Follow The Angle every day leading up to Election Day (November 8) for this series on the big upcoming vote Nov. 8-21 impacting our national model building codes. This post will be updated with links to subsequent posts as the Election Week series progresses.
Nov. 7: AIA Voter Guide to ICC Online Vote | Nov. 8: Election Day Wrap Up
Nov. 8-21: ICC Online Governmental Consensus Voting Period
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America will decide this fall who will live in the White House for the next four years. There’s another big vote, however, that will shape the next generation of building codes in this country.
For those of you who followed us at the previous round of code hearings in Louisville this spring – here comes Part 2! The International Code Council (ICC) Group B Public Comment Hearings, were held October 19-25 in Kansas City to determine the technical content and scope of the 2018 editions of several I-codes, including the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and International Existing Building Code (IEBC). See the full list of codes here.
Construction codes and standards adopted by state and local government agencies impact architectural practice every day. These regulations are heavily influenced by national model codes developed every three years through a consensus process involving building industry stakeholders. The AIA Codes Advocacy Program and the AIA Codes and Standards (C&S) Committee aim to proactively engage members on pertinent issues in support of AIA’s public policies (see page 11) to build and protect communities that promote health, safety, and welfare. AIA member involvement in this process is critical to continue enhancing our nation’s model codes to ensure the design and construction of safe, sustainable buildings and resilient communities.
The Codes Advocacy Program has coordinated the AIA’s Group B code development activities since late 2015. Among the highlights:
- Submitted and/or cosponsored dozens of code change proposals this January
- Assembled a Code Review Team of almost two dozen members and staff from groups across the Institute to review and establish positions on almost 2,000 proposed changes.
- Testified on behalf of the AIA at the ICC Group B Committee Action Hearings in Louisville this April
- Submitted and/or cosponsored 42 public comments on code change proposals this July
- Participated in the ICC Group B Public Comment Hearings in Kansas City earlier this October
The final step in the ICC process is critical: an Online Governmental Consensus Vote (OGCV) of eligible, registered ICC voting members will approve or disapprove the roughly 650 remaining code change proposals. Voters can cast their ballots November 8-21 via cdpACCESS. Final results will be posted December 6.
In the days leading up to this crucial online vote, the Angle will have you covered, including:
- Discussions of the most important proposed changes to the code requirements for residential and commercial energy efficiency, structural, and fire safety
- An AIA Voter Guide that will focus on how a proposed code change impacts the built environment (such as increasing or decreasing a building’s energy efficiency)
- Directions on how to distribute the Voter Guide and how to discuss the vote with the ICC members eligible to vote that you work with in your practice – especially your local code official!
Follow us on The Angle every day leading up to Election Day (November 8). This post will be updated with links to subsequent posts as the Election Week series progresses.
Paul Karrer – Manager, Building Codes Policy
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Links: PCH monograph | Unofficial PCH results | cdpACCESS (if you don’t have a MyICC account, create one and log in)
You can also get directly involved with the AIA Codes Advocacy Program!