Standards activities update

There is a long-standing relationship between construction codes and standards that address design, installation, testing and materials related to building construction. Building regulation cannot be effectively carried out without such standards. The critical role of standards in the building regulatory process is such that the standards are an extension of the code requirements and are therefore equally enforceable. Consequently, standards that are referenced in codes carry an expectation of being as clear, direct and enforceable as code requirements that are primary text.

The International Code Council references almost 1,300 standards in its International Codes and has been re-accredited for its American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard development activities under the ICC Consensus Procedures. The Code Council also develops a number of codes and standards, including mechanical, plumbing, structural, resilience, accessibility and green standards, and is accredited by ANSI as a standards developer.

Below is a list of Code Council standards that are current, being revised or are under development.

ICC 500/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters

Standard ICC 500 — ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters (IS-STM) is published jointly by the International Code Council and the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) and is referenced in the newest building safety codes. The standard provides minimum design and construction requirements for storm shelters that provide a safe refuge from storms that produce high winds, hurricanes and tornados. This standard provides design requirements for the main wind resisting structural system and components and cladding of these shelters and provides basic occupant life safety and health requirements for these shelters, including means of egress, lighting, sanitation, ventilation, fire safety, and minimum required floor space for occupants. The 2014 standard is referenced in the 2015 International Codes.

The 2019 update of the standard was submitted to code development for reference in the 2021 International Codes. The publication deadline for the update is Dec. 1, 2020.

The IS-STM committee completed addressing its first round of public comments on Oct. 10, 2019. The revisions will be posted for another round of public comment. Concurrently, the Committee Action Report will be sent to the commenters as well as ballots to the committee members with an anticipated deadline of Nov. 20, 2019.

The 2014 edition of ICC 500 is available online and in the Code Council store.

ICC 600 — Standard for Residential Construction in High-Wind Regions

The ICC 600 — Standard for Residential Construction in High-Wind Regions (IS-RHW) is based on content from SSTD 10 (Hurricane Resistant Construction Standard) and material standards’ and is to specify prescriptive methods to provide wind resistant designs and construction details for residential buildings of masonry, concrete, wood-framed or cold-formed steel framed construction sited in high-wind regions where design wind speeds are 120 to 180 mph. The purpose of this standard is to improve building resiliency by providing prescriptive requirements based on the latest engineering knowledge and to provide minimum requirements to improve structural integrity and improve building envelope performance within the limitations in building geometry, materials, and wind climate specified. The 2014 standard is referenced in the 2015 International Codes.

Appointed by the Code Council Board of Directors in July 2019, a committee has been formed and all committee members have accepted. The 2019 update of the standard was submitted to code development for reference in the 2021 International Codes. The publication deadline for the update is Dec. 1, 2020.

The Multi-Hazard Resiliency for Residential Construction Committee (IS-MHRRC) held its first public in-person meeting in the Chicago, Ill., area to address ideas needed to begin the revision process of the standard as well as organize into workgroups. Additional topics covered include the upcoming development of the suite of hazard mitigation standards to address wildfires, seismic and tsunami events. The next in-person meeting of the committee will be held at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety facility in South Carolina in early December 2019.

ASABE/ICC 802 Landscape Irrigation Sprinkler and Emitter Standard

The ASABE/ICC 802 Landscape Irrigation Sprinkler and Emitter Standard (IS-IEDC) establishes design and testing requirements for landscape irrigation sprinklers, bubblers, drip emitters and microsprays. It provides minimum design and performance requirements, specifies uniform test methods for product performance, and sets definitions and product classifications for commonly used sprinklers and emitters. It is the first edition of a new consensus standard developed through the Code Council’s ANSI-accredited standards development process in collaboration with the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The ICC 802 standard was not approved by Code Council membership for reference in the 2015 International Green Construction Code.

The IS-IEDC committee meetings are underway. Next meeting scheduled for Nov. 12, 2019.

The 2014 edition of ICC 802 is available in the Code Council store.

ICC 900/SRCC 300 — Solar Thermal System Standard

The ICC 900/SRCC 300 — Solar Thermal System Standard (IS-STSC) establishes minimum requirements for the system design, performance evaluation, and installation instructions of solar water heating systems. This standard establishes a methodology for rating the performance of solar water heating systems based on performance projections and solar collector test data. This standard is applicable to residential and commercial solar water heating systems intended for use within swimming pool heating, building space heating, building space cooling, and/or water heating systems. It is applicable to both direct and indirect solar water heating systems. Expanded use of renewable energy systems in modern construction have resulted in the creation of sustainable construction codes and standards and energy incentive programs addressing solar thermal systems. In both cases, minimum criteria and uniform test methods are needed to ensure that solar thermal water heating systems provide suitable performance, durability, safety and comparable performance metrics.

The standard is under revision with committee meetings ongoing. The IS-STSC committee and workgroup meetings are underway. The last committee meeting was completed on Oct. 9, 2019. There is a solicitation out to replace a committee member who could not accept the appointment.

The 2015 edition of ICC 900/SRCC 300 is available in the Code Council store.

