Code Development News

2012 Cycle: ICC Board Approves Deletion of Chapter 34 of the IBC in Favor of Reference to the IEBC

During its winter meeting, the International Code Council Board of Directors upheld the action taken at the 2012 Public Comment Hearing in Portland on Code Change G201-12. This code change proposed the deletion of Chapter 34 of the International Building Code (IBC) in favor of a reference to the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) which includes the provisions in Chapters 4 (Prescriptive Compliance Method) and 14 (Performance Compliance Methods). This code change required Board review and action since it dealt with the scope of both the IBC and the IEBC while Section 1.3 of Council Policy 28 Code Development stipulates that the Board “….shall determine the title and the general purpose and scope of each Code published by the ICC.”

In taking this action, the Board reviewed the hearing results for three code changes (G201, G202 and G205) considered in the 2012 Cycle, each proposing varying approaches to address the existing building provisions in the IBC versus the IEBC. At the Public Comment Hearing, G201-12 was Approved as Submitted by the ICC Membership. The Final Action on the other two was for Disapproval.

The provisions of Chapters 4 and 14 of the IEBC, as a duplication of the provisions of Chapter 34 of the IBC, fall under the maintenance responsibility of the IBC – General Code Committee (see the [B] in the IEBC) which were considered in the 2012 Cycle. As such, any changes which resulted from the 2012 Cycle will be incorporated into the 2015 IEBC and the 2015 IBC will no longer include Chapter 34 entitled Existing Structures.

If you have any questions, please call Mike Pfeiffer at 888-ICC-SAFE (888-422-7233) x 4338 or email him at mpfeiffer@iccsafe.org.