Primer on Code Council standards development: Seating the committee

Development committees are at the core of the standards development process. They are responsible for the development of standard content, reviewing public comments and determining what is ultimately included in the standard. The makeup of the committee is also where the essential requirement of balance is achieved.

Either when a new standard receives approval to begin development as discussed in the last installment of the primer or when an existing standard is up for revision, a committee must be established. The process for soliciting committee members and seating the committee are outlined in Council Policy 12, Council Policy 7 and the ICC Consensus Procedures. The first step in this process is the issuance of a call for committee members. This call is widely disseminated through the Code Council outlets, including on a dedicated webpage where open committee calls are posted. The application for committee membership is also posted on this page. The call may also be posted in ANSI Standards Action. The call is open for at least 30 days.

When submitting an application, applicants may identify an alternate for participation on the committee should the primary representative be unable to attend a committee meeting or needs to withdraw from the committee.

Once the application period closes, the Codes and Standards Council reviews the applications and makes a recommendation to the Code Council Board of Directors based on the requirements outlined in CP7, CP12 and the ICC Consensus Procedures. The board makes the appointments to the standard development committee, including the designation of a chair and vice chair.

Per the Consensus Procedures, committee membership “shall be sufficiently diverse to ensure reasonable balance without dominance or imbalance by a single interest category, individual or organization. No single interest category should constitute more than one-third of the membership of any committee.” Interest categories identified are:

• Manufacturer
• Builder
• Standards promulgator/testing laboratory
• User
• Utility
• Consumer
• Public segment
• Government regulator
• Insurance

Applicants who are not appointed as voting members of the committee are still encouraged to be involved. The staff secretariat maintains a list of interested parties who receive notices of meetings, the release of public comment drafts and other important committee activities. Interested parties may also engage through workgroups (which will be covered in an upcoming installment of the primer).

Once the committee is seated, they begin work on the content of the standard, which will be covered in the next installment of the primer.