Annual Report 2021

The International Code Council entered 2021 with a renewed sense of resilience.

While the year delivered its share of challenges, the things we faced this year underscored the importance of building safety professionals and the role they play in preserving our safety.

2021 also offered us hope.

We saw the acceleration of off-site construction and its positive impact on the labor shortage and housing affordability. Countries all over the world continued to update their building codes to help keep their communities safe. Some countries, such as Pakistan, adopted our building codes for the very first time. We launched our Code on A Mission Campaign to get over a third of the U.S. population covered by energy codes based on the 2021 IECC by the end of 2023.

Through it all, our members and customers continued to be our number one focus. We listened to your concerns and looked for ways to support you as you served your communities.

In furtherance of the Code Council’s continued effort to promote and foster an inclusive environment, the Code Council Board of Directors approved the guiding statement found on this page under our Core Values.

The Code Council family of solutions continued to grow this year. The Code Publishing Company and Franklin Legal Publishing merged with General Code to support the growing needs of code officials, municipal planners and zoning officials by providing expanded product offerings and digital solutions.

The Code Council continued our digital transformation. We enhanced features on our Digital Codes Premium platform to help our customers work efficiently in the field and access the information they need in real time.

Due to the pandemic, we held our first-ever, all-virtual Committee Action Hearings in April. The hearings were a success and resulted in increased participation overall. Then, we gathered in-person for the Public Comment Hearings in the fall.

The Code Council continued to support professional development and training for our members by facilitating 539 training classes and issuing 15,392 professional certifications this year. Our investment in the PRONTO platform has afforded customers the ability to take their exams and advance their careers from the comfort of home. Finally, we provided opportunities for professional networking and awarded funding for continuing education through our Annual Conference, Membership Councils, Emory Rodgers Fellowship, and Safety 2.0 Programs.

We participated in some important events and discussions. The Code Council, along with our partners at BOMA and NIBS, lead multiple panel discussions with state and local agencies in the wake of the Surfside condominium collapse so resources could be developed to provide building inspectors with guidance for inspections and maintenance of existing buildings.

As part of our ongoing efforts to review the code development process, the Code Council Board of Directors decided to revise the code development cycle to incorporate two Committee Action Hearings for each code group. This change expands the current process from two independent one-year cycles to a single continuous three-year cycle. This change will take effect when the 2024 code development cycle begins for the development of the 2027 International Codes.

The Code Council enjoyed strong financial health in 2021 thanks to coordinated and diligent planning, and we are positioned for continued growth and expansion in 2022.

We continue to fulfill our mission to provide the codes, tools, and resources that members rely on, building safety professionals turn to, and manufacturers and the public trust.

We can all be proud of the commitment and passion displayed by the building community in 2021, and we look forward to working with our members and stakeholders in the years ahead.