The International Code Council is a member-focused association. It is dedicated to developing model codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process to construct safe, sustainable, affordable and resilient structures. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.

The International Codes, or I-Codes, published by ICC, provide minimum safeguards for people at home, at school and in the workplace. The I-Codes are a complete set of comprehensive, coordinated building safety and fire prevention codes. Building codes benefit public safety and support the industry’s need for one set of codes without regional limitations.

Fifty states and the District of Columbia have adopted the I-Codes at the state or jurisdictional level. Federal agencies including the Architect of the Capitol, General Services Administration, National Park Service, Department of State, U.S. Forest Service and the Veterans Administration also enforce the I-Codes. The Department of Defense references the International Building Code for constructing military facilities, including those that house U.S. troops around the world and at home. Amtrak uses the International Green Construction Code for new and extensively renovated sites and structures. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands enforce one or more of the I-Codes.

Vision & Mission

Vision: Protect the health, safety and welfare of people by creating safe buildings and communities.

Mission: To provide the highest quality codes, standards, products and services for all concerned with the safety and performance of the built environment.

Values:

History

The International Code Council (ICC) was established in 1994 as a non-profit organization dedicated to developing a single set of comprehensive and coordinated national model construction codes. The founders of the ICC are Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), and Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc. (SBCCI). Since the early part of the last century, these non-profit organizations developed three separate sets of model codes used throughout the United States. Although regional code development has been effective and responsive to our country’s needs, the time came for a single set of codes. The nation’s three model code groups responded by creating the International Code Council and by developing codes without regional limitations; the International Codes.

Publications

The ICC has developed and made available an impressive inventory of comprehensive and coordinated International Codes, including:

Services of the ICC

The International Code Council offers unmatched technical, educational and informational products and services in support of the International Codes, with more than 250 highly qualified staff members at 16 offices throughout the United States and in Latin America. Some of the products and services readily available to code users include:

Code Development

Any interested individual or group may submit a code change proposal and participate in the proceedings in which proposals are considered. This open debate and participation before a committee of representatives from across the construction industry, including code regulators and construction industry representatives, ensures a consensus of the construction community in the decision-making process. A major advantage of ICC’s consensus-based private-sector code development process is that it allows both the ICC code development committees and eligible voting members at the code change hearings to participate in establishing the results of each proposal. Voting members may either ratify the committee’s recommendation or make their own recommendation. The results of all votes are published in the report of the ICC code development hearings.

Eligible voting members review the recommendations of the code development committee and determine the final action. Following consideration of all public comments, each proposal is individually balloted by the eligible voters. The final action on the proposals is based on the aggregate count of all votes cast. This process ensures that the International Codes will reflect the latest technical advancements and address the concerns of those throughout the industry in a fair and equitable manner. Read more about the code development process.