ICC International Code Council
The International Code Council (ICC) is a membership association dedicated to building
safety and fire prevention. ICC develops the codes and standards used to construct
residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools.
The International Codes, or I-Codes, published by ICC, provide minimum safeguards
for people at home, at school and in the workplace. The I-Codes are a complete set
of comprehensive, coordinated building safety and fire prevention codes. These building
codes benefit public safety and support the industry’s need for one set of codes
without regional limitations. All fifty states and the District of Columbia have
adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level. Federal agencies including
the Architect of the Capitol, General Services Administration, National Park Service,
Department of State, U.S. Forest Service and the Veterans Administration also enforce
the I-Codes. The Department of Defense references the International Building Code
for constructing military facilities, including those that house U.S. troops, domestically
and abroad. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands enforce one or more of the I-Codes.
The ICC has developed and made available an impressive inventory of comprehensive
and coordinated International Codes, including:
- International Building Code
- International Energy Conservation Code
- International Existing Building Code
- International Fire Code
- International Fuel Gas Code
- International Mechanical Code
- ICC Performance Code
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- International Plumbing Code
- International Private Sewage Disposal Code
- International Property Maintenance Code
- International Residential Code
- International Wildland Urban Interface Code
- International Zoning Code
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Code Development
Any interested individual or group may submit a code change proposal and participate
in the proceedings in which proposals are considered. This open debate and participation
before a committee of representatives from across the construction industry, including
code regulators and construction industry representatives, ensures a consensus of
the construction community in the decision-making process. A major advantage of
ICC’s consensus-based private-sector code development process is that it allows
both the ICC code development committees and eligible voting members at the code
change hearings to participate in establishing the results of each proposal. Voting
members may either ratify the committee’s recommendation or make their own recommendation.
The results of all votes are published in the report of the ICC code development
hearings.
Eligible voting members review the recommendations of the code development committee
and determine the final action. Following consideration of all public comments,
each proposal is individually balloted by the eligible voters. The final action
on the proposals is based on the aggregate count of all votes cast. This process
ensures that the International Codes will reflect the latest technical advancements
and address the concerns of those throughout the industry in a fair and equitable
manner. Read more about the code development process.
The International Code Council, a
membership association dedicated to building safety, fire prevention and energy
efficiency, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings,
including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the International Codes, building safety
codes developed by the International Code Council. The International Codes also
serve as the basis for construction of federal properties around the world, and
as a reference for many nations outside the United States.