ICC 901/SRCC 100 — Solar Thermal Collector Standard

The ICC 901/SRCC 100 — Solar Thermal Collector Standard (IS-STSC)  establishes minimum requirements for the design, construction, performance and testing of liquid and air heating solar thermal collectors, including those containing distributed assembly and integral concentrating components and integral storage and non-separable thermosiphon units. This standard is applicable to solar collectors intended for use within swimming pool and spa heating, building space heating and cooling, water heating systems, industrial/commercial process heating, and thermal input to electrical power production systems.

The standard is under revision with committee meetings ongoing.  The IS-STSC committee and workgroup meetings are underway. The last committee meeting was completed on Oct. 9, 2019. There is a solicitation out to replace a committee member who could not accept the appointment.

The 2015 edition of ICC 901/SRCC 100 is available in the Code Council store.

ICC 902/APSP 902/SRCC 400 — Solar Pool and Spa Heating System Standard

The ICC 902/APSP 902/SRCC 400 — Solar Pool and Spa Heating System Standard (IS-PHSC) establishes minimum criteria for the design and installation of solar water heating systems for pool and spa applications. It addresses both residential and commercial pools and spas, consistent with the requirements of the Code Council’s International Swimming Pool and Spa Code and other relevant ICC/APSP standards for these applications. ICC 902/APSP 902/SRCC 400 is a new standard that builds upon the well-established ICC 900/SRCC 300 Solar Water Heating Systems Standard that does not include pool and spa applications. This new standard allows pools and spas to benefit from sustainable heating technologies without sacrificing safety or performance.

Approval of the ICC/APSP 902/SRCC 400-2017 Solar Pool and Spa Heating System standard as an ANSI standard was granted in October of 2017. The ICC/APSP 902/SRCC 400-2017 standard will be referenced in the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code.

The IS-STSC committee and workgroup meetings are underway. The last committee meeting was completed on Oct. 9, 2019. There is a solicitation out to replace a committee member who could not accept the appointment. ICC 902 has been submitted to ANSI for reaffirmation to bring it on a consistent revision cycle with the other 900 series standards. The deadline for any public comment with respect to the reaffirmation is Nov. 4, 2019.

The 2017 edition of ICC 902/APSP 902/SRCC 400 is available in the Code Council store.

BSR/ICC 1100 — Standard for Spray-Applied Polyurethane Foam Plastic Insulation

The new BSR/ICC 1100 — Standard for Spray-Applied Polyurethane Foam Plastic Insulation (IS-FPI) will be based upon existing ICC Evaluation Service Acceptance Criteria and related documents for spray-applied foam plastic insulation for use by industry and possible inclusion in construction codes. The standard will be included for reference in the 2021 International Codes.

The Code Council board approved the development of the IS-FPI standards committee to create an American National Standard to establish the minimum physical and performance properties as well as application requirements for spray-applied foam plastic insulations. The IS-FPI committee has completed the final ballot and affirmed the final version of the new standard. ANSI approval was completed on Oct. 10, 2019.

ICC 1200 —Standard for Off-Site Construction: Planning, Design, Fabrication and Assembly

The new ICC 1200 — Standard for Off-Site Construction: Planning, Design, Fabrication and Assembly (IS-OSMC) would address all facets of the off-site construction process, including planning, designing, fabricating, transporting, and assembling commercial and residential building elements. The standard includes componentized, panelized and modularized elements and will not apply to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development manufactured housing or “tiny homes.”

The Off-Site and Modular Construction Standards Committee was appointed by the Code Council Board of Directors in July 2019 and has primary responsibility for the development as American National Standards. All standards development is subject to the Code Council’s Consensus Procedures. Applications to serve on the committee were received on April 15, 2019, for the Code Council Board of Directors consideration in response to a call for committee in March 2019. The orientation WebEx meeting of the new IS-OSMC committee was held on Oct. 3, 2019. The first public in-person meeting of the committee is scheduled for Nov. 19–20, 2019, in the Chicago, Ill., area to organize workgroups and develop initial drafts of the standards for eventual posting for initial public input.

ICC 1205 — Standard for Off-Site Construction: Inspection and Regulatory Compliance

The new ICC 1205 — Standard for Off-Site Construction: Inspection and Regulatory Compliance (IS-OSMC) would address the inspection, approval and regulatory compliance of off-site residential and commercial construction components and their assembly and completion at the final building site. This includes permitting, in-plant and on-site final inspections, third-party inspections, the role of industrialized building departments, state modular programs, and the authority having jurisdiction.

The Off-Site and Modular Construction Standards Committee was appointed by the Code Council Board of Directors in July 2019 and has primary responsibility for the development as American National Standards. All standards development is subject to the Code Council’s Consensus Procedures. Applications to serve on the committee were received on April 15, 2019, for the Code Council Board of Directors consideration in response to a call for committee in March 2019. The orientation WebEx meeting of the new IS-OSMC committee was held on Oct. 3, 2019. The first public in-person meeting of the committee is scheduled for Nov. 19–20, 2019, in the Chicago, Ill., area to organize workgroups and develop initial drafts of the standards for eventual posting for initial public input.

The Code Council adheres to openness and transparency in our standards development process. All Code Council standards committee meetings are open to the public. Any interested party can participate in committee meetings and can be considered by the committee for membership on any work-group that the committee creates.

Click here to learn more about the standard development process as well as standard development policy and procedures and Standard Development and Consensus Committees.