Accuracy is an Essential Element of a Safe Built Environment

The International Code Council was alerted to inaccuracies in building codes that UpCodes has posted online. Many individuals and companies rely on online copies of the codes to access the requirements for their building projects. Accurate, complete codes are essential for ensuring safe buildings and a strong system of code compliance.

After some research, the Code Council has definitively determined that UpCodes made multiple mistakes in their online codes website for at least four states: New Jersey, Oregon, Virginia and Wyoming. In fact, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York recently found that UpCodes made rather surprising oversights in the copies of the codes that it posts such as erroneously indicating that the landlocked state [of Wyoming] adopted an appendix focusing on tsunami-generated flood hazards. The Court also recognized that the UpCodes website is continually being updated with potentially erroneous codes. Such errors create potentially serious safety issues and open the door for possible misinterpretations and misapplications of the codes in these communities.

The Code Council is suing UpCodes for the wholesale copying of the International Codes (I-Codes) without permission. This copyright infringement directly undermines the safety of our communities by harming the Code Council's ability to continue to fund the development of the codes. With this latest information, we also know UpCodes errors could undermine the safety of our communities by presenting inaccurate and incomplete codes. Therefore, we have brought a second case against UpCodes for false advertising.

The Code Council is the only official publisher of the I-Codes, the most widely adopted and used set of building codes in the world. The ICC Digital Codes Library has the authorized, most complete and accurate collection of online building codes.

For the building industry's most trusted and authentic source of model codes and standards, visit codes.iccsafe.org. You can access all the fifteen I-Codes for free as well as many state and local codes.

Please visit these resources for additional information:

• The Importance of Copyright Protection: www.iccsafe.org/copyright-protection
• Podcast: A Member Perspective with Glenn Mathewson
• Podcast: Copyright Issues and the I-Codes with Mark Johnson and Mel Oncu