Building Codes by State
Building Codes in Effect by State
Jose C. Busquets, El & William C. Bracken, PE
May 5, 2011
Most States within the US utilize Building Codes, State and Federal guidelines, and Local Ordinances to regulate the construction of habitable building structures. However, the promulgation of a single nationally recognized building code did not come into existence until the International Code Council (ICC) issued its first set of building codes in 2000. In fact, while the State of Florida for example was not under one statewide building code until March of 2002, there exist a number of States today that still are not under one single statewide building code.
Prior to the ICC there existed a number of regional code bodies that are referred to today as the legacy codes. These legacy codes joined together in the late 1990's to create a single code body, the ICC. These legacy codes included the Building Officials Code Administrators International (BOCA), Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI) and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO).
Today, even with a single code body that develops and issues a single nationally recognized building code, not everyone is using it. In fact, the version, use, adoption, enforcement and interpretation are in some cases mandated at a State level while in other cases it is left up to each individual municipality within a State. In an attempt to begin cataloging what code and what version of what code is in force within the lower 48 States, Bracken Engineering has built a Building Codes in Effect by State directory.
To access Bracken Engineering's Building Codes in Effect by State directory please visit: http://www.brackenengineering.com/downloads/CodesInEffect.pdf
One note when using this directory, codes are constantly changing as each State and municipality edits and adopts new versions. Therefore, it is always a good idea to consult with the local building department. By way of an example, the State of Florida mandated a statewide building code in 2001. This code was the 2001 Florida Building Code, which went into effect on March 1, 2002. The 2001 Florida Building Code was then amended and reissued twice by 2003. On October 15, 2005, the 2004 Florida Building Code was put in force. Amendments to the 2004 Florida Building Code were implemented and issued in 2006 and 2007. Then on March 1, 2009 the 2007 Florida Building Code was implemented with 2008 and 2009 updates. In December of 2011, Florida is set to implement the 2010 Florida Building Code.
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