Code Council officials are preparing for virtual Group A Committee Action Hearings April 11-May 5

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.

Code Council members voted 92 percent to approve proposal that reincorporates ICC in Delaware

Last month, the Code Council sent a ballot to validated voting members to vote on reincorporating in Delaware. Members overwhelmingly voted in favor of the proposal with 92 percent approving the measure. With this clear mandate from members, the board has authorized the CEO to now take the steps to finalize the change by following necessary statutory requirements. This change will allow us to provide more effective services for all our members, customers and stakeholders. If you have questions or comments, please reach out to memberinput@iccsafe.org.

New FEMA study projects implementing International Codes could save $600 billion by 2060

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.

New online tools available on IECC adoptions, compliance and other energy and decarbonization info

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.

International Fire Safety Standard outlines common principles, best practices for global approach

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.

Webinar video designed to help local jurisdictions apply for CARES Act relief before December 30

With the December 30 expiration date looming, code officials and their jurisdictions may find the webinar Use it or Lose it: Federal CARES Act Funding for ICC Digital Codes Premium helpful. Learn about ICC Digital Codes Premium Complete and how code officials and their jurisdictions can secure federal CARES Act funding to support their departments. The ICC Government Relations staff have organized and maintained a news archive in the Coronavirus Response Center. It includes innovations and a wide selection of resources for communities to adapt to the workplace and public safety concerns in the pandemic. You can review the archive here.

New online tools available on IECC adoptions, compliance and other energy and decarbonization info

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.

Interest continues to surge in preventing another record season of wildfire devastation

The year 2020 marked a milestone in wildfires devastation in terms of season length, acres destroyed and intensity, and that is turning more and more attention to the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code and strategies to limit future fire destruction.

  • The Urban Land Institute issued this report on wildfire strategies for real estate that focuses on the role of codes, titled “Firebreak: Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate.”
  • Rik Johnsson, a NIST mechanical engineer in the Fire Research Division’s WUI Fire Group, offers his insights in “Knocking Down Fences for Fire Research.”
  • National Public Radio produced this deep dive analysis on how much work is needed to make state and local jurisdictions more competent in their responses to future outbreaks. It is titled “Rebuilding After A Wildfire? Most States Don’t Require Fire-Resistant Materials.”
  • Recently, former CAL FIRE Director Chief Ruben Grijalva submitted this article published in Governing magazine: How Better Building Codes Can Mitigate Wildfires’ Devastation, which stated “that adopting the 2015 edition of the IWUIC in 10,000 census blocks across the country would generate $4 in wildfire mitigation savings for every $1 invested — benefits that represent avoided casualties, property damage, business interruptions, and insurance costs.”
  • Online seminar 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 11 provides basic code knowledge for proper application of the 2018 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Instruction focuses on basic code concepts with a focus on mitigating fire risks to structures and wildland. Read more here.

It’s free and available for you to review and share: The ICC Evaluation Services update video

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.

FEMA’s new online data shows natural hazards risks for communities to aid in mitigation planning

The National Risk Index is a new, online mapping application from FEMA that identifies communities most at risk to 18 criteria. It makes the underlying data available for use by state, local, tribal and territorial partners, and can help communities, especially those with limited mapping and risk assessment capabilities, better prepare for natural hazards by providing standardized risk data for mitigation planning and an overview of multiple risk factors. Additionally, it can help jurisdictions in developing a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan to help increase community resilience. The National Risk Index’s interactive web maps can assist communities in:

  • Updating emergency operations plans
  • Enhancing hazard mitigation plans
  • Prioritizing and allocating resources
  • Identifying the need for more refined risk assessments
  • Encouraging community-level risk communication and engagement
  • Educating homeowners and renters
  • Supporting adoption of enhanced codes and standards
  • Informing long-term community recovery

Read an overview of the National Risk Index and how it can be used to support mitigation planning, hazard mitigation assistance grants and risk communication.