Recently, I needed to
reference an old code to research an existing project our office did nearly 20
years ago. Not only was it an old code
(1994) but one I have never used before, the SBC, the Standard Building Code.
You see, up until about 2000,
there were three major building codes in the US. BOCA, which was prevelant in the East and Midwest. There was the Uniform Building Code in the
West, and as I said, the Standard Building Code in the Southern states. In 1997, the International Building Code (IBC)
was released as a model code that all three regional Legacy Codes (as they were
called) combined to create one code for the entire country. How that makes it “International” I am not
sure. Kind of like the World Series –
all the participants are American based teams (Blue Jays being the one exception theses days).
To my knowledge, nowhere in Canada or Mexico is the IBC used…maybe they are
counting Guam and Puerto Rico? By 1999
all of the Legacy Codes ceased to exist and most states adopted the IBC.
 |
| Just some of the books from one edition of the IBC family. |
Almost immediately, this model
code, one for all states, began printing separate codes for individual states
and even several cities, each based on the IBC but just enough different to
make you buy a new book. And some standards
groups refused to join, including NFPA or the National Fire Prevention
Code. To make it even better, many
states require buildings to conform to BOTH codes. So another set of books. Did I mention that most of the books are rewritten
every three years? And there are about
nine books needed for a full set. And oh
yes, the publishers of all these books are non-profit groups.
 |
| Some of the NFPA family of codes and standards. They disappear into the horizon. |
So to get back to the original story,
I was trying to find an online resource for the 1994 code. I merely needed to look at it for a few
minutes. I didn’t need to borrow it. So I thought I found it, and downloaded a
large PDF, only to see it was locked. I
needed a code to open it. For that, the
ICC (the Non-Profit organization
that prints the International Building Code) wanted to have $75. Imagine my frustration. How did a 20 year old code rate 75 bucks for
a Non-Profit? Not only was the code old, the organization that created it didn't exist any longer! I did some more searching
for other sources, and I found a letter on an organization’s web page. It came up in my search but had very little
to do with the SBC Code, except for this:
Building codes and other standards are created by non-profit
organizations quite often. But they are
in turn adopted into Law by the jurisdiction requiring adherence. By definition, a law is the property of the
people, and the people must be allowed access to the laws for free. That is my non-lawyer interpretation, anyway.
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| They only get bigger. Editions of the FGI (1997, 2001, 2006 & 2010 bottom to top) 2010 had to be split in 2 volumes. |
Compensation of Major Nonprofits Involved
in Standards Setting
Rank Name of Nonprofit
Organization Name of Leader Year Amount
1 Underwriters' Laboratories K. Williams 2009 $2,075,984
2 National Sanitation Foundation Kevin Lawlor 2009 $1,140,012
3 British Standards Institution Howard
Kerr 2010 $1,029,161
4 NFPA James Shannon 2009 $926,174
5 ANSI Saranjit Bhatia 2010 $916,107
6 ASTM International James Thomas 2009 $782,047
7 IEEE James Prendergast 2009 $422,412
8 Society of Automotive Engineers David L. Schutt 2009 $422,128
9 American Soc. of Mech. Engineers Thomas Loughlin 2009 $420,960
10 The United States of America Barack Obama 2011 $400,000
(Source:
Public.Resource.Org Letter dated June 26, 2012 - except #10)
We, as architects, often run
into issues where a building code official may require us to insert information
directly from the referenced standard in our drawings. This brings up an interesting point. There are copyright protections written all
over these standards. What would Ms.
Clouser, my high school English teacher say?
That is plagiarism.
According to the U.S.
Copyright Office:
Edicts of government, such as judicial opinions,
administrative rulings, legislative enactments, public ordinances, and similar
official legal
documents are not copyright-able for reasons of public policy. (Source:
Public.Resource.Org Letter dated June 26, 2012). This principal surely has to apply to
Building Codes as each state passes legislature in order to adopt a building
code, doesn’t it? After a lawsuit
against the SBC, the group Public.Resource.Org has been publishing many
building codes online as PDF’s.
So the edge is very thin. Organizations do spend lots of money to
create building codes and standards. But
they also seem to reap serious amounts of dough in book sales while maintaining a Non-Profit
status along with the accompanying tax benefits. Once adopted, these codes are law, and by
default, the property of the people .
Why should I pay $75 for a
moldy old book? I didn’t have to. I finally found the actual paper copy in our
office, luckily. But virtually any law,
ordinance or criminal code in my area, I can easily find online for free. From dog leash laws to burning of leaves, I
know where I stand. But for some reason,
those laws dealing with building construction and the protection of the health,
safety and welfare of the human occupants within, are not readily available to
the public.
Update Since the Original Creation of this Article:
Both NFPA and the ICC have since made all of their current codes, including some of the previous editions of their codes and standards, available online at their websites. They are read only, but that is all you need, especially if you're just looking for an old code for reference. Three cheers for them!
