The National Institute of Building Sciences National Council of Governments on Building Codes and Standards (NCGBCS), released a white paper, The Role of Existing Building Codes in Safely, Cost-Effectively Transforming the Nation’s Building Stock, that:
- examines effective strategies for promoting the adoption of existing building codes;
- offers strategies for developing and implementing educational and training programs for owners, builders, contractors, design professionals and code enforcers;
- addresses implementation challenges and enforcement issues; and
- recommends technical changes to improve future editions of the codes.
In 1994, the three regional model code organizations, Southern Building Code Congress International (SBCCI), International Council of Building Officials (ICBO) and Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) came together to form the International Code Council (ICC). The ICC developed the International Building Code (IBC) in 2000, which focused primarily on requirements for new construction. In 2003, ICC approved the first national model code for the alteration and rehabilitation of existing buildings the International Existing Building Code (IEBC).
The IEBC is being adopted or used by 23 states and the District of Columbia and by localities in 18 other states. Of the eight remaining states, Ohio, Rhode Island and Indiana are considering IEBC for statewide adoption and New Jersey has its own building code. Hawaii, Alaska and Vermont are not actively considering IEBC adoption. The report encourages adoption and use of the IEBC in the remaining eight states, including Kentucky and Oregon, and statewide adoptions in the 18 states where only localities have adopted the IEBC.
Table 1 – Existing Building Code Activities by State, incl. Washington, DC (ICC, October 2016)
Effective strategies for state adoptions include:
- providing policy makers and stakeholders with the clear intent and purpose of legislation;
- implementing regulations spelling out uniform, predictable and reasonable technical requirements and administrative processes; and
- utilizing a model code like the IEBC.
The NCGBCS recognizes that existing buildings, some hundreds of years old, cannot all be reconstructed to meet a newly adopted model code. “Communities in every state are faced with decaying, blighted and vacant existing buildings and while most states and localities enforce national model fire prevention and maintenance codes, they also need a parallel existing building code as a regulatory tool to issue notices of violation that can encourage revitalization of deteriorating existing buildings and neighborhoods.”
The ICC model code development process usually takes three years for each new edition plus another two years for states or localities to adopt the code. Benefits of adopting codes for new construction and existing buildings within this five-year time frame include:
- the ability to correct errors or unintended consequences;
- to coordinate and correlate technical requirements;
- to introduce new technologies, design and construction methods; and
- to support periodic and continuing educational and professional development of code officials, design professionals, builders and contractors.
Adopting the IEBC has broader community benefits by:
- becoming a key element and driver of economic development;
- promoting affordable housing;
- allowing the reuse of existing building stock; and
- fostering the revitalization of older, often blighted and vacant neighborhoods.
NCGBCS recommendations include:
- increased collaboration with other Institute councils that focus on resilience, hazard mitigation, building enclosures and the economical reuse of existing buildings to develop training options;
- partnerships with the private sector, including presentations at national and state conferences;
- developing web-based programs;
- developing and combining clearinghouse resources and training platforms with the traditional training programs now being offered by the ICC, local and state governments and national and state trade associations; and
- sharing of code changes with state regulators and private sector partners and the development of consensus positions for these code changes.
The Report concludes, “The IEBC is a strong tool that states and localities can use to address decaying, blighted and vacant existing buildings in their jurisdictions. With a coordinated effort among key stakeholders, these existing buildings can take on a beneficial role in their communities.”
