Significant changes to the 2018 International Residential Code

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 Residential Code

A modification to Section R802.1.5.4 (Labeling) states that each stick of fire-retardant-treated (FRT) lumber and each FRT wood structural panel require a label with eight specific items of information.

There are products in the marketplace on which lumber and panel manufacture labels required by Section R802.1.1 and R803.2.1 have been obscured. The 2018 IRC Section R802.1.5.4 clarifies the intent to have fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) have two labels: one for the general grading and identification of the lumber or panel, the second for the fire-retardant treatment. The updated provision also explicitly states that each piece of lumber must be labeled with both marks. There are currently products on the market with a stamp on only the top sticks of lumber or plywood in a banded bundle. This change allows easy identification of all lumber on the job site by having two stamps on every stick and panel.

Click here to read the full significant change.