Editing Building code

{{Short description|Construction standards for buildings}}
{{Globalize|1=article|date=November 2021}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Zoning|Zoning laws]]}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
[[File:Puf canadian paper mill.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Code Violation: This fire-rated [[Concrete masonry unit|concrete block]] wall is penetrated by [[cable tray]]s and [[electrical cable]]s. The hole should be [[firestop]]ped to restore the [[fire-resistance rating]] of the wall. Instead, it is filled with [[Flammability|flammable]] [[Polyurethane|polyurethane foam]].]]

A '''building code''' (also '''building control''' or '''building regulations''') is a set of rules that specify the standards for construction objects such as [[building]]s and [[non-building structure]]s. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain [[planning permission]], usually from a local council. The main purpose of building codes is to protect [[public health]], safety and general welfare as they relate to the [[construction]] and occupancy of buildings and {{nowrap|structures{{hsp}}{{mdash}}{{hsp}}}}for example, the building codes in many countries require engineers to consider the effects of [[soil liquefaction]] in the design of new buildings.<ref>{{cite book |last=CEN |title=EN1998-5:2004 [[Eurocode 8: Design of structures for earthquake resistance]], part 5: Foundations, retaining structures and geotechnical aspects |year=2004 |publisher=European Committee for Standardization. |location=Brussels}}</ref> The building code becomes [[law]] of a particular jurisdiction when formally [[enactment of a bill|enacted]] by the appropriate governmental or private authority.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=danQCwAAQBAJ|title=Building Codes Illustrated: A Guide to Understanding the 2015 International Building Code|last1=Ching|first1=Francis D. K.|last2=Winkel|first2=Steven R.|date=22 March 2016|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-119-15095-4|language=en}}</ref>

Building codes are generally intended to be applied by [[architect]]s, [[engineer]]s, [[interior designer]]s, constructors and [[regulatory agency|regulators]] but are also used for various purposes by [[fire safety inspector|safety inspectors]], [[environmental scientist]]s, [[real estate developer]]s, subcontractors, manufacturers of building products and materials, [[insurance]] companies, facility managers, [[leasehold estate|tenants]], and others. Codes regulate the design and construction of structures where adopted into law.

Examples of building codes began in ancient times.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm |title=Hammurabi's Code of Laws |website=eawc.evansville.edu |date= |access-date=24 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509192326/http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/hammurabi.htm |archive-date=9 May 2008 }}</ref> In the USA the main codes are the [[International Building Code|International Building Code or International Residential Code [IBC/IRC]]], electrical codes and plumbing, mechanical codes. Fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iccsafe.org/AboutICC/Pages/default.aspx |title=About ICC |website=www.iccsafe.org |date= |access-date=8 December 2013 }}</ref>{{anchor|Canada}} In Canada, national model codes are published by the [[National Research Council of Canada]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/solutions/advisory/codes_centre_index.html |title=Codes Canada - National Research Council Canada |first=Government of Canada. National Research Council|last=Canada |website=www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca |date= |access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, compliance with [[Building regulations in the United Kingdom|Building Regulations]] is monitored by [[Building control body|building control bodies]], either Approved Inspectors or Local Authority Building Control departments. Building Control regularisation charges apply in case work is undertaken which should have had been inspected at the time of the work if this was not done.<ref>[[Northampton Borough Council]], [https://www.northampton.gov.uk/info/200011/building-control/1719/building-control---regularisation-charges Building Control - regularisation charges] www.northampton.gov.uk {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511211853/https://www.northampton.gov.uk/info/200011/building-control/1719/building-control---regularisation-charges |date=11 May 2021 }}, accessed 15 March 2021</ref>

== Types ==
The practice of developing, approving, and enforcing building codes varies considerably among nations. In some countries building codes are developed by the government agencies or quasi-governmental [[standards organizations]] and then enforced across the country by the [[central government]]. Such codes are known as the '''national building codes''' (in a sense they enjoy a mandatory nationwide application).

