The International Code Council has begun its 2024 code development process and confirmed its Committee Action Hearings will take place April 11-May 5, 2021.

• Notifications for ICC Code Committee appointments were sent November 25. Committee rosters online are undergoing updates at this time.
• Submissions for code change proposals are currently open through January 11, 2021. Anyone can submit a proposal via the Code Council’s cloud-based program, cdpACCESS, at www.cdpaccess.com. All Group A codes are posted on Digital Codes.
• Speaking participants and those interested in listening to the proceedings will be able to join virtually. Read more here.
• For a recent tutorial on using cdpACCESS, click here.
• For the 2021/2022 Code Development Schedule that details all Group A and Group B activities and deadlines, please visit here.

More than 240,000 votes were cast and more than 2,600 voting representatives participated in the code development process for the 2021 International Codes. To continue to refine the process, issues were referred to the Board Committee on the Long-Term Code Development Process. Read more here.

FEMA just released its landmark study, “Building Codes Save: A National Study,” an in-depth look at the quantified benefits—avoided losses to buildings and building contents—from adopting the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC). As the frequency of natural hazards continue to increase, this study reaffirms that building codes continue to be the best first line of defense. Alarmingly, the FEMA study found that 65 percent of counties, cities, and towns across the U.S. have not adopted modern building codes, only 50 percent of cumulative post-2000 construction adhered to the I-Codes, and 30 percent of new construction is occurring in communities with no codes at all  or codes that are more than 20 years outdated. Based on a database of more than 18 million actual buildings constructed since the inception of the I-Codes in 2000, the frequency of hazard events across the country, and the contents and edition of the IBC and IRC in effect in each locality where post-2000 construction took place, the study found:

• The IRC and IBC provided more than $27 billion in cumulative mitigation benefits against flood, hurricane wind, and earthquake hazards from 2000 to 2016. These benefits could have been doubled if all post 2000 construction adhered to the I-Codes.
• If construction continues at the pace the study observed and if the proportion of that construction adhering to the I-Codes is consistent with the trend the study identifies, the I-Codes could help communities avoid $132-$171 billion in cumulative losses through 2040.
• If all new buildings across the U.S. were built to modern editions of the I-Codes, the country would save more than $600 billion by 2060.

Read more here. And for more FEMA links on the study, read more here.

The International Code Council recently helped develop and publish the International Fire Safety Standard (IFSS). This guideline outlines common principles and best practices designed to save lives by reducing risk and preventing devastating fires. The International Fire Safety Standard is an industry-led global response to addressing differing or, in some cases, non-existent requirements in countries across the world to fire safety. Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO, said, “The International Codes, particularly the International Building Code and International Fire Code, offer a strong compliance pathway for jurisdictions looking to implement the IFSS Common Principles. Additionally, the training, certification, digital tools, product testing and evaluation, and accreditation services that comprise the growing Code Council Family of Solutions can aid jurisdictions in the hard work of effective code implementation and enforcement.” Read more here.

New sites are new available on adoptions as well as on compliance involving the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).  The adoption page includes a map that provides new data from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Lab on the benefits for average new homes if a state enforces the 2018 IECC. The most relevant number for most users is the average annual energy savings. There is a downloadable infographic for each state that adopts the IECC. There is also a new reference webpage titled “Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction,” to make more data and other resources available to users.

If you missed the free recent webinar updating Code Council members on the ICC Evaluation Services (ICC-ES), here’s a terrific opportunity to see it and to keep it handy for future reference. The one-hour video shows how ICC-ES helps professionals in the built environment do their daily work. Presenters are Shahin Moinian, President, ICC Evaluation Service, Dottie Mazzarella, Vice President, ICC Government Relations, and Jim Cika, Director, ICC PMG Resources. The overview includes the ICC-ES product certification program description, how to effectively read and use ICC-ES product evaluation reports, the product evaluation listing development process and the benefits of ICC-ES product certification.