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A helpful workbook is also available.

April Price Change

New prices and shipping rates are now in effect for 2006 International Codes and related materials.
See the price adjustments.

Prices are slashed on some of the Council’s most popular items.
Get great deals now.

City of Lakes to
Host Annual Conference

The Code Council’s 2008 Annual Conference and Final Action Hearings takes place September 14-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Events will include the ICC Expo‚ Education Program‚ Annual Business Meeting and much more. Online registration now open.

Expand Your Efficiency
Stop By the AIA Expo and
Meet ICC at Booth #13129

AIA Expo 2008‚ May 15-17 in Boston‚ will showcase the best and brightest new products‚ technology and services from more than 800 companies. You’ll find just about everything you need to improve your efficiency and earnings‚ all in one place at one time. Click here for your Expo pass.

Help a Colleague

Clark County Nevada seeks your ideas and experiences to help develop its public education program about the need to obtain building permits.
Click here to read more.

Celebrate New Homes Month

April is New Homes Month and we have the resources to guide new homeowners through building safety and fire prevention codes and permits to help protect their homes. Click here for everything you need.

New Website Builds
Construction Intelligence

A convergence of traditional building trades with new technology and systems such as building automation‚ green building and lighting control has resulted in an explosion of specialized terms‚ acronyms and jargon. A new online construction dictionary is cutting through the confusion and vocabulary of these fast-growing fields. Suggest a term.
Improve a definition.

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Make your I-Codes‚ state codes and other Code Council resources mobile with a subscription to Premium eCodes.

Online Learning 24/7

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For complete course descriptions and to register securely‚ visit the ICC Campus.

Inside Building
Department Accreditation

The city of Roseville is the first municipality in California to earn national accreditation by the International Accreditation Service‚ demonstrating it operates under the highest professional and technical standards. Read more.

Improve and perfect the services your building department provides. Learn to self-audit to quantify the quality of your permitting‚ plan check and inspection services. Click here to find out how.

May 4
International Accreditation Service Board
May 5
International Code Council Board
July 18-20
International Code Council Board

May 1
International Wildland Urban Interface Code Fundamentals Institute
May 12
International Wildland Urban Interface Code Fundamentals Institute

April 21-22
2006 IBC Fundamentals Structural/Nonstructural Provisions
April 23
2006 IPMC Fundamentals
April 24
Legal Aspects of Code Administration
May 12-16
HACBO Conference for Safer Building

April 16
2006 IBC Mixed Occupancies
May 14
IAS Building Department Accreditation Webinar

We Can Help with
Your Educational Needs

The Code Council offers great code education and training options and can gear training to your specific needs.
Let us know what you need.

Prove Your Achievements

You worked hard to get it. Now keep it. Renew your Code Council certification.

Our Online Renewal Updates offer a convenient way to earn CEUs for renewal of your certification.

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ICC eNews
April 15‚ 2008
Volume 5‚ Issue 6

Grand Award Winner
2007 APEX Awards
Gold Winner
2007 Hermes Creative Awards

Make Safety Your Priority
Step Forward with Congress and Act Now

Safety in all our buildings for children‚ adults and seniors is a priority of every community. With that in mind‚ the Code Council has been working to bring attention to legislation aimed at providing federal grants to building departments to enhance public safety. Better building through better code enforcement is clearly in the best interests of our country and every community in it. Learn how you can make a difference.
Support the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act.

Honoring the Nation’s First Responders


Code Council Board President Steve Shapiro (left) speaks with Dwayne Garris‚ Assistant State Fire Marshal for the State of Georgia during the CFSI Annual Dinner. Garris represents the National Association of State Fire Marshals on the International Fire Code Council.

Code Council Board‚ staff and their guests were in attendance when the nation honored fire and emergency services at the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s (CFSI) 20th Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner in Washington‚ D.C. Honorary co-chairs‚ Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD)‚ Senator Joseph R. Biden‚ Jr. (D-DE)‚ and Congressman Rob Andrews (D-NJ)‚ addressed more than 2‚500 attendees at the event‚ emphasizing the important work the Institute has accomplished in its 20 years.

In her keynote address‚ Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recognized the fire and emergency services as “first preventers‚” a role building safety officials also perform in their daily work. Pelosi was emphasizing the dual roles of fire code and other compliance personnel who both prevent and suppress tragedies caused by fire. As in her previous use of the term‚ the Speaker emphasized the aspect of code officials’ work that is routinely unrecognized. “First preventers” is a new term promoted by the Code Council to elevate the profile of the code official across the nation. In a letter presented to the Speaker at the dinner‚ the Council explained the need for Congress to support the proposed Community Building Code Administration Grant Act to protect citizens through the adoption and enforcement of building and fire safety codes.

Council Welcomes New Strategic Partner

The Code Council welcomes the American Gas Association (AGA) as its newest strategic partner. Code Council and AGA representatives met in Washington‚ D.C.‚ at which time Council CEO Rick Weiland gave the group an update on a number of activities‚ including the $41 million Facility Master Plan and Capital Budget and the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act. AGA’s IFGS Standards are referenced in the Council’s International Fuel Gas Code.

Read more about the Code Council’s strategic partners‚ supporting organizations and participating organizations.
Click here for more information on the American Gas Association.

Welcoming the American Gas Association as the Code Council’s newest strategic partner are‚ from left: Ron Nickson‚ National Multi Housing Council; Ed Sutton‚ National Association of Home Builders; Code Council CEO Rick Weiland; Jim Ranfone‚ American Gas Association; Code Council COO Dominic Sims; Code Council Board President Steve Shapiro; Carlos Martin‚ National Association of Home Builders; and Ron Burton‚ Building Owners and Managers Association International.

BIM Technology the Big Easy Way

The Code Council’s SMARTcodes project received an honorable mention in the Automated Design category at FIATECH’s 2007 Celebration of Engineering and Technology Innovation in New Orleans. SMARTcodes was recognized for its innovative technology and contributions to the architecture‚ engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Upcoming live demo tutorials on April 24 and May 29 will help you discover the new technology of Building Information Models (BIM). Register now.

Members of the Code Council’s SMARTcodes team show off their Celebration of Engineering and Technology (CETI) Award. From left‚ Jeff Wix‚ AEC3 Ltd.; Code Council Special Projects Coordinator Eunice Lee; Code Council Senior Advisor David Conover; Richard See‚ Digital Alchemy; and Nick Nisbet‚ AEC3 Ltd.

Raise Awareness
Building Safety Week | May 5-11

Plans are underway for Building Safety Week (BSW) 2008‚ including Capitol Hill visits to focus on the Code Council's Community Building Code Administration Grant Act‚ a second Fireside Chat with Council Board President Steve Shapiro‚ a Habitat for Humanity Build project‚ and numerous local jurisdiction events. Don’t miss this chance to open your doors to the public and provide information on the importance of building codes‚ disaster awareness and loss prevention. Now is the perfect time for you to begin planning BSW activities and we have everything you need. Get started.

Building Safety Goes Back to School

To teach kids about building safety and the important role the building department plays in keeping them and their families safe‚ the Code Council is offering a free lesson plan as part of its BSW activities this year. Geared to children from kindergarten to third grade‚ the lesson plan includes detailed speaker’s notes‚ visuals and a suggested presentation outline. It also includes popular age-appropriate BSW materials‚ including CODiE the Cougar activity books‚ children’s stickers and building safety pencils.
Download the free lesson plan.

More Qualified Inspectors
Needed for Manufactured Housing

The Code Council met with the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) at its Headquarters in Washington‚ D.C.‚ to discuss the need for more qualified inspectors for manufactured housing‚ especially relating to installation and on-site quality assurance. The Council requested the Institute’s support of the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act.

Jeff Inks of the Manufactured Housing Institute (third from right) explains how more qualified inspectors are needed for manufactured housing. Clockwise from left are: Colin McLaurin‚ MHI; Gail Davis Cardwell‚ MHI; Code Council Government Relations SVP Sara Yerkes; Code Council CEO Rick Weiland; Code Council COO Dominic Sims; Inks; Thayer Long‚ National Modular Housing Council; and Code Council National Organizations Liaison Richard Kuchnicki.

Code Official Alert
Warnings Issued on Phony Building Re-inspection Letters

In Modesto‚ California‚ city officials are warning residents about a suspicious letter mailed on re-created letterhead from the city’s Building Inspection Division. Unfortunately‚ scams such as these usually show up in multiple cities. If it can happen to them‚ it can happen to you. Stop this from happening in your community. Learn what you can do.

Individuals‚ Organizations Wanted

What do George Walker‚ Jerry Mallory‚ David Eisenberg‚ Scott McDonald‚ Don Plass and Thomas Brace have in common? A dedication to the code enforcement profession and to the development of codes and standards in the interest of public safety‚ serving as examples to all building safety and fire prevention professionals. Know of an individual or organization that fits the bill? Now is the time to honor them.
Continue reading here.

ICC/NAHB Standard Closer to Finish Line
Become a Master of Special Inspection
I-Code Training Offered in Hawaii
ICC‚ DeWalt Release Code Series for Plumbers‚ Contractors
Code Council Developing Green Building Inspector Certification

USGBC Discusses Green Opportunites

Code Council Board President Steve Shapiro and CEO Rick Weiland met with U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) President‚ CEO and Founding Chairman Richard Fedrizzi recently to discuss future business opportunities. During the visit‚ USGBC Director of Education and Research Partnerships Linda Sorrento gave Weiland and Shapiro a tour of USGBC’s platinum-level‚ Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified offices.

USGBC Director of Education and Research Partnerships Linda Sorrento explains the USGBC history wall while giving Code Council Board President Steve Shapiro (left) and CEO Rick Weiland a tour of USGBC’s platinum-level LEED-certified offices.

The following links take you outside the Code Council’s website. We are not responsible for the content and privacy practices of these websites.

IEA Urges Increasing Energy Efficiency
Convergence of Green and Intelligent Buildings Study
Pushing Green into the Black
Dallas to Adopt Green Standards
Learn more on how the Code Council is leading the way in building green.
Click here.

Note: In response to comments received‚ we have revised the answer to the February 12‚ 2008‚ ‘Code Question of the Week’ for clarification of the issue.

Q: It is the intent of the 2003 International Building Code to permit special inspections to be performed by the architect or engineer of record for a project?

A: The Architect or Engineer of record may provide special inspections if they are approved to do so by the authority having jurisdiction. Being the Architect or Engineer of record is not a de facto prohibition against providing special inspection services as long as they can demonstrate their qualifications to perform the particular inspections in question.

*This is a staff opinion only. The final authority to interpret the code rests with the authority having jurisdiction‚ the code official.

Providing a Smoke-Free Egress Route
Corridor Construction under the 2006 IBC

Written by code experts for code experts‚ ICC eNews offers this free article to help you in your everyday pursuit of code excellence.

Roughly three-quarters of fire deaths are related to smoke. Because corridors serve as an important part of means-of-egress systems‚ it’s important they are properly constructed and protected to provide building occupants with a relatively smoke-free egress route. An in-depth look at how corridor construction details and opening protection requirements differ from fire-resistive assembly requirements under the 2006 International Building Code (IBC) can help. Continue reading here.

The following links take you outside the Code Council’s website. We are not responsible for the content and privacy practices of these websites.

Website Offers Access to Life-Saving Fire Service Research
ASSE Issues Construction Safety Standard‚ ASSE A10.19
Getting Building Permits Might Be Getting Easier
CPSC Issues Warning to Midwest Residents Following Floods
Council Holds High-Rise Construction Site Safety Hearing
Two Louisiana Parishes Fastest-Growing in the Country
Systems Building Speeds Up during Slow Market
Builders Use Price Guarantees to Pull Buyers off the Fence
Database Key in Restoring New Orleans

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