In other countries, where the power of regulating construction and fire [[safety]] is vested in [[local authorities]], a system of [[model building code]]s is used. Model building codes have no legal status unless adopted or adapted by an authority having jurisdiction. The developers of model codes urge public authorities to reference model codes in their laws, ordinances, regulations, and administrative orders. When referenced in any of these legal instruments, a particular model code becomes law. This practice is known as 'adoption by reference'. When an adopting authority decides to delete, add, or revise any portions of the model code adopted, it is usually required by the model code developer to follow a formal adoption procedure in which those modifications can be documented for legal purposes.

There are instances when some [[local authorities|local jurisdictions]] choose to develop their own building codes. At some point in time all major cities in the [[United States]] had their own building codes. However, due to ever increasing complexity and cost of developing building regulations, virtually all municipalities in the country have chosen to adopt model codes instead. For example, in 2008 New York City abandoned its proprietary ''1968 New York City Building Code'' in favor of a customized version of the [[International Building Code]].<ref>[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/model/model.shtml NYC Construction Codes] www.nyc.gov {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060702014751/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/model/model.shtml |date=2 July 2006 }}</ref> The City of [[Chicago]] remains the only [[municipality]] in America that continues to use a building code the city developed on its own as part of the ''[[Municipal Code of Chicago]]''.

In Europe, the [[Eurocode: Basis of structural design]], is a pan-European building code that has superseded the older national building codes. Each country now has National Annexes to localize the contents of the [[Eurocodes]].

Similarly, in [[India]], each municipality and urban development authority has its own building code, which is mandatory for all construction within their jurisdiction. All these local building codes are variants of a National Building Code,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181023090357/http://www.bis.org.in/sf/nbc.htm National Building Code] www.bis.org.in</ref> which serves as model code proving guidelines for regulating building construction activity.

=== Scope ===
{{refimprove section|date=October 2016}}
The purpose of building codes is to provide minimum standards for safety, health, and general welfare including structural integrity, mechanical integrity (including sanitation, water supply, light, and [[Ventilation (architecture)|ventilation]]), means of egress, fire prevention and control, and energy conservation.<ref>Hageman, Jack M., and Brian E. P. Beeston. ''Contractor's guide to the building code''. 6th ed. Carlsbad, CA: Craftsman Book Co., 2008. 10. Print.</ref><ref>Wexler, Harry J., and Richard Peck. ''Housing and local government: a research guide for policy makers and planners''. Lexington, Mass. u.a.: Lexington Books, 1974. 53. Print.</ref>
Building codes generally include:
* Standards for structure, placement, size, usage, wall assemblies, fenestration size/locations, egress rules, size/location of rooms, foundations, floor assemblies, roof structures/assemblies, [[efficient energy use|energy efficiency]], stairs and halls, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, site drainage & storage, appliance, lighting, fixtures standards, occupancy rules, and swimming pool regulations
* Rules regarding [[parking]] and [[traffic]] impact
* [[Fire code]] rules to minimize the risk of a fire and to ensure safe evacuation in the event of such an emergency{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
* Requirements for [[earthquake]] ([[seismic code]]), [[hurricane]], [[flood]], and [[tsunami]] resistance, especially in disaster prone areas or for very large buildings where a failure would be catastrophic{{citation needed|date=August 2013}}
* Requirements for specific building uses (for example, storage of flammable substances, or housing a large number of people)
* Energy provisions and consumption
* [[Grandfather clause]]s: Unless the building is being renovated, the building code usually does not apply to existing buildings.
* [[Specification]]s on components
* Allowable installation methodologies
* Minimum and maximum room ceiling heights, exit sizes and location
* Qualification of individuals or corporations doing the work
* For high structures, anti-collision markers for the benefit of aircraft

Building codes are generally separate from [[zoning]] ordinances, but exterior restrictions (such as setbacks) may fall into either category.

Designers use building code standards out of substantial reference books during design. Building departments review plans submitted to them before construction, issue permits [or not] and inspectors verify compliance to these standards at the site during construction.

There are often additional codes or sections of the same building code that have more specific requirements that apply to [[dwelling]]s or places of business and special construction objects such as canopies, signs, [[pedestrian]] walkways, [[parking lot]]s, and radio and [[television antenna]]s.

==Criticism==
Building codes have been criticized for contributing to [[housing crisis]] and increasing the cost of new housing to some extent, including through conflicting code between different administrators.<ref name="f664">{{cite journal | last1=Listokin | first1=David | last2=Hattis | first2=David B. | title=Building Codes and Housing | journal=Cityscape | publisher=US Department of Housing and Urban Development | volume=8 | issue=1 | year=2005 | issn=1936-007X | jstor=20868571 | pages=21–67 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/20868571 | access-date=25 July 2024}}</ref> Proposed improvements include regular review and [[cost-benefit analysis]] of building codes,<ref name="p122">{{cite journal | last1=Nwadike | first1=Amarachukwu Nnadozie | last2=Wilkinson | first2=Suzanne | title=Why amending building codes? An investigation of the benefits of regular building code amendment in New Zealand | journal=International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation | volume=40 | issue=1 | date=3 February 2022 | issn=2398-4708 | doi=10.1108/IJBPA-08-2020-0068 | pages=76–100}}</ref> promotion of low-cost construction materials and building codes suitable to mass production,<ref name="f664"/> reducing bureaucracy, and promoting transparency.<ref name="p913">{{cite journal | last1=Nwadike | first1=Amarachukwu | last2=Wilkinson | first2=Suzanne | title=Promoting Performance-Based Building Code Compliance in New Zealand | journal=Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities | volume=35 | issue=4 | date=2021 | issn=0887-3828 | doi=10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001603 | page=}}</ref>
== History ==

=== Antiquity ===

Building codes have a long history. The earliest known written building code is included in the [[Code of Hammurabi]],<ref name=":0" /> which dates from circa 1772 BC.

The book of [[Deuteronomy]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]] stipulated that [[parapet]]s must be constructed on all houses to prevent people from falling off.<ref>{{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|22:8|NKJV}}</ref>

In the Chinese [[Book of Rites|book of rites]] it mentions that ancestral temples and houses should be a certain standard length in ancient China they measured land in the chu or [[Well-field system|well field system]] so it was important to be precise though most of the actual lengths are lost or obscure.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Confucius |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cu3qDAAAQBAJ&q=book+of+rites+confucius |title=Delphi Collected Works of Confucius - Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism (Illustrated) |date=2016-08-29 |publisher=Delphi Classics |isbn=978-1-78656-052-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mencius |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oXcjJbxcUsoC&q=Mencius |title=Mencius |date=2004-10-28 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-0-14-190268-5 |language=en}}</ref>

In ancient Japan a certain official destroyed a courtiers house because the size was above his rank.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shonagon |first=Sei |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6jKxYv8giycC&q=the+pillow+book |title=The Pillow Book |date=2006-11-30 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-0-14-190694-2 |language=en}}</ref>

===Modern era===
====France====
In Paris, under the reconstruction of much of the city under the [[Second French Empire|Second Empire (1852–70)]], great blocks of apartments were erected<ref name="New International Encyclopedia">[[New International Encyclopedia]]</ref> and the height of buildings was limited by law to five or six stories at most.

====United Kingdom====
After the [[Great Fire of London]] in 1666, which had been able to spread so rapidly through the densely built timber housing of the city, the [[Rebuilding of London Act 1666]] was passed in the same year as the first significant building regulation.<ref>'Charles II, 1666: An Act for rebuilding the City of London.', Statutes of the Realm: volume 5: 1628–80 (1819), pp. 603–12. URL: [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47390 british-history.ac.uk], date accessed: 8 March 2007.</ref> Drawn up by [[Matthew Hale (jurist)|Sir Matthew Hale]], the act regulated the rebuilding of the city, required housing to have some fire resistance capacity and authorised the [[City of London Corporation]] to reopen and widen roads.<ref>'Book 1, Ch. 15: From the Fire to the death of Charles II', A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark (1773), pp. 230–55. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=46732. Date accessed: 7 March 2007.</ref> The [[Laws of the Indies]] were passed in the 1680s by the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish Crown]] to regulate the urban planning for colonies throughout Spain's worldwide imperial possessions.

The first systematic national building standard was established with the [[Metropolitan Buildings Act 1844]]. Among the provisions, builders were required to give the district surveyor two days' notice before building, regulations regarding the thickness of walls, height of rooms, the materials used in repairs, the dividing of existing buildings and the placing and design of [[chimney]]s, [[fireplace]]s and [[Drain (plumbing)|drains]] were to be enforced and streets had to be built to minimum requirements.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.npt.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=478|title=A Brief History of Building Regulations |website=www.npt.gov.uk |date= |access-date=}}</ref>

The [[Metropolitan Buildings Office]] was formed to regulate the construction and use of buildings throughout London. Surveyors were empowered to enforce building regulations, which sought to improve the standard of houses and business premises, and to regulate activities that might threaten public health. In 1855 the assets, powers and responsibilities of the office passed to the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]].

====United States====
The City of [[Baltimore]] passed its first building code in 1891.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baltimore (Md.) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lec1AQAAMAAJ |title=Ordinances and Resolutions of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore ... |via=books.google.com |access-date= |date=1891 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Great Baltimore Fire]] occurred in February 1904. Subsequent changes were made that matched other cities.<ref>Baltimore: The Building of an American City, Sherry H. Olson, Published 1997, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore (Md.), {{ISBN|0-8018-5640-X}}, p. 248.</ref> In 1904, a Handbook of the Baltimore City Building Laws was published. It served as the building code for four years. Very soon, a formal building code was drafted and eventually adopted in 1908.

The structural failure of the tank that caused the [[Great Molasses Flood]] of 1919 prompted the Boston Building Department to require engineering and architectural calculations be filed and signed. U.S. cities and states soon began requiring sign-off by registered professional engineers for the plans of major buildings.<ref name="DarkTide">{{cite book |last=Puleo |first=Stephen |title=Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 |publisher=Beacon Press |year=2004 |isbn=0-8070-5021-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/darktide00step }}</ref>

More recently, the 2015 [[Berkeley balcony collapse]] has prompted updates to [[California|California's]] balcony building codes, set for 2025, which include stricter material requirements, enhanced load-bearing standards, and mandatory inspections which known as SB326 and SB721.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SB 721- CHAPTERED |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB721 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=leginfo.legislature.ca.gov |language=en}}</ref> These laws mandate regular inspections every six years for multifamily buildings. Property owners and HOAs are required to address any structural or waterproofing issues identified during inspections to ensure compliance and safety. Failure to comply can result in fines, increased liability, and legal consequences.
===== Energy codes =====
The current energy codes{{clarify |date=March 2024}} of the United States are adopted at the state and municipal levels and are based on the [[International Energy Conservation Code]] (IECC). Previously, they were based on the Model Energy Code (MEC). As of March 2017, the following residential codes have been partially or fully adopted by states:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bcapcodes.org/code-status/residential/ |title=Residential Code Status {{!}} The Building Codes Assistance Project |website=bcapcodes.org |date=12 November 2015 |language=en-US |access-date=11 September 2018}}</ref>

* 2015 IECC or equivalent (California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington)
* 2012 IECC or equivalent (Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, Texas)
* 2009 IECC or equivalent (Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin)
* 2006 IECC or equivalent (Utah)
* 2006 IECC or no statewide code (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming)

=== Australia ===
Australia uses the [[National Construction Code]]. 

==See also==
* [[Building officials]]
* [[Construction law]]
* [[Earthquake-resistant structures]]
* [[Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants]]
* [[Outline of construction]]
* [[Seismic code]]
* [[Uniform Mechanical Code]]
* [[Variance (land use)]] – permission to vary [[zoning]] and sometimes building to code

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Building code violations|Building and Fire Code Violations}}
* [http://www.iapmo.org IAPMO Website]
* [http://codes.iapmo.org IAPMO Codes Website]

{{Construction overview}}

[[Category:Building codes| ]]