Code Corner: 2021 International Fuel Gas Code Chapter 3: General Regulations

The International Codes® (I-Codes), developed by the International Code Council, are a family of fifteen coordinated, modern building safety codes that help ensure the design and construction of safe, sustainable and affordable structures.

The I-Codes are the most widely adopted set of model codes globally, implemented in all 50 U.S. states and many countries around the world. 

The Building Safety Journal’s series, Code Corner, explores sections of the I-Codes each month, focusing on key elements of these essential codes. This month, we’re spotlighting Chapter 3 of the International Fuel Gas Code® (IFGC): General Regulations.

International Fuel Gas Code Section 301.3 Listed and Labeled

Appliances regulated by the IFGC must be listed and labeled for the application in which they are used unless otherwise approved in accordance with Section 105. The approval of unlisted appliances in accordance with Section 105 shall be based on approved engineering evaluation. 

A fundamental principle of the IFGC is the reliance on the listing and labeling process to help ensure appliance performance; approvals granted in accordance with Section 105.2 must be well justified with supporting documentation. To the code official, the installer and the end-user, very little is known about the performance of an appliance that is not tested and built to an appliance standard.

Understanding Requirements for Appliances According to the International Fuel Gas Code

Gas-fired appliances must be listed and labeled by an approved agency to show that they comply with the applicable national standards. The code requires listing and labeling for appliances, such as boilers, furnaces, space heaters, direct-fired heaters, cooking appliances, clothes dryers, rooftop HVAC units, etc.

Appliances must be listed and labeled for the application in which they are used, otherwise the installation would be a misapplication of the appliance. For example, if an appliance is listed for indoor use only and is installed outdoors, this installation is a misapplication of the appliance and serious malfunctions and/or conditions could result.

An appliance might be marketed and installed for a particular purpose for which it was not tested and listed and this is what this section of the IFGC intends to prohibit. Verifying that an appliance has a testing agency label is only part of the code official’s responsibility. An individual must also verify that the listing from the testing agency includes the application at hand. The bottom line is the use of an appliance must match the use for which the appliance was tested.

The presence of a label is part of the information that the code official considers when approving appliances. The only exception to the labeling requirement occurs when the code official approves a specific appliance in accordance with the authority granted in Section 105.2.

Approval of unlabeled appliances must be based on documentation that demonstrates compliance with applicable standards or, where no product standards exist, that the appliance is appropriate for the intended use and will provide the same level of performance as would be provided by listed and labeled appliances. 

System Components

The IFGC also requires listing for system components as specifically stated in the text addressing those components. The label is the primary, if not the only, assurance to the installer, the inspector and the end user that a representative sample of an appliance model has been tested and evaluated by an approved agency and has been determined to perform safely and efficiently when installed and operated in accordance with its listing.

To learn more about the Code Council’s IFGC, click here. To stay updated on the latest PMG industry news, subscribe to the Code Council’s PMG newsletter here.