ICC, ASABE standard referenced in California emergency drought plan.

To help combat one of the state's worst droughts in history, officials in California adopted stricter lawn-reduction rules based in part on irrigation regulations developed by the International Code Council (ICC) and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The new rules, which take effect Dec. 1, specify using drought-tolerant plants on lawns for new homes with more than 500 square feet of landscaped area, and limits turf grass to 25 percent of landscaping, down from a third.

ICC continues work with World Plumbing Council.

ICC Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO, has been designated as a representative on the World Plumbing Council (WPC). Founded in 2000, the WPC is an international organization which aims to develop and promote the image and standards of the plumbing industry worldwide. ICC is a member-focused association that develops model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient communities.

"For decades, ICC's codes and standards and programs have addressed water-related issues," Sims said. "Serving with the World Plumbing Council provides ICC another global platform to better educate the public about the importance of water efficiency and consumption and the role code compliance plays in public health and safety."

Continuous staff upgrading key to ICC-ES success.

The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) speed of product evaluation is at an all-time high, and customer service has been best in class through the Connect+ Customer Care service. All of this has happened as a result of a variety of improvements and the continuous addition of talented technical staff. ICC-ES new staffers, like their veteran colleagues, bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience that allows ICC-ES to continually serve its clients at a high level. "In every instance, we have seized the opportunity to upgrade through the acquisition of new talent to supplement our existing staff and streamline our business," said ICC-ES President Shahin Moinian. Read more.

Jones will lead ICC Conference forum on earthquake preparedness and recovery.

Dr. Lucy Jones, a renowned seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and a Visiting Research Associate at the Seismological Laboratory of Caltech, will keynote the Global Forum at ICC's 2015 Annual Conference in Long Beach, Calif. The theme for this year's forum is "Earthquake Preparedness and Recovery within the Frame of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the World: Are Building Codes the Ultimate Solution?" The forum will focus on how DRR is achieved through preparedness and/or recovery programs in different countries, the challenges and successes of their implementation, and how they affect building regulations and are shaping the regulatory ecology in their countries.

Significant changes to the 2015 IBC.

The term "vegetative roof" has been defined in Section 202 and a reference to ASTM E 2397 has been added to Section 1607 of the 2015 International Building Code (IBC) to be consistent with the definition in the International Green Construction Code and ASTM D1079, Standard Terminology Relating to Roofing and Waterproofing.

(This information is excerpted from the Significant Changes to the 2015 International Building Code.)

Disaster recovery certification development forum.

Preparing construction workers to implement state-of-the-art approaches and technologies in the wake of disasters requires high quality educational efforts. Toward that end, Green Advantage, Antioch University and the International Code Council are convening a Development and Research Planning Forum Nov. 4-6 at the American Institute of Architects headquarters in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this process could ultimately lead to a Disaster Recovery Specialist Certification for construction industry personnel in the U.S .and Canada, based upon a recognized body of knowledge and an examination protocol that is accredited under ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024. Nominations for public and private sector leaders wishing to participate are due Aug. 31. Read more about the program here.

HSTTP is building better construction knowledge at Winfield High School.

ICC's High School Technical Training Program (HSTTP) has made its way to Winfield High School (WHS) in Kansas. City of Winfield Building Official Rod Haney, an ICC Member, was instrumental in bringing information about the program to the school. "We want WHS students to be able to learn the building codes that are associated with trades they may want to have a career in," Haney said. "This doesn't mean they could go out and get a job as a building inspector, but if they're looking for a job in construction, and the other applicant doesn't have this certificate, it might give them an edge." Read more.

McErlean named AZBO Building Official of the Year.

City of Kingman, Ariz., Building Official Jim McErlean (pictured left) was named Building Official of the Year by the Arizona Building Officials (AZBO) during its 2015 Annual Business Meeting. McErlean was later honored by the Kingman City Council and Mayor Richard Anderson, who praised him for his "great service, abilities and professionalism."

AZBO, an ICC Chapter, is an ICC Preferred Education Provider.

Summit examines health and wellness in design.

ICC Government Relations Senior Vice President Sara Yerkes (pictured on stage, left) was a panelist at the Impact Summit 2015 held in Orlando, Fla. Established by the American Society of Interior Designers and the Interior Designers of Canada, the summit convened leaders from the business, government and nonprofit sectors to forge innovative design solutions for North America's most pressing health and wellness challenges in the built environment. Yerkes discussed the role building codes play in the health, safety and welfare of communities and how their implementation can lead to a more resilient built environment.

Want a healthy, sustainable and resilient community? Build to code.

Resilient, healthy, and sustainable communities all have one thing in common: they are current code compliant. Other than specific, targeted legislation, building codes are the only way to mandate these positive traits in construction. The ICC's suite of model codes (I-Codes) are intended to reduce the negative impacts of the built environment on our health and the natural environment and promote efficient and sound building. Read more.

Survey seeks analysis of staff, structures and resources.

ICC's Major Jurisdictions Committee is conducting the Permits and Inspection Benchmarking Survey for basic analysis of building departments and their staff, structures and resources. The survey takes no more than five minutes to complete. Following completion of the survey, the committee will issue a report with its findings that will provide valuable information to jurisdictions across the country. Each jurisdiction that completes the survey will be entered into a drawing for one I-Code and one Code Commentary book courtesy of the committee. Take the survey. For more information, email Major Jurisdictions Committee.

SEHPCAC will develop Group B code changes.

ICC's Sustainability, Energy & High Performance Building Code Action Committee (SEHPCAC) will hold a meeting Dec. 9-11 in Schiller Park, Ill., for SEHPCAC members to develop proposed changes to the Group B International Codes. Read the meeting notice. ICC's Building and Fire Code Action Committees are holding a joint meeting Nov. 4-5, while the PMG Code Action Committee is conducting its business via conference calls.

ADA guidelines covered in new pocket guide.

Pocket Guide: 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Version 3.0 contains the ADA Guidelines and regulations most relevant to facilities. The book includes more than 165 references and editor's notes to explain more difficult sections of the rules. Its spiral-bound, pocket-sized format is ideal for quick access in the office or field.

GR Spotlight: Meet Mark Roberts.

It's Mark Roberts' humility and willingness to work with a diverse group of individuals toward a common purpose that makes him such an effective Government Relations manager. With a passion for the technical aspects of building codes, he knows the value of coalition-building and working to promote unity in an often divisive regulatory climate, especially after cutting his teeth on the regulatory rulemaking and legislative activities as a building official under the State Fire Marshal of Louisiana.

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