Topics involving the building codes that govern structural engineering are frequently discussed in Structural Engineer. This is because I feel strongly that all structural engineers should fully understand how the building codes and design guidelines evolve and how practitioners will be affected; additionally, the frequency of code changes is at the top of the list of industry concerns for structural engineers.

Although our code coverage most commonly includes discussion of relevant changes to the actual provisions, last month the International Code Council (ICC) announced a change to its code development cycle that will affect how changes can be made to the I-Codes, including the International Building Code (IBC), of which you should be aware.

In the introduction to his article "The 2009 International Building Code: An overview of the structural changes—Part 2," which begins on page 16, John R. Henry, P.E., principal staff engineer at the International Code Council, describes the way the process works currently.

"The ICC uses an 18-month code development cycle and a three-year code publication cycle," explains Henry, "This means a new code is published every three years with one supplement published between code editions. Thus, the successful code changes during the 2006/2007 cycle were published in the 2007 Supplement to the IBC. The successful code changes proposed during the 2007/2008 cycle are then combined with the changes in the 2007 Supplement to produce the new 2009 edition of the IBC."

According to the ICC website, on Feb. 27, 2009, the ICC board of directors adopted revisions to changes it had announced on Feb. 5, 2009, to address code development as part of its ongoing process to update and revise procedures. Worthwhile goals for the revisions include the desire to reduce code hearing lengths and increase participation in the process. Among other process changes, the board’s action will eliminate the two 18-month development cycles and the supplement.

While initially one might conclude that this would result in fewer code changes—which would be welcomed by all practitioners—it is unclear if that would be true. In fact, opponents of the changes—including many structural engineers—are deeply concerned that elimination of the second change cycle between published code editions will lead to a code that is flawed and not technically up-to-date.

While it is true that not many jurisdictions adopt the supplement, some within the industry believe that the cycle is critical for public input, as well as for correcting and vetting code changes prior to the next published edition of the code.
During last month’s ICC 2009 Codes Forum, ICC Board President Adolf Zubia and CEO Rick Weiland hosted a Town Hall meeting on March 22 with the board of directors. The subject of the Town Hall meeting was scheduled to be ICC Policies and Procedures, including its code development process change. The ICC planned to videotape the Town Hall meeting and it is supposed to be posted on www.iccsafe.org.

If you have questions or concerns about this code development process change that will significantly affect all code users including structural engineers, I urge you to write to either Zubia at azubia@iccsafe.org or Weiland at rweiland@iccsafe.org.

This development was unfolding as of press time, but you can find more current information, specifics, and relevant links at www.gostructural.com; look for news titled, "ICC code development process change." I will update this article with relevant comments from the ICC’s Town Hall, as well as with opinions of associations and industry leaders. If you have comments regarding this change, please e-mail me at jgoupil@stagnitomedia.com.