Cover Story

Code Cycle
It's a dynamic process that keeps evolving, stays current and strives to protect citizen's welfare.

by Howard Shingle

It’s a never-ending process. The 2004 Florida Building Code just went into effect October 1, 2005, and already the Florida Building Commission (FBC), which is charged with enforcing the code, is preparing to review proposed changes to it. “Last minute changes. It’s not supposed to be a substantive process. It’s just supposed to be a cleanup,” says Phil McMahan, staff liaison of the International Code Council’s (ICC) Florida field office. The ICC is a nonprofit organization that develops comprehensive and coordinated model construction codes for its members—which includes the FBC along with some 2,100 building departments in the state of Florida.

It’s a cycle, really. Florida has a three-year cycle. The target is to print a new edition of its building code about every three years, but it usually takes four. Florida law requires the code be available for six months before the state can begin the change and cleanup process with public hearings. The International Hurricane Protection Association’s (IHPA) code consultant, Joe Belcher, has prepared several modifications to the 2004 Florida code, which will be part of this process (see page 10).
Wholesale or substantive changes are held for the next edition when the cycle begins anew. “About three years behind us,” McMahan says. “They’re probably looking to our 2006 edition for their next cycle, which produces a 2009 Florida code. The idea is that there’s a new evolution every three years,” he says. “That way you keep up with technological changes, environmental changes, new materials, new processes and the code will stay current with all those things.”

“They use our documents as a core,” McMahan explains, referring to the FBC, “then they do all the hard work of making all the adjustments that are required for Florida-specific environmental elements like hurricanes, high wind, water and things like that.”

“Our 2006 version will be out mid-March,” he adds. “That will start the clock for Florida accepting wholesale changes of any kind to their 2004 version that will print in 2009.”

PULLING IT TOGETHER
It may sound confusing and complicated, but it’s a process that results in a coordinated statewide code that means safer construction over all. And whatever else it is, it’s a lot of hard work especially in a state like Florida, which has been on the cutting edge of hurricane, high wind and wind-borne debris protection. “The state of Florida has done an outstanding job of staying ahead of the curve as much as technologically possible, and that’s a credit to its process,” McMahan says. “Even though it’s complicated and it’s a little bulky, they have done a stellar job of taking our documents and molding them into what they need and using the end product to protect the citizen’s welfare.”

As liaison between the ICC and members in Florida and Georgia, McMahan spends most of his time attending meetings and public hearings—with the FBC, state legislatures, professional organizations, local governments and members. He provides them with information, testimony, historical perspective, code interpretation and coordinates ICC’s training and certification opportunities.

This is critical information. What ICC provides could never be accomplished at the local, county or state level because of the time, staff and funding required and the need to keep up-to-date as new data become available. “Up until four years ago there was really very little field lab information on hurricanes and how structures react to them,” McMahan says. “The more data comes in, more code changes are proposed based on that data. You try to improve.”

“It’s a high-mileage job,” McMahan says, but it’s never boring with so much riding on the outcome and with so many varied interests weighing in at open hearings. “They can be very heated, they can be contentious, they can be very long and tiring but they are always interesting,” he says.

“They do an excellent piece of work. The Florida Building Commission has a very difficult job of pulling this whole thing together and making it go. We prepare the foundation. They actually build the document that they need, and we’re proud to be a part of that process.”

COMBINED EFFORTS
The International Code Council has been part of this process for only the last eight years. ICC was established in 1994 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes. ICC’s founding organizations are Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) and Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. (SBCCI).

Since the early part of the last century, these nonprofit organizations had developed their own separate sets of model codes that were used throughout the United States. Although regional code development had been effective and responsive to needs, a time came for a single set of codes. The nation’s three model code groups responded by creating the International Code Council and by developing codes without regional limitations. These codes are known as the International Codes. There are separate sets of codes for residential and commercial building.

There are important advantages to ICC combining the efforts of the existing code organizations. For one, code enforcement officials, architects, engineers, designers and contractors can work with a consistent set of requirements throughout the United States. For another, manufacturers can put their efforts into research and development rather than designing to different sets of standards, and they can focus on being more competitive in worldwide markets. Uniform education and certification programs can be used internationally as well. A single set of codes also may encourage states and localities to direct their collective energies toward wider code adoption, better code enforcement and enhanced membership services.
ICC also represents a single forum for discussion, consideration and resolution of all issues and concerns of a regulatory nature. Whether the concern is disaster mitigation, energy conservation, accessibility, innovative technology or fire protection, the ICC provides a single forum for national and international attention and focus to address these concerns.

SHAPING THE FUTURE
“What’s unique about the International Codes and what’s unique about ICC is that it’s the only model code group in the nation that has a comprehensive, coordinated and correlated complete family of codes,” says Mark Johnson, vice president of publications and product development for ICC. “It covers the whole spectrum of building construction whether it’s dealing with fire safety requirements, structural requirements, mechanical, plumbing, energy requirements and by being published by the International Code Council in cooperation and with the involvement of its membership, you have a whole coordinated family of codes that work together as a cohesive set. You don’t have the conflicts between codes that we used to have years back when you had different organizations doing a plumbing code and a building code and they weren’t coordinated well.”

As individuals, officials and state agencies become involved in ICC, they help shape the codes going into the future. “What you’re seeing now is that there is more uniformity in code regulations as all the states and counties and local governments begin to use the International Code as the basis for their model codes,” Johnson says. “You’re seeing the codes now every three years coming out up-to-date, modern, aggressive, current and providing the citizens with the latest and greatest concepts in building safety.”

This is a process that no state, certainly no local jurisdiction, could do on its own. For one, they often lack the staff and the expertise. “It represents a tremendous cost savings in staff time alone. Another advantage is being able to keep the codes current, dynamic and to integrate the latest technology and building safety concepts,” he says.
In addition to preparing the code, ICC looks to support its members. “Basically from handling plan review, extensive training on the new codes (roughly 800 training events a year), support products such as technical publications that provide commentary and a historical perspective for the codes to interpretation,” Johnson says. “Basically, it’s having a consulting service that can help provide an understanding of key provisions to the code. It supports state and local governments that are enforcing the code, if they have a question and they are members of ICC, they can call up and get a code opinion or a code interpretation.

THE BEAUTY OF THE PROCESS
But with codes it all comes back to the process—a never-ending process because new data and varied viewpoints are always emerging, and that’s the point. Of ICC’s nearly 40,000 members approximately 10,000 are code officials for state and local governments. “These code officials participate in developing and maintaining our building codes through a process where code changes are submitted—each one can submit a code change or a revision to our codes,” Johnson says.
It’s an open hearing process in which no viewpoints are suppressed. “The net result is an open and candid hearing. You get the various viewpoints on the subject. All in all, that’s the beauty of the process,” Johnson says. “Various viewpoints are heard and properly vetted. The outcome is the best product because people can get up there and testify in this open process. You’re getting every different perspective from the importance of safety to the impact of safety on the economy. You’re always going to have some opposing viewpoints, but the final result comes to the best possible outcome. The outcome is to do ultimately what is best for the nation and public safety.

“The final vote—even though everybody can participate—is in the hands of the code officials because they have no proprietary interest in the process other than, obviously, public safety.”
And then the process begins again.