building codes are only representations
of possible regulations and do not become law until enacted by the authority having juris-
diction (state, county, city, etc.). Thus, these documents are usually modified to satisfy
local laws and ordinances and to reflect local building practices. For example, the preface
to the ICC International Building Code states the following:

The International Building Code is available for adoption and use by jurisdictions internation-
ally. Its use within a governmental jurisdiction is intended to be accomplished through adop-
tion by reference in accordance with proceedings establishing the jurisdiction’s laws. At the
time of adoption, jurisdictions should insert the appropriate information in provisions requir-
ing specific local information, such as the name of the adopting jurisdiction.

It is also noteworthy that most building codes use as standard references the code pro-
visions or specifications published by the technical trade associations for each basic struc-
tural building material. As these provisions or specifications are not inherently legal
documents, they require adoption by legislative bodies. Therefore, the model codes tend to
lag behind the state of the art.