Building Code History

Why do we use the "International" codes when it comes to construction standards?

This is a common question that staff gets asked. It stems from a concern that the City of Woodland should not be giving away its authority to make local decisions, especially if that authority is being given to a foreign body who will make us meet international standards.

To address this concern, staff performed some research into the International Code Council (ICC) which is the body who writes what is known as the "International Codes" which is a comprehensive collection of building codes. A presentation about the International Code Council (ICC) can be found at the 44:00 minute mark of this meeting: 

     July 1, 2024 Council Meeting - Video Recording

Tell me about the ICC...

In summary, what staff found is that the ICC is the premier building safety solution provider, formed in 1994 with the goal of developing a single set of national model construction codes for use throughout the US.  The ICC is an American based non-profit, not-stock corporation organized as a 501(c)(6) with regional offices in Birmingham Alabama; Chicago Illinois; and Los Angeles California; with their headquarters in Washington DC.

The ICC was formed out of three regional organizations called the Building Officials & Code Administrators International (BOCA); the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO); and the Southern Building Code Congress Internation (SBCCI), at the request of building industry stakeholders in order to develop a single set of coordinated, consistent and comprehensive national codes.

The ICC is run by a Board of Directors that includes 63 members including 51 from America (one from each state + DC), 10 Canadian representatives (one from each province), one from Mexico, and one from the Caribbean.

The ICC has 64,000 individual members from 41 countries and those members come from a variety of fields that includes architects; engineers; contractors; manufacturers; students; and government officials. 

In addition to code writing, the ICC is the premier body for construction industry training and education; personal certification; product evaluation and certification; content management & digitization; technical support & consulting services; and accreditation.   

Why does the ICC exist and how does it operate?

There is no central government authority with responsibility for a national building code. As a result, private sector organizations filled the void by developing an industry standard but the regional nature of those organizations led  to problems. The ICC formed as a public-partnership bridge those gaps, and because each of those regional organizations had international partners, the international nature of the ICC was baked into the organization to recognize the leadership of the American construction industry.   

The ICC uses a "consensus decision-making process" wherein it has committees of technical experts that review ALL code change submittals in an open and public process. Each code change is discussed until all concerns are settled and moved forward for adoption. Any suggested code change that does not get consensus, is set aside and blocked from adoption.

After codes are approved by committees, they go on for approval by the general membership. Code amendments are approved by a simple majority of the membership.  But remember, that simply means that the membership chooses to make that code available for use in the code. The ultimate decision on whether a local jurisdiction uses that particular code is up to the locally elected officials in that jurisdiction.

For example, the technical committee could consider a code change that allows a new type of advanced air conditioner to be used to provide cooling for a building.  The committee can accept this new equipment and say it meets the modern energy code but only when it is used in small buildings under 5,000 square feet.  Once the committee approves the code change, it goes to the entire ICC membership for approval.  If it gets approved as a technical solution that the majority of the members believes will work, the City of Woodland can choose  to adopt it, or not to adopt it.  In other words, even though the new advanced air conditioner may be more efficient and a viable solution, the city council is not obligated to accept it as a viable solution in Woodland and may choose not to allow that new product to be used in the city. 

Washington State has a State Building Code Council (SBCC) which advises the Washington State Legislature on building code matters. (Created by RCW 17.27.070). The SBCC recommends what codes are applicable to Washington State. The SBCC is made up of 15 council members and includes 5 ex-officio council members (2 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 1 non-partisan) and has four technical advisory groups (Fire, Building, Energy/Commercial, and Plumbing/Mechanical/Ventilation).