Significant changes to the 2018 I-Codes

The 2018 Significant Changes guides are available for the International Building, Residential, Fire, Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. This valuable series can help any code user save time by zeroing in on the most critical changes in the 2018 International Codes (I-Codes). The Code Council’s technical experts provide summaries, analysis and graphics for these changes making them clear and easy to understand.

2018 International Building Code

A modification to Section 713.8.1 (Membrane Penetrations of Shaft Enclosures) states that membrane penetrations not related to the purpose of a shaft enclosure are no longer prohibited from penetrating the outside of the enclosure.

Unless specifically permitted, penetrations have historically been prohibited at the fire-resistance-rated enclosure around a shaft. The strict limitations have been deemed necessary to ensure that the fire-resistive integrity of the shaft enclosure was not compromised by penetrations of the protective enclosure. Penetrations of the exterior membrane of the fire-resistance-rated assembly are now permitted provided they are in compliance with the membrane penetration provisions of Section 714.4.2.

Virtually all penetrations have been prohibited in the past, regardless of purpose with very limited exceptions. The prohibition applied to any penetration that was not necessary for the purpose of the shaft, such as electrical boxes. The new exception will no longer limit the type of or purpose for the penetration but will simply limit the location to the exterior membrane and require the proper protection.

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2018 International Fire Code

A modification to Section 906.1 (Portable Fire Extinguishers) provides schools options for fire extinguisher placement.

This change provides an option for schools to provide portable fire extinguishers in classrooms in lieu of centrally located or distributed extinguishers throughout the school buildings. The fire extinguishers in the common areas are more susceptible to mischief and are not available when the school is in lockdown. Locating a fire extinguisher within each classroom improves security of this equipment and also places the extinguishers within reach while a lockdown is in progress. While the potential is low for a lockdown and fire to occur simultaneously, this solution is an option that provides for that event.

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2018 International Residential Code

A clarification to Section R308.4.7 (Glazing Adjacent to the Bottom Stair Landing) replaces Figure R308.4.7 with a new figure and modifies the caption to more accurately reflect the related code provision.

In defining the hazardous location for glazing at the bottom stair landing, the 2015 IRC added a figure and clarified that the area of concern was beyond the plane of the bottom stair nosing. The hazard of falling into glazing occurs in the bottom landing area in front of and to either side of the direction of travel, and that was reflected in the previous change. The revised text in the 2015 edition was accompanied by a new figure that was helpful to code users in visualizing the requirement. However, the caption to the figure was misleading in that it described the area shown in the figure as prohibited glazing locations. The change to the figure caption in the 2018 IRC correctly identifies the illustrated area as a location considered hazardous related to the installation of glazing. Where glazing is installed in a hazardous location, safety glazing is required. The figure has also been updated for the 2018 edition by adding labels to better identify the area under consideration and to duplicate the corresponding requirements of the code text.

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2018 International Mechanical Code

A modification to Section 1107.2 (Refrigerant Piping Location) states that this code section was rewritten to clearly state the intent regarding the prohibited locations for refrigerant piping.

Previous editions of the code prohibited refrigerant piping in enclosed public stairways, stairway landings and means of egress. This wording was very ambiguous, especially the reference to “means of egress” and the terminology was inconsistent with the International Building Code. Means of egress is defined as a continuous and unobstructed path of horizontal and vertical egress travel from any occupied portion of a building, thus refrigerant piping would be prohibited almost everywhere in a building. The actual intent was logically assumed to be to prohibit refrigerant piping in exit stairways, exit ramps, exit passageways and fire-resistance-rated exit access corridors. A refrigerant leak in such spaces could jeopardize egress from the building.

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