There is no such thing as an International Building Code

A building code is what the inspector says it is....


Note: The 2015 International Codes are now available. However, at the time of this writing, a single, uniform building code is still not a reality in the United States, let alone in the "International" community as the name implies.

 Simply put, government agencies do not always work as quickly as the private building sector. Even though the three major code organizations (BOCA, ICBO, SBCCI) have all been consolidated into a single building code organization (ICC) most local inspection agencies use building codes that are several years old.

Worse still, virtually every government jurisdiction that controls building permits and inspections has modified the 'standard' codes to some extent. So, be sure to check with your local department of permits and licenses to see exactly which building codes — and their respective revision dates and modificiations — are applicable to your specific project.

If Moses would have had to comply with a building code, he would still be trying to get the Israelites through the Red Sea.