ICC
International Building Code
Published by International Code Council (ICC) · written for United States
iccsafe.org · checked 2026-09-23
Citing it here is not conformity with it, and this site holds no copy of its text.
- 9Calculators cite it
- 6Sections cited
- 4Editions listed
What it governs
The building code for everything the IRC does not cover: occupancy classification, means of egress, fire-resistance ratings, and the structural provisions for buildings other than small dwellings. It is a framework document as much as a rulebook — much of its structural content is a reference to a design standard published by somebody else, so a calculation cited to the IBC is usually a calculation to whichever standard the IBC names.
An occupancy classification decides most of what follows from it, which is why the same floor area can be governed very differently in two buildings. Where it references a design standard, it names an edition, and that named edition is the one in force — not the newest the standards body has published.
A calculation to the current AISC or ACI may not be a calculation to the one the adopted building code points at. Existing buildings are a separate document in most jurisdictions: alterations and change of use are governed by an existing-building code rather than by this one, and applying new-construction provisions to a refurbishment is a common and expensive mistake.
Obtained from International Code Council. What ICC publishes
Editions
Published: 2024, 2021, 2018, 2015. A new edition every three years.
Adoption is not verified for your jurisdiction. A model document binds only where an authority adopted it, usually some editions behind and amended locally. Citing a clause is not conformance. No part of the text is reproduced here